For as long as there have been “collar communities” outside of major metropolitan areas, the suburbs have been pegged as the place for families. Far from a negative stereotype, the perception continues to exist for a variety of reasons: from the broad green lawns begging for swing sets, to the elementary schools and parks in each neighborhood, to homes offering multiple bedrooms and bathrooms for multiple children, the suburbs have proven the ideal place to raise a family for generations.
River Forest, no exception to common experience, continues the circle of life, offering large homes for young families when older residents choose to downsize. Two current homes available on the real estate market represent the best of River Forest real estate. Both homes are sizeable and sit on large lots on tree-lined streets. Both homes also offer architectural history that is hard to come by in the newer suburbs farther west.
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847 Jackson
The solid brick home at 847 Jackson has the distinction of being one of the largest Buurma-built homes in the suburb. Set on an idyllic double lot in the heart of town, the house is well suited to raising a family. Gloor real estate agent Kay Costello is listing the house for her daughter, Julie Collins, who along with her husband, Kevin, raised their five children in the home. With those children now beginning their own families, it is time for the couple to pass the house along to the next generation.
The Buurma brothers, Lambertus, Hilