1522 W. Chase Avenue
1522 W. Chase Avenue, (Original Address: 924 Chase Street), the Paradise House.
1522 W. Chase Avenue, Mr. & Mrs. Edmund S. Graf, 1919.
This home was featured in the 1985 Annual Fall House Tour and the 1993 Annual Fall House Tour.
Circa: 1891
Original Owner: Unknown
Present (1993) Owner: David Paradise and Jamie Lynne Paradise
The Paradise House is a stucco over brick, single-family dwelling with 10-plus rooms and an attic. It was originally a part of the Birchwood Beach Subdivision. The house has an expansive wrap-around front porch with the figure of a lion's head jutting out from the brick facade. The front door is quarter-sawn oak with a leaded glass window.
The small vestibule opens into the front hall where, immediately to your left, you will be entranced by the leaded glass bay window. The oak staircase, with its ornate carving and banister, is a beauty. Oak floors are present throughout the house with the exception of the kitchen and master bedroom which are maple.
Upon entering the spacious double parlor, not the distinguished Ionic columns with ornamental scrolls, also the delicate urn trim adorning the mahogany and pine moldings. Moving on, you will encounter the first of three fireplaces with its original tile and to your right a lovely curved leaded glass window with small symmetrical red roses.
To appreciate this house, you must visit the music room with its soundproof swag-draped ceiling. A cornucopia of musical instruments make their home in this room.
The bathroom, just off the kitchen, was repainted and the shower stall was redecorated with ceramic tiles, rose tiles interspersed throughout, adding a touch of elegance.
The kitchen wall in back of the sink has been recently (1993) retiled in soft pink ceramic tiles. Separating the kitchen from the dining room, you see the first of two built-in cabinets. This cabinet contains an extensive of Wedgewood brought back from England when the Paradise family moved to Rogers Park in 1983. The dining room is paneled in quarter-sawn oak. The ceiling beams are mahogany and there are six stained glass windows with green and red iris patterns. The fireplace (originally gas) is framed on both sides with elaborate Corinthian columns. In this room, the built-in cabinet has leaded glass windows.
Moving ahead toward the foyer, you reach the staircase to the second floor, where there are four bedrooms and a bath.
The large south bedroom has three windows allowing lots of natural light to shine through. There is also an adjoining dressing room with built-in storage and a working sink. Off the hall to your right, the smallest of the bedrooms has been newly (1993) painted. This room also has built-in storage and notice the unusual small square windows. The three Paradise children each have a room of his/her own.
The small bathroom has its original ceramic tile and decorative molding. The window casements, framing leaded glass windows, have been stripped of paint and are in the process (1993) of being sanded. The original Victorian bathtub and leaded glass cabinet give one the feeling of taking a step back into history.
A third fireplace graces the lovely master bedroom with an adjoining semicircle solarium. Due to water damage, the roof has been replaced recently (1993).
The back staircase leads down into the kitchen. Notice the old-style refrigerator as you pass along the hallway connecting the kitchen to the large solarium featuring a leaded glass cabinet. The sliding glass door solarium doors open out to a raised deck with built-in benches. The deck leads down to the patio built with stones from the old police station at Clark Street and Estes Avenue.
