YESTERDAY, a quirky Wrigleyville mainstay, set to be demolished

The YESTERDAY building at 1143 West Addison is under contract and will be demolished. A building permit was issued... yesterday... for a new construction three-flat all too common in the Wrigleyville neighborhood of Lakeview. I stopped over today with my two youngest sons for a few last photos.

Frame multi-unit rental buildings still hanging in there on each side of YESTERDAY. They probably get an offer everyday to sell for a larger development but now the contingent lots are broken up.

The property sits on a 25'x122' lot zoned RT4 and is under contract with an asking price of $599,900 according to the MLS (we won't know the final price until the closing is recorded). There are a good number of newer construction three-unit condo buildings lining West Addison. However, many frame and grey-stone multi-units remain along with vintage grey-stone and brick single family homes along this path to Wrigley Field. There is still some charm in Mudville.

You get a glimpse of newer construction three-flats to the left background of the photo.

The median price of a sold condo on the 1000-1600 blocks of West Addison is about $400K over the last 24 months while the highest priced condo sold for $912,000 over that period.

About four years ago my oldest son bought a pack of 1987 Topps baseball cards and tried the gum! It was not chewable. This may be my last favorite iconic dump in Wrigleyville to bite the dust.  First Yum Yum Donuts that use to be in front of Wrigley Field and now YESTERDAY.

The ice rink at Wrigley Field opens November 24th

The ice was a little steamy this morning as workers prepare the surface at Wrigley Field (all photos Eric Rojas, Broker, Kale Realty).

Workers were preparing the ice rink at the park at Wrigley Field this morning (I refuse to use the corporate name!).   The ice rink opens November 24th.  The surrounding neighborhood is getting ready for the Holidays in this weird late Thanksgiving / early snow storm season!

The median price of a sold single family house is about $2,000,000 over the last 12 months.  The median price of a sold condo over the same period is about $419,000.

Sold over list price! Wrigleyville three bedrooms condo with awesome rooftop $425,000

This condo for Cub's fans went fast! 

Listed at $419,900 sold for $425,000 in multiple offer bid.

Wow! A three bedrooms, two baths condo with parking and awesome common roof top deck.  Just steps from Wrigley Field and the CTA Red Line at Addison. This large, renovated condo has great space for entertaining.  Enjoy the video walk through and call us to buy or sell more condo units in Wrigleyville, great Lake View and the North Side of Chicago.

Huge, open plan with fantastic kitchen for entertaining.

Amazing 360 degree roof deck views!

3743 N Wilton #3, Chicago IL 60613 sold for $425,000

Three bedrooms

Two bathrooms

Master suite

Parking included

Private deck off master suite

Huge common roof deck

Check out more photos HERE

Awesome bay window area, tall ceilings, great light!

 Exclusively listed by Eric Rojas

Broker, Kale Realty 

2447 N Ashland, Chicago IL 60614

773-510-1597

erojas@kalerealty.com

ericrojasblog.com

Checking in on Clark Street development in Lake View

The 3200 N Clark exterior seen today nears completion. The new eight story, 90 unit development has changed and modernized busy the corner of Clark and Belmont. A Target Express with Starbucks Coffee is scheduled to open in the building July 2017. Will there be a Starbucks across from a Starbucks?

Further north on Clark between Addison and Waveland we see the glassy new home offices of the Chicago Cubs taking form along with exterior plaza construction around Wrigley Field.  On the left of the photo construction has started on a new hotel replacing the infamous McDonald's / parking lot.

Beer money

Vendors check out at Wrigley Field after Friday's Crosstown Series game.   My beer guy is in the green shoes to the right.

Seen in Wrigleyville: Sweep!

You get a little less annoyed by street cleaning parking restrictions when this guy rolls by (photo Eric Rojas, Broker, Kale Realty).

When we sweep a team... we REALLY SWEEP a team! 

PHOTO! "Our guy" Jorge Soler called up to Chicago Cubs, Wrigley exciting again

Soler Power! Cubs prospect and Cuban defector #21 Jorge Soler steps up at Smokies Stadium this past July. He was promoted to Triple A soon after this game and has just been called up to the majors (Photo Eric Rojas, Broker, Kale Realty)

 
My seven year old son Ryne is a huge baseball and Cubs fan.  He gets into the numbers and intently watches games.  While on vacation in the Smokey Mountains this summer we took the opportunity to watch the Cub's Double A affiliate Tennesse Smokies from the front row (our vacation highlight!).  We were particularly excited to go see the Cub's big name prospect Jorge Soler play.

