OLD TOWN — A multi-unit Old Town original building crafted by Chicago artist and architect Edgar Miller recently hit the market.
Each unit in the six-unit building at 163-165 W. Schiller Ave. was designed by Miller down to the intricate wood carvings, murals and mosaics.
Each unit is also completely unique, thanks to Miller's handcrafted artistic touches completed in the 1940s.
Paul Biasco offers a brief history of the classic Old Town building:
The property is listed at $1.95 million and includes a 650-square-foot studio with a private deck, three one-bedroom units, one two-bedroom unit and a three-bedroom unit.
“It’s an amazing architectural and artistic gem, from the hand-carved doors to the mosaic tiles and frescos,” said John Calkin, of CONLON/Christie's International Real Estate. “There’s nothing like it on the market. Each unit has a fireplace and unique mosaic tile and art work.”
Miller, who died in 1993 at age 93, was known as one of the co-founders of the Old Town neighborhood.
His most well-known works include the remodeling of a three-story mansion that was built in the 1880s into a studio complex for emerging artists on the North Side known as the Carl Street Studios.
Miller and Sol Kogen completed the remodeling of that building, at 155 W. Burton Place, formerly 155 Carl St.
That home went on the market earlier this summer for $1.85 million.
A book was written about that home titled "Edgar Miller and the Hand-Made Home: Chicago's Forgotten Renaissance Man."
After remodeling Carl Street Studios, Kogen and Miller remodeled a group of buildings at 1734 N. Wells Street, leading to the idea of Old Town, where artists began populating, according to the Tribune.
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