Address: 1727 S. Indiana Ave., Chicago.
Size: One bedroom, 1 bath.
Rent: $1,050 a month.
Security deposit: One month’s rent.
Utilities: Resident pays gas-forced heat and electricity.
Parking: Outdoor in a fenced area, $75 a month.
Pets: Cats and dogs are allowed with a fee of $100 and a refundable security deposit of $250.
Constructed in 1905 as an office and warehouse space for Eastman Kodak Co., this brick structure in Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood has all the features that the term “loft” implies.
Rough-hewn timbers support high ceilings. The common hallways are wide. There are also expansive windows and exposed brick walls in the one-bedroom unit we visited.
The workers who once toiled in this building would recognize its 15-foot ceilings, but not some of the high-end touches that were added when this building was rehabbed in 1994.
These details can be seen in the apartment’s living room, which measures 25 by 13 feet. It is to the right of the unit’s entry hall, which is carpeted in beige.
As one would expect in a loft, a bank of huge windows fills one wall of the living room. Sun cascades through these windows, which offer a typically urban view of buildings and a taxi parking lot across the street.
On the wall opposite these windows is a white, recessed area where artwork may be hung. This wall is illuminated with track lighting, and the white expanse has the feel of an art gallery where one’s most treasured photos or framed posters would be displayed.
At one end of the living room is a wood-burning fireplace. It’s built into the wall and includes a hutch for storing wood. If the fire is ever stoked too strongly, there also is a white ceiling fan here that could be turned on to cool the room. The unit also has central air conditioning, and the room’s windows can be opened for a refreshing breeze.
The walk-through kitchen is at the other end of the living room. A white breakfast bar delineates this 9-by-8-foot space from the living/dining area. The living room is large enough to accommodate a four-seat dining table.
The kitchen has a white tile floor and white appliances, including a dishwasher, oven and a built-in microwave. There also are white cabinets set into the exposed brick wall.
After eating a light lunch at the breakfast bar on a Saturday afternoon one might retreat to the unit’s bedroom for a nap or to read a book. It’s a short walk down the entry hall from the living room.
The bedroom measures 13 by 9 feet. One of the room’s walls is exposed brick, another features large windows, a third is filled by a large clothes closet and the fourth is a white wall that has a row of cut-out windows near the ceiling. These cut-out windows allow some light from the bedroom’s windows to also brighten the hallway that leads to the bedroom.
Just next to the bedroom is the bathroom. At 11 by 9 feet, it offers plenty of room for toweling dry after bathing in the glass-enclosed shower. It also has a white tile floor, a white vanity and a linen closet. Towels stored in this closet could be washed in the building’s common laundry area, which is also is on the same floor as this third-floor apartment.
Renovation of the Prairie District Lofts is ongoing. Another 101 units, which will include one, two and three bedrooms, are expected to be ready for occupancy next spring.
For rental information, call 312-554-1727.
