What's Roscoe Village like? (Chicago, Addison: real estate, loft, countertops)

[Tribeca]

My wife and I are expecting a baby and are considering Roscoe village as a possible neighborhood. We don't know anything about it though so any opinions would be much appreciated.

[Drover]

It's pretty gentrified, upscale-ish, a decent amount of nightlife but generally of the more mature variety than the Mardi Gras atmosphere found in certain other nightlife districts. Relatively safe, relatively quiet, fairly low-density with a preponderance of two-flats.

[Frank the Tank]

Originally Posted by Tribeca

My wife and I are expecting a baby and are considering Roscoe village as a possible neighborhood. We don't know anything about it though so any opinions would be much appreciated.

I lived there for a couple of years and loved it. You can walk over to Wrigleyville within 20 minutes yet you're also far enough away to avoid the thick of the crowds and traffic. The Brown Line goes through the neighborhood to give you access to the Loop. As far as Chicago neighborhoods go, there's a good number of young families in the area - more of a late-20s/early-30s crowd as opposed to the predominantly post-collegiate scene you'll see in Lakeview. It's not as expensive as Lincoln Park, but as Drover noted, it's still on the upscale side, so expect to pay more than the neighborhoods to the north and west.

[Lookout Kid]

My only complaints about Roscoe Village are:

1. Too many teardowns. There are a lot of old wood frame houses that people don't feel are worth saving since they lack the charm of brick buildings, so they are getting torn down en masse. It wouldn't bother me as much if the replacements were nice, but most are tacky faux-historic crap boxes (with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances, to be sure).

2. Access to the "L" is limited.

3. I didn't buy there ten years ago. I have some friends who bought into that big loft building on Roscoe, greatly improved it, and net more than $200,000 in profit. Hardly seems fair!

[Drover]

^^ True enough... you really do need to be on the eastern edge of Roscoe Village to have timely access to the Brown Line, be it at the Paulina or Addison stop. Not to mention the Paulina stop is about to close for a year.

[Phl_Gd]

Depending on $$$ you are willing to spend Roscoe is a great choice! Great tree-lined streets. Lots of Single Family homes. Proximity to the lake without the congestion...yet. Southport corridor is booming of course. Bonus is that there are huge deals to be had there...NOW. Good Luck!

[july]

I live in Roscoe Village, and it's full of young families. My walk to the Paulina station is about 10 - 15 minutes, which doesn't seem bad to me, but in bad weather I usually take the Belmont bus to the red line. You're not as close to the amenities like grocery stores, gyms and drug stores as you would be further east, but it's quieter. And, there are so many child-focused businesses nearby--several clothing stores, gymborees, a "Smarty Party" and 2 playgrounds.

[Lookout Kid]

I'd love to own a house there, but it seems most SFH's are approaching the $1,000,000 mark these days (or are much higher). There are some small fixer-uppers around $600K, but not many--and this is still out of my price range.

[via chicago]

Originally Posted by Lookout Kid

My only complaints about Roscoe Village are:

1. Too many teardowns. There are a lot of old wood frame houses that people don't feel are worth saving since they lack the charm of brick buildings, so they are getting torn down en masse. It wouldn't bother me as much if the replacements were nice, but most are tacky faux-historic crap boxes (with granite countertops and stainless steel appliances, to be sure).

Unfortunately thats the case in all too many Chicago neighborhoods. They tend to leave the brick ones alone, but the wood frame (which define Chicago just as much IMO) are getting razed. Just have to hope it never becomes fashionable to start knocking down bungalows...

[Lookout Kid]

Originally Posted by via chicago

Unfortunately thats the case in all too many Chicago neighborhoods. They tend to leave the brick ones alone, but the wood frame (which define Chicago just as much IMO) are getting razed. Just have to hope it never becomes fashionable to start knocking down bungalows...

The brick buildings aren't safe in Lincoln Park anymore... I got involved in the effort to landmark the "Ranch Triangle" area several years ago, and it was told to me by some real estate people that the entire area south of Armitage has been targeted as a teardown zone. You can see some of the worst examples of really expensive tasteless houses in that area now, though it used to be very charming. There are enough multi-millionaires who want tacky new construction 7,000 square foot urban McMansions, and the developers and Aldmerman Vi Daley have teamed up to meet the demand.

You can see this spreading north now, and an "orange rating" won't save a thing. I remember seeing a landmarked house called the "Pilot House" get razed in Lincoln Park. It was a very unique brick house with a plaque on it testifying to its historic importance, but the devloper/owner purposely pulled down part of the parapet wall and then claimed it wasn't safe (sure, it wasn't safe, but only after he made it that way!). So, using this argument he was able to get the demolition permit, and the beautiful, unique corner house is now gone.

This is the way things work in Chicago. It's truly appalling.