Wilmette Home Sells For 10 Dollars
It’s not every day that a home sells for 10 dollars, but that is what happened to Chris Enck when he paid that amount for a home in Wilmette that was designed by John Van Bergen, an associate of the legendary architect Frank Lloyd Wright. While a Wilmette home that sells for 10 dollars might seem like a real bargain, the catch was that the land underneath the home was not for sale, so Enck had to pay around 80,000 to move the home from Wilmette to Evanston.
The 1,700 square foot Prairie-style home which was on Isabella Street was built in 1928. The total cost for Enck’s purchase will probably exceed a half-million dollars;
– $10 Home Purchase
– $80,000 Moving
– $202,000 Purchase of New Property
– $200,000 New Foundation, Heating, Plumbing, Electrical Systems
In addition, there will be a new kitchen and bathroom put in place as well which will arguably push up the cost even more. However, Enck has stated that he feels the overall cost is worth it for such as historic home and even plans to put it on the market once the project is finished. While earning a small profit for all the work is part of Enck’s goal, his real concern is the preservation of older homes.
A vice chair of the Skyline Council, a group founded by Landmark Illinois, Enck managed to convince Joe Rodriguez, a homebuilder who was going to demolish the house to instead agree to have it moved instead. Thus making a Wilmette home sells for 10 dollars a headline that is hoped to help save more homes of this nature.
Engineering the move was difficult enough as the homehad to make its way through neighborhood streets and around sharp corners in order to find its place permanently in Evanston.
Currently, the home sits in three pieces on a lot on Crawford Ave in Evanston. The 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath house features many of the original wooden light fixtures, hardwood floors, a stucco exterior complete with bands of wood trim and a fireplace. Originally, the consideration was to move the home up to the Green Bay area, but that trip was simply too far and way too expensive.
A Lifelong Passion
Chris Enck’s ties to the local community go back to his junior high school days in Elgin. Enck remembers the old exterior of homes that populated the neighborhoods and saw them disappearing as new construction did away with the old homes. The effort to save the Wilmette home and a valuable piece of Americana was well worth the effort according to Enck.
Saving the property means more than simply having the headline of Wilmette home sells for 10 dollars. The net effect is that another classic home from a by-gone era has been spared and will someday house new residents who can appreciate the classic features of an old house designed by John Van Bergen.
Leaving Money on the Table
RealEstateAuctions.com auctioned and sold an actual Frank Lloyd Wright home that had been sitting on the market traditionally for a long time. I believe the John Van Bergen home would have been sold for much more than 10 dollars if it was entered into an online auction platform. Read more about the auction and sale of the Frank Lloyd Wright home here.
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