ROGERS PARK — The house where a 26-year-old woman was recently found to have been running an unlicensed daycare hit the market Friday.
Dubbed the "Witch's Hat" house by its late former owners John H. Dawson and James David Gibson for its pointed second floor cupola, the property at 7430 N. Paulina St. in Rogers Park was most recently the site of Little Wonders Daycare, which was shut down by the state in early June.
The property was listed Friday, the same day DNAinfo reported on the illegal daycare owned by Nicole Paige Howver. Craig Stone of Glencoe-based Stone Realty Group said he was already planning to sell the house, though the story helped solidify his decision. Stone is the principal on the limited liability company that owns the home, as well as its broker.
"I had no idea ... someone sent me that article and I'm like, 'What the heck?'" Stone said. "I wasn't pleased, to be honest with you, but it didn't change my decision — it made my decision a little easier to sell it, but I was selling it probably either way."
Stone said he'd been planning to sell the house for months and had been at the home in recent weeks to take professional photos showcasing the property that could be used for a real estate listing.
Stone said he never had any issues with Howver while she was his tenant and that she enhanced the property by adding a side yard area with a circle of chairs.
But Stone added he was shocked to learn she was running a daycare with as many as 19 children without a license while she rented there.
Former owners believed the rooftop feature on the home resembled a witch's hat. [DNAinfo/Linze Rice]
An outdoor seating area and fire pit added to the lawn. [DNAinfo/Linze Rice]
Despite the controversy, he said he hopes people can focus on the property itself and the work he's put into it.
"It's a great house — you walk in the front door and you're like, 'Wow, I'm home,'" Stone said. "It's really cute ... it's just a cozy home, someone's going to be real happy living there."
Stone bought the home through his entity Stone Trading LLC in 2015 for $240,000 after Dawson died of cancer and the sprawling property went into foreclosure. It's listed for $589,000.
The light yellow home sits on a cushy corner lot at Paulina, Rogers and Fargo and underwent a major renovation from 2015-16 which restored many original aspects of the house, Stone said, yet kept some of the charm it developed under Dawson's era.
For example, Stone said he kept the "Witch's Hat" sign that hung above the front door, until it ultimately fell down and broke. He also kept a back porch door that uses a skeleton key, he said.
During its restoration, Stone updated the four-bedroom, two-bathroom home's original wooden floors and staircase, and added a new roof, windows, stainless steel appliances, quartz counters, floors, a front porch and back deck. A huge 5,000-square-foot yard is enclosed within a gated wrought-iron fence.
The home also contains a finished attic and finished basement with a bonus room, as well as a brick one car garage and back enclosed porch.
"Almost all of the character in the house is still there," Stone said. "It's a really fun, cool house in a great location."
All photos courtesy of Stone
