In Lincoln Park, new listing follows demolition of old homes

A year after it was sold for $5.85 million, the property at 1820 N. Howe Street is again on the market. But now, the pair of 150-year-old homes that once stood there have been demolished.

The owners who bought the triple lot in Lincoln Park last May have reconsidered their plans to build a mansion there, according to Crain’s. It is being listed for $6.75 million, about $1 million more than what they paid in May 2020, the report noted. The 77-foot property allows for a home of up to 15,500 square feet.

On a leafy block of well-appointed townhouses, the two connected 1870s-era buildings stood out. They were once workers’ cottages that became a dairy, then a 5,400-square-foot private home when Deborah and Ron Clarkson bought the property around 40 years ago, according to the Chicago Tribune. Improvements were made and a detached one-car garage was added, in a style that resembled the 19th-century homes.

Before the Clarksons sold the property last year, similar mansion plans had been in the works by a different prospector. In late 2018, Environs Development wanted to build a $15 million spec home, but the deal fell through.

Luxury broker Nancy Tassone of Jameson Sotheby’s International Realty has the current listing.

“Perfect site to build a dream home! Site is cleared and ready to build,” Tassone says on her website. The property can be chopped up, or another developer could take another shot at the megamansion plans, Crain’s reported.

[Crain’s] — Alexi Friedman