Address: 711 S. Dearborn St., Chicago.
Size: One-bedroom; 3,000 square feet.
Rent: $2,480 a month.
Security deposit: 1 1/2 month’s rent.
Utilities: Resident pays electricity; steam heat included in rent.
The building: 112 years old; 8 floors; 96 condominium units.
Parking: Indoor, $120 a month.
Pets: Yes.
The huge expanse of pine floors of this Printers Row loft apartment are so spacious that they seem to invite innovative use, such as lacing up a pair of roller blades and taking a wall-to-wall glide.
That childish notion is entirely in keeping with the history of this 112-year-old building. It was first owned by a publisher of children’s literature who printed the works of Robert Louis Stevenson and Lewis Carroll, as well as the “Wizard of Oz” by Frank L. Baum and first editions of the “Tarzan” series by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
Standing in this apartment with its 15-foot ceilings and long bank of 9-foot-high windows, it is easy to imagine phones ringing, office clerks scurrying about and the clatter of printing presses churning out those children’s books.
Although that image may be fanciful, the brick and granite facade of this building is not. It still gives an image of solidity that is lightened a bit by the building’s entryway. The rounded arch of the entry faces Dearborn Street. In a style known as Romanesque Revival, the door is flanked by short columms that are topped by fancy, decorative capitals.
This entryway is large and impressive, but not so much that is prepares you for the spacious size of this two-floor apartment. One enters on the second floor and it’s hard not, as you are looking around the first time, to gasp and wonder how many studio apartments could fit into just one floor of this unit.
Your first steps lead into a large foyer. Immediately in front of you is an oval-shaped, white structure that conceals two coat closets. Not only does this provide a place to hang’s one’s hat and coat, but it also breaks up the whole floor, which is actually just one very large room.
Just to the right of the foyer is a door that leads into a laundry room. There is a full-size washer and dryer and plenty of space here for sorting dirty clothes and stocking extra laundry detergent.
An open doorway next to the laundry room leads into the kitchen. This space, which has an exposed beamed ceiling, is noteworthy for a contemporary style that is still in keeping with the age and feel of the building. The appliances, a refrigerator, dishwasher and oven, are black. They are well-lit by track lighting that also brightens the light-oak cabinets that match the pickled look of the pine floors.
Walk through another open doorway and you are in the dining room. This space has exposed brick walls and an old-fashioned steam radiator that runs the length of the wall. The expanse of the wall is broken up by eight large windows that let plenty of sunshine in and allow a bird’s-eye view of the midday bustle below on Dearborn Street.
At the other end of this large room is the living room. It is situated near a white staircase with pine trim that leads down to the lower level. A sofa-the bigger and more overstuffed the better-would fit easily in this space. There is a ceiling fan above the area where one might want to group the sofa, several comfortable chairs and an entertainment center.
Just next to this living area is a full bathroom. One steps into the bathtub/shower through an arched entryway cut into a decorative wall. The arch lends a distinctive, almost exotic look to what is really just a plain, white bathtub. On the opposite wall of the entry is a glass block window that lets some natural light into this space that might otherwise be rather dark. There is also a white pedestal sink, white tile floor and a linen closet.
To get to the second bathroom, one must walk down the staircase near the living room. The staircase curves down to the first floor, where there is a second, and possibly more functional, everyday bathroom.
This bathroom is decorated in pine green. It has a long, pine-green counter with two sinks beneath a long mirror. The bathtub/shower and toilet are complemented by plenty of pale-wood cabinets for storing toiletries and towels.
Just outside the bathroom is a large space with closets on both sides. This area functions as a vanity or dressing area. There is plenty of storage and it is near the bedroom, which is just next to the bathroom.
The bedroom takes up about half of this 1,500-square-foot level. It’s set off from the rest of the room by swinging, saloon-style doors. The bedroom, like the rest of this floor, is carpeted in gray. It has a ceiling fan, exposed brick walls and four 9-foot-high windows like those on the unit’s second floor.
The rest of this floor is occupied by space that could be used as a family room. A pool table would fit neatly in this space, which has track lighting and a ceiling fan. At the far end of this room is an enclosed, raised area. Up three carpeted steps is a nook that could be used as an office. There is plenty of space here for a large desk, a computer, a fax machine and even a copy machine. Although set off from the rest of the room, it has a window that overlooks the family room.
For rental information, call 312-341-9911.
