EDGEWATER — For those with a big enough bank account, a piece of Edgewater history can be yours.
Two single-family homes in the ornate Lakewood Balmoral Historic District are currently for sale, starting at just more than $1 million.
Houses at 5352 N. Lakewood Ave. and 5455 N. Wayne Ave. were built in the neighborhood's early years in 1894 and 1906, but boast rehabbed interiors with modern amenities and plenty of light and space.
Another at 5411 N. Wayne Ave. is also for sale for $1,649,000, but does not yet have public pictures of its recently updated inside.
Residents told Crain's last year they were seeing a historic surge in renovations taking place by builders rather than existing property owners, in turn raising the already high-priced homes well into the $1 million-range — now nearing $2 million.
The Lakewood Balmoral Historic District is bound by Byrn Mawr, Magnolia, Wayne and Foster with roots stretching back to 1890, when Edgewater's original developer John Lewis Cochran bought the plot. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
According to the Edgewater Historical Society, the first homes were constructed in 1893, mostly on Lakewood and Magnolia Avenues, with more structures popping up between 1894-95 and more still in 1898-99.
The area was built as Cochran's third and last addition to his "original" vision of Edgewater. Cochran is largely credited with founding the neighborhood, which was meant to cater to middle class families, while his lakefront mansions were designed for the elite.
5352 N. Lakewood Ave.
Permits for the home at 5352 N. Lakewood Ave. were issued in 1893 and it is one of the tallest homes in the neighborhood, according to the Edgewater Historical Society. [Redfin; Edgewater Historical Society]
The home at 5352 N. Lakewood Ave. [Redfin]
One of the district's oldest and tallest homes for sale is also the most affordable: 5352 N. Lakewood Ave. is going for $1,050,000, according to real estate blog Redfin.
Permits for the three-story Queen Anne-style home were issued in 1893 for the 3,600-square-foot home, the Edgewater Historical Society mentions on its website, along with an early sketch of the home.
Inside, the house includes four bedrooms and 3½ bathrooms, as well as a finished basement.
Its front parlor was enlarged sometime during the 1910s, and though many of the home's original details and features were covered or altered over the years, restoration work has brought back to life the home's vintage look and feel, but with the conveniences many modern dwellings enjoy today.
A screened-in back porch offers views of a lush backyard, complete with koi pond.
5455 N. Wayne Ave.
The home at 5455 N. Wayne Ave. is understated on the outside, but boasts modern amenities and lots of light inside. [Redfin]
From the outside, 5455 N. Wayne Ave. might appear as a plain, boxy two-flat, but inside it's a bright, spacious home offering up six bedrooms, two laundries, a marble shower and clawfoot tub, and an open floor plan across the 3,567-square-foot lot, according to Redfin.
Built in 1906, the two-story house also comes with a finished basement, a second-story balcony that opens from the master suite, back porch and back yard with garage.
For the updated home, sellers are asking $1,199,999.