We followed "our guy" Jorge for the last couple years since he signed with the Cubs after leaving Cuba in 2011. My step family is Cuban and we are always happy to see players make it in the majors.  The 22yr old outfielder looked enormous and played like a pro! We also saw a great game from top prospect Addison Russel who just arrived that week.

It's party time again!

The young players including Javier Baez and All Stars Anthony Rizzo and Starlin Castro have made it fun again to watch games at Wrigley Field. It's really cool to see my son follow his favorite players. We consider the ease of seeing major sporting events a huge plus living in Chicago rather than a suburb. Wrigley is about a 10 minute bike ride from our house.

Next year?

Lakeview lot adjacent to Wrigley Field for sale (again) at $9.9 million: Theo, Tom?

The scoreboard at Wrigley Field. Photo Eric Rojas, Real Estate Broker

 Only "apprx 536 ft from home plate" of Wrigley Field this property at 3710 N Kenmore in Lakeview's Wrigleyville has "special zoning rights" according to the listing on MREDLLC.com. The listing also states the lot is 40x50 and zoned RM-5 (3 1/2 to 4 stories).  According to our MREDLLC.com MLS, the property had been listed for $5 million in 2007 and $8.5 million in 2009.

A lot is for sale at Waveland and Kenmore across from Wrigley Field.

Maybe the Cub's will finally grab a lot next to their own ballpark!  At $9.9 million asking (it's highest yet), the owners of the property are expecting great things from the Cub's new ownership group and THEO!

Wrigley Field photo Eric Rojas, Real Estate Broker

More Lakeview information, home tours and market statistics HERE

Chicago Local: A love / hate relationship in Lakeview

Bob snapped this fuzzy 2 megapixel Blackberry photo before attending a home inspection with our buyer clients on North Wilton Street. It's in Wrigelyville. You knew that.



I think it's safe to say many Lakeview residents have a love/hate relationship with Wrigley Field.  It's iconic, a major national tourist attraction, good for business and keeps things exciting.  On the other hand, the larger and more boisterous crowds and traffic can grate long time residents.

Some have a loving relationship (me, but I don't live in Lakeview)..

Some totally hate it.

Oh, and that's the CTA Red Line tracks...another Chicago love / hate thing.

Yankees v Cubs at Wrigley this weekend

Lefty Doug Davis starts against the New York Yankees today at Wrigley Field (Photo Eric Rojas, Realtor. All photos on The Chicago Real Estate Local are taken by Eric Rojas and Bob DePalma unless otherwise noted).

Sure, there are tons of fests and activities going on this weekend...but none greater than the Cubs hosting the New York Yankees for a three game set. Today's game is at 1:20PM. Saturday's game looks to be threatened by weather. Sunday's 7:00PM game is the ESPN Sunday Night Baseball feature which always has great production and fanfare.

Watching the game at a pub around Wrigley is a great way to experience game day if you don't have tickets. We like to hit one of the smaller places just off the Clark Street madness or even Yak-Zies (on Clark) just North of the park has the right kind of laid back, open air viewing during the game. There is no other city that compares to Wrigleyville's neighborhood atmosphere on game day. If you like the big bars, you can try Harry Caray's on Sheffield or any of the the huge open air bars along North Clark Street.

The Wrigley life! From Lincoln Park to Lincoln Square it's easy to enjoy game day

Once and awhile Bob and I indulge in some of the many reasons folks love living in Chicago. We are big baseball fans, so the ability to easily walk, ride a bike or take public transportation to one of the nation's most iconic sporting spectacles-Wrigleyville on game day- is city living! Not to mention we can get a lot of work done before and after a day game and not have long commute times.

On this day, Bob was at our Lincoln Park office early in the day and took a quick bus down to the park at 12:30PM. I finished up appointments further north and and rode my bike from Lincoln Square's Ravenswood neighborhood to the Cub's free bike check on North Clark Street and West Waveland. We were out of the game by 4:00PM and off to our evening real estate showings!

Photos: Wrigley Field painted Northwestern Wildcat purple!

Our clients saw more than properties yesterday as we looked at Lake View homes.

The big news for Big Ten fans on the North Side is the upcoming Northwestern versus University of Illinois football game to be played at Wrigley Field. The famous red Wrigley Field marquee sign gets the Northwestern purple paint treatment for the week!

We think this a great boost to the neighborhood bars and restaurants of Wrigleyville that would normally host a smaller crowd of college game day fans this Saturday. Partnerships done well, Chicago.

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Chicago's Winter Classic at Wrigley Field

Here's a shot while driving south on Sheffield past Wrigley Field. Worker's are creating an NHL ice rink for the New Year's Day Winter Classic featuring the Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings.

People think I'm nuts to go to the Bears/ Packers game tonight at Soldier Field. If these guys can work every day outside and build an ice rink in a baseball field, then I can handle a few hours watching a football game.

Chicago really has a ton of cool stuff going on. Always something. And it always involves below zero weather for some reason.

Pitchers and Catchers Report: Chicago Cubs in Spring Training

This is almost better than a sale. I woke up extra early this morning to read the Tribune Chicago Cubs preview and other baseball bits... I've been too busy to have winter blues, but I'll admit to needing a little pick-me up. Baseball hits the spot despite all the "roid-monsters".

See you at Wrigley.

Cub's President traded to Chicago Blackhawks

Well, sort of. John McDonough sees the writing on the wall and jumps to the Blackhawks. Hmmmmm... the sale of the Cubs should happen sometime next year so this is definately not the last move at the Wrigleyville compound.

Most of us Chicago natives and sports fans grew up loving the Blackhawks. They lost me two years after the 1992 Stanley Cup Fnals where the Hawks were swept by one of the greatest single teams ever (The Pittsburg Penguins). The year after they were swept in the first round by St. Louis... then they let the farm go. All my favorite players gone one-by-one.

The Blackhawks have a pretty exciting young team, new owner (the son of late Bill Wirtz) and now fresh blood in the front office. It's good to be talking about them again.

Ryne Sandberg; It's a Chicago thing

Ryne signing a baseball I caught at a Cubs game for my Ryne earlier today in Roscoe Village.

On a beautiful spring day called May 1st, 1991 I was randomly selected to be a Chicago Cubs bat-boy. Actually it wasn't so random as the long time clubhouse manager Yosh Kawano hand picked me early before the game because I looked like I'd fit the uniform.

I did fit into it thankfully, as there was 17,000 plus fans there to watch me step onto Wrigley Field. At fifteen years old, a baseball player and big fan, it didn't get any better. There I am suiting up with Mark Grace, Andre Dawson, Greg Maddux, Rick Sutcliff, and of course, Ryne Sandberg. In fact I sat next to Sandberg's locker.

The day quickly got better as I played catch with then third baseman Gary Scott and stood shoulder to shoulder with some of the game's best, hat over heart, listening to the National Anthem. Then it was to work as I collected bats, sunflower seeds, gum and Gatorade for the players. Batter up! I took my seat in the dugout next to Sutcliff and Mike Bilecki as the starting Cubs took the field and future Hall of Fame picher Greg Maddux took the mound. While the Cubs were batting I sat on the field.

I have a million stories from that day. None cooler than meeting Grace, Sandberg and Dawson at home plate after Dawson's three run homer, giving high-fives and trotting into the dugout with three future Hall of Fame players (Grace and Dawson are not in yet, but will be). Maddux has been my favorite pitcher from the day he started with the Cubs.

Fifteen years or so later, my first son is born. Somehow my wife under the influence of considerable drugs from the labor, agrees to name our son Ryne. Although not entirely the reason for the name, I grew up watching Ryne Sandberg play baseball day in and day out. Watching those games was a joyous and important part of my childhood. Besides, we wanted an interesting name with a positive connotation. You could do worse than Sandberg and we hope our little Ryno enjoys the connection to a Chicago icon.

Watch the "Cardiac" Cubs from a Wrigleyville roof top deck.. that you own

Heres a couple shots from condos we're selling at 1141 W Patterson. The penthouse units have full roof top decks.
Located just a half block from Wrigley Field on a quiet side street. Call or email for more details and I'll send you the listing sheet.

Is Wrigley Field a plus or deterrent for you if you'd like to live in Lakeview? This stretch of Patterson is blocked off from vehicle traffice before and after Cub's games.