Address: 316 S. Third Ave., St. Charles.
Size: One-bedroom, one-bath; 900 square feet.
Rent: $625 a month.
Security deposit: One month’s rent.
Utilities: Resident pays gas, electric, water, garbage disposal.
Parking: Outdoors, off-street, free.
Pets: None.
In 1926, William Eddy built a home for his bride, Anna, across the Fox River from his employment, at the Cable Piano Factory. Eddy probably walked to work, crossing the foot bridge that still spans the river, a stone’s throw from Eddy’s front porch.
Today, the Eddy home is a two-flat rental and the old factory building has found new life as a manufacturers’ outlet mall. Most of the town’s former industrial buildings, in fact, have been reborn as shops and restaurants.
While cornfield subdivisions alter St. Charles’ perimeter, Eddy’s downtown neighborhood looks much as it did decades ago. Moms and dads relax on their stoops, while the children pull their Radio Flyers to the pocket park kitty-corner from the Eddy house. The paved Fox River Trail along the river’s eastern shore lures bicyclers and evening strollers, respectful of the mallards promenading their young.
Tenants of the Eddy home can enjoy the neighborhood’s tran-
quility or walk to nearby public parks-Mount St. Mary, Langum and Pottawatomie-to play tennis, ride a paddleboat, play golf or miniature golf, ice skate, sled or swim in the public pools. They have ringside seats for the annual Mid-America Canoe Race and Fox River Festival.
Within a mile of the home are two fitness centers, a dozen restaurants, antique markets, a grocery store and, of course, the Piano Factory Mall.
The Eddys’ first floor is now a one-bedroom, 900-square-foot apartment with a river view. (The upstairs apartment is rented.)
A 20-by-5 front porch opens to a 13-by-27 living room/dining room that’s sunlit with double-hung windows and a front picture window topped by a leaded-glass transom.
At the rear of the house is a 12-by-10 kitchen with a gas range/oven, frost-free refrigerator/freezer and a pantry. It does not include a dishwasher or microwave oven. White, painted cabinets complement the blue-and-white wallpaper and white chair rail. A Victorian-style ceiling fan/light was added a few years ago.
Off of the kitchen is a full bathroom with a tub/shower unit.
The 11-by-14, L-shaped bedroom has two closets.
Stairs lead from the kitchen to a basement with washer and dryer hookups.
Except for vinyl flooring in the kitchen, the apartment is carpeted.
A window air conditioner in one of the dining room windows cools the apartment.
Garden spot
Green-thumbed tenants are free to plant gardens in the yard, which is shaded by mature trees. The upstairs tenant keeps the lawn mowed.
Behind the house is free, off-street parking.
Neighborhood children walk to the elementary and junior high schools. They are bused to St. Charles High School.
Commuters can catch the Chicago & North Western’s west-line train from the Geneva station, 2 1/2 miles south of the Eddy house. Senior residents can run errands or reach area malls via the PACE bus system.
The apartment rents for $625 a month. The rent does not include gas or the city’s water/electric/garbage bill, which run about $50 a month combined. The apartment is cable TV-ready.
For rental information, call Jim Coleman Jr., Coleman Management Co., 708-377-1600.
