720 Dearborn Street

About this home

Lovingly designed loft space in the heart of Printer's Row in the historic Franklin Building. 9 tall windows (3 of them in the bedroom) flood the place with afternoon sunshine. Wide open traditional loft space with high ceilings, exposed brick, concrete pillars and beams and genuine oak floors dating from the condo conversion in 1989. Because the building was created for printing presses, the subfloors are thick concrete so you will never hear anyone from above or below. The loft has been fitted out with an amazing amount of storage. Massive built-in open shelved bookcases extend from floor to ceiling on the entire south wall of the living room. There is another floor to ceiling bookcase on the east wall as well as two floor to ceiling storage closets. Along the north wall are closets for coats and shelving. A wonderful banquette with room for baskets beneath is tucked into the window wall on the northwest corner of the room creating a cozy spot for eating or curling up in the afternoon sunshine with a book. Remote controlled shades and lighting installed in 2023. The contemporary open kitchen has wood cabinets, granite countertops, distinctive backsplash tiles and SS appliances including a new (2025) range and dishwasher. Both the half bath and the full bath have been updated. The full bath has a glass enclosed shower with a pebble stone wall and a double vanity with 2 Mexican handcrafted sinks. The toilet is in a separate compartment which also includes the front loading laundry machines. The fully private bedroom has 3 large windows, floor to ceiling closets and more bookshelves. The powder room has a full wall and backsplash of hand crafted Mexican tiles and a Mexican sink set in a unique wood slab counter. Possibilities are endless in this airy condominium. Because there are so many windows with frontage on the street, more rooms could be created or reconfigured. There are no structural walls because of the concrete pillars and beams. For those who live on this special block of the city, there is nowhere else they'd rather be. It is in the center of the transportation hub of the metropolis. All of the CTA train lines have stops within 2 blocks of the building. There is a Red Line stop right outside on Polk. It's easy access to all of the highways from Ida B Wells Drive just 2 blocks north including easy access to DuSable Lake Shore Dr. Buses stop across the street. The neighborhood is brimming with restaurants, bars & shops. It's an easy walk or roll to Grant Park, Buckingham Fountain, Millennium Park, the museums, theaters, universities, and all of the shopping and eating in the Loop. You can head south and be at the University of Chicago and its hospitals in minutes or head west and be at the UIC campus and its nearby hospitals even sooner. Walk Score says it's a walker's and public transportation rider's paradise. The vaunted 2-way protected bike path that runs all the way through the Loop and over the river begins outside the front door. Parking garages and a parking lot surround this building. The parking offered would be offsite and leased separately, but you'll rarely have to use a car. There is a bike room in the basement next to the coin laundry which is available to use if you have bulky items. The building engineer is competent and friendly, and the management company is miraculously accessible. There is a large service elevator that opens to the street for easy move-in and out that recalls its days of hauling heavy loads of paper. This building is carefully run by an attentive board and management. The reserve is at $1,100,000 and there hasn't been a special assessment in over 25 years. EVERYTHING is included in the assessment except electric. That includes high speed internet and basic cable from Astound. The building is about to embark on a renovation of the hallways and foyer to address its modern needs (larger package room for post-pandemic deliveries) while enhancing its very special vintage character

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Price & tax history

From the listing's MRED record. MRED does not publish per-change dates through IDX, so price changes are shown without one rather than guessed.

Schools

Assigned schools per the listing's MRED record. Always verify with the district before you buy.

• Elementary

  South Loop Elementary School

  299

• Middle

  South Loop Elementary School

  299

Where it sits

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