2468 W. Estes Avenue
2468 W. Estes Avenue, Apartment 2 (Condominium)
Present (2010) Owners: Pat and Bill Cleary.
Featured in the 2010 Annual House Tour.
As a four-room or one-bedroom apartment, the Cleary’s home is one of the most intimate of the Park Gables’ co-op apartments. It sold for just $5,700 in 1927, a selling price less than half of that commanded by the largest units in the Gables, and a bit less than the smallest bungalows nearby.
Its location in the rear corner of the courtyard gives it less expansive but still stunning views of the park, from both the well-proportioned living and dining rooms. And despite its cozy size, the apartment’s public rooms include a generous reception area that draws your eye into the dining room through a wide arch.
The apartment’s size suits the Clearys just fine, as this is their Chicago pied-à-terre when they are not at their primary home near Traverse City, Michigan. Nevertheless, Bill misses the Gables’ glamorous swimming pool when he’s in Michigan.
Pat’s affinity for decorating is evident throughout. The apartment is filled with a harmonious mix of antiques and cushy new pieces, linked by a limited and soothing palette of browns and blue-greens. For example, the living room’s antique fireplace is not original, but is home to a flat panel TV that amusingly plays a fire DVD. The living room serves as a guest room on occasion, and has an original closet for the use of guests.
Vintage wall sconces and a chandelier lend elegance to the formal dining room, as does the deeply coved ceiling.
The bathroom has been recently updated with modern fixtures, but retains a period flavor through the use of white subway tile on the walls and small hexagon tiles on the floor.
A few updates were made to the kitchen, which the homeowners say functions well for cooking, and even offers a window reading area for perusing cookbooks.
The oak floors and birch woodwork are original in the apartment, and gleam as if new. Note the built-in linen closet in the hallway by the bathroom, and the interior doors.
