Ouch! Tear down permit issued for attractive East Lake View house, upscale condos on the way

An original frame house in East Lake View will be torn down to make way for an upscale 5 unit condo building.  In a somewhat unique situation the long time owners of 647 W Melrose are developing the property themselves.  The house was purchased in 1997 for $652,000.

Photo of 647 West Melrose from the Cook County Assessor office

A demolition permit was issued for 647 West Melrose a charming, if not rare, single family home on an over-sized lot in East Lake View.  The long time owners of the property laid out plans back in June to build a wide, ornate 5 unit condo building.  Good use for the area and the building design looks beautiful. Nevertheless it's a shame to lose what is a fairly attractive character house. To me single family homes tucked into the busy East Lake View neighborhood have an inherent romantic quality.

East Lake View sales area from West Diversey to West Irving Park Road.  Only about 12 single family homes and row homes have changed hands over the last two years in this area.

East Lake View single family home sales
Only about nine free standing single family homes have sold (or are now under contract) in a large area of East Lake View over the last two years. Three more row houses has sold over that time period. There are just not many detached single family homes and sales are rare.

More East Lake View single family home sales data here.

I make a habit of scanning @PermitBot and @ChiBuildings on Twitter