A three-bedroom, 3,600-square-foot Prairie-style house in Berwyn that was designed by the Tallmadge & Watson architectural firm came on the market at the end of October for $799,900 — the first time the home has been for sale since it was constructed in 1907.
Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and known as the Arthur J. Dunham House, the two-story home has a low-hipped roof and horizontal lines, both of which are characteristic of the Prairie style. Using the same architectural firm, the family expanded the house in 1923 with an addition on the second floor over the porch and a first-floor addition as well.
Dunham, a dry goods merchant who died in 1923, hired Tallmadge & Watson to build the house, and his family members have lived in the house ever since, listing agent Bruce La Ha of RE/MAX 10 told Elite Street. His grandson, Arthur Dunham Evans, lived in the house until his death in 1973, and Evans’ wife, Lucile Friese Evans, lived in the house for more than 70 years until her death in August.
Now, the family has placed the house on the market. La Ha noted that the home was one of the first designs made by Tallmadge & Watson after the firm’s two founders had left the employ of the office of noted architect Daniel H. Burnham.
“It’s pretty much been maintained in its pure nature except for some updates in kitchens and baths,” La Ha said. “The woodwork is pristine and original, and the windows are still all original — all leaded glass is there.”
The 13-room house has a recently renovated exterior and an L-shaped floor plan around a large entrance hall. Features include a fireplace in the living room, quarter-sawn oak banding and trim and leaded glass doors.
The house sits on a 0.33-acre property, which is unusually large for Berwyn.
The home has the highest asking price of any house in Berwyn. The second-highest-priced listing is a four-bedroom, 3,500-square-foot bungalow that is on the market for just under $720,000.
The house had a $13,857 property tax bill in the 2022 tax year.
Bob Goldsborough is a freelance reporter.
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