RAVENSWOOD MANOR — Cubs fever has at least half of Chicago momentarily distracted, but come November, the city's going to snap out of its Theo-induced trance and experience the rudest of reawakenings: the Bears are dismal.
The team's miserable 1-4 start has us grasping for ways to right this ship, and we think we've hit upon an unusual proposal to spark a change in fortune.
The McCaskey family should invest in a piece of Luck(man).
Turns out, the one-time home of Sid Luckman, the Bears Hall-of-Fame quarterback who led the team to four (four!) NFL championships, is for sale.
Luckman and his family lived at 2749 W. Sunnyside Ave. in Ravenswood Manor in the 1950s, after he'd retired from the Bears. (He was part owner of Cellu-Craft Products, a packaging company that made wrapping paper for food companies such as Kraft.)
Dating to 1918, the imposing Italianate structure was designed as two full-floor residences and has now been divided into three rental units, according to the listing by Henry Schleichkorn.
That's enough room to house, say, a young quarterback draft pick and a pair of wide receivers. They could run practice routes at Buffalo Park across the street, coached by the ghost of Luckman, who was known to have tutored players across the nation on the passing game.
Like we said, we're grasping.
Sure, the $2.3 million asking price may seem a bit steep for a 98-year-old fixer-upper, but then again Bears ownership has demonstrated a willingness to overpay for dubious assets.
Besides, you can't put a price on luck.
The "Luckman house" is on the market for $2.3 million, either as a turn-key rental property or for potential conversion to a single-family home. The building needs a good bit of love to restore it to its former glory — just like the Bears. [All photos Chicago Northside Realty]
Sunrooms are another feature of the home.
The imposing structure dates to 1918, and is more typically shrouded in foliage.
Hardwood floors, french doors and wood molding are among the home's features.
The "Luckman house" is divided into three rental units.
According to a post on the Ravenswood Manor Improvement Association Facebook page, Luckman left the neighborhood around 1956 after his 14-year-old son, Robert, was beaten up near Horner Park. The Luckmans moved to Skokie.
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