Architect Sells Lake Bluff Home He Designed For $2.1 Million

LAKE BLUFF, IL — An east Lake Bluff home built by an award-winning local architect that sold for more than $2.1 million is the village's priciest residential real estate transaction of the year so far.

The two-story brick Dutch Revival-style house was designed by Frank Klepitsch, according to its listing. The interior of the four-bedroom home features architectural finishes like custom crown moldings, cabinetry and millwork.

The 11-room home includes 5,322 square feet of aboveground living area, hardwood floors and high ceilings throughout, a fully finished lower level with a fifth bedroom, and a gourmet kitchen opening into a family room. An attached garage includes room for two cars.

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Klepitsch is principal in the firm Graceline Architecture, which has offices in Chicago and Lake Forest. The firm has completed projects on the North Shore, Lake Geneva, Lake Tahoe and the Caribbean, according to its website.

He was awarded a 2018 Preservation Award from the Lake Forest Preservation Foundation for his work restoring the stained-glass windows and north entry facade of the Church of St. Mary in Lake Forest.

The property sits on a 0.24-acre plot situated across East Blodgett Avenue from the private polo field connected the 1994-built Italian villa on Crab Tree Farm Lane, which was listed in October 2018 for $19.5 million. The asking price of that property has been subsequently reduced to under $15 million.

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A trust in Klepitsch's name purchased the property for $1.21 million in April 2004, and the building was completed in 2007, according to property and listing records. It first went up for sale with an asking price of $2.45 million, with the price tag later rising to $3.2 million.

After the Great Recession, the asking price dipped below $2 million in 2010, rose again to $2.6 million in 2011 and, back to its approximate closing price of $2.1 million, as of its last listing six years ago.

Prior to its sale, the home was listed as having been rented out for $8,000 a month. The identity of the new owner was not yet available in public records.

According to county records, the home's estimated market value for taxing purposes was under $1.3 million last year, and its annual property tax bill was about $28,000.

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• Address: 349 E. Blodgett Ave., Lake Bluff
• Built: 2007
• Lot Size: 0.24 acres
• Square Feet: 5,322
• Bedrooms: 4
• Bathrooms: 4 full, 1 half
• First Listed: $2.45 million in November 2006
• Sale Price: $2.115 million in January 2021

Listing information originally appeared on realtor.com. For more information and photos, click here.