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1880s-Era Victorian Townhome in Wicker Park Listed for $1.35 Million

By Alisa Hauser | August 7, 2014 8:58am | Updated on August 7, 2014 9:38am
 Inside a townhome for sale at 1959 W. Schiller St. in Wicker Park.
1959 W. Schiller St. in Wicker Park
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WICKER PARK — In its first few weeks on the market, a Victorian townhome in Wicker Park built in 1886 has attracted interest from young families, according its owner, who has lived there for two decades.

Sitting in her sunny kitchen Wednesday, Susan Dinko said it was a desire to downsize that prompted her and her husband, architect Charles Hasbrouck, to put their 2,600-square-foot home at 1959 W. Schiller St. up for sale.

Listed for $1.35 million by Realtor Art Collazo, the three-bedroom, two-bathroom home is directly across from Wicker Park's park at 1425 N. Damen Ave. and less than one block south of the CTA Damen Blue Line "L" station.

The home offers a finished basement, a pond in a landscaped backyard, original tin ceilings in the kitchen and four wood-burning fireplaces, among other unique features.

"Buyers like it because of the tall ceilings, and plaster walls versus drywall as well as the fact that original details were restored and maintained," Dinko said.

The townhomes at 1959-61 W. Schiller St. were built in 1886 for Dr. Baltzer Meyer and Halver Michelson, who was president of the Vessel Owners' Mutual Benefit Association, according to the book, "Wicker Park: From 1673 thru 1929 and Walking Tour Guide," by Elaine Coorens.

During a renovation project, the home's previous owners found a portrait of a man named Robert Meadowcroft within the building's walls that they gave to Dinko and Hasbrouck when they moved into the home in 1991 and later bought it for $325,000 in 1995.

Now framed, the portrait of Meadowcroft, whom Dinko said she believed was a ship captain who once lived in the home, hangs in the dining room.

Both townhomes at 1959-61 W. Schiller Ave. feature a Mansard, or curved roof that recently underwent a renovation that included the installation of ornamental copper that will turn green after a few seasons.

Dinko worked with her new neighbors, who purchased the adjacent home last May, on the exterior facade renovations.

Dinko, a Realtor, said she and Hasbrouck, who have a 21-year-old son who lives in the area, are planning to stay in Wicker Park after selling their home.

As for Meadowcroft, the captain's portrait will stay behind and be given to the new owners, Dinko said.

For more information about the home, visit Collazo's listing here.

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