90-Year-Old Stone Cottage For Sale On Skokie-Evanston Border

SKOKIE, IL — The sellers of a 90-year-old brick and limestone English-style cottage on the border between Skokie and Evanston are seeking the property's third-ever owners. The 4,400-square-foot home sits on a 0.36-acre lot on the corner of Drake Avenue and Golf Road and has a price tag of just under $900,000. A separate, buildable 0.2-acre lot to the house's immediate west is also for sale with an asking price of $150,000, according to listing agent Sohail Salahuddin.

The home was custom-built in 1929 by a local architect for his own family, according to the realtor. It remained in the family for more than 60 years until it was purchased by its current owners, who updated much of the interior, he said, including mechanicals, windows, floors and more.

The front door opens to Drake Avenue and includes a spiral staircase within the home's distinctive turret. An adjoining two-story great room features original wood beams and was once the site of a wedding held by the original owner's family, Salahuddin said. It includes a large, wood-burning fireplace.

There is hardwood flooring throughout the home, although some of the bedrooms are carpeted over, according to the listing agent.

The home includes a fully finished basement with family areas, a storage room and a half-bathroom.

The second floor includes a master suite, two guest bedrooms and another bathroom. There's an upstairs catwalk overlooking the great room, and Salahuddin said there is also a nearly finished large attic space.

"It's all ventilated and it's all plywood," he said. "So all the next owner would need to do is, if they wanted to, paint the walls and put carpeting down."

The kitchen includes oak cabinetry, granite countertops, a double oven and a built-in breakfast area, according to the home's listing. Its driveway leads from Golf Road to the attached two-car garage.

According to property records, the home was last sold for $440,000 in 1991 by the estate of Ruth Klauber Friedman to Victor and Wanda Taylor.

The home's estimated market value for taxing purposes is just over $575,000 and its most recent property tax bill was nearly $13,000. The side lot has an assessed value of nearly $93,000 and an annual property tax bill of more than $2,100.

The Taylors put the home on the market in August with an asking price of nearly $1 million. The price tag was reduced to below $900,000 on Monday.

Though the home and its side lot share an Evanston address, they are technically in Skokie since they are on the south side of Golf Road. The home is within Evanston/Skokie School District 65 and Evanston Township High School District 202, according to its listing.

• Address: 9560 Drake Ave., Evanston, Illinois
• Price: $899,900 for main lot, $150,00 for side lot.
• Square Feet: 4,400
• Bedrooms: 4
• Bathrooms: 3 full, 1 half
• Built: 1929
• Last Sold: $440,000 in December 1991

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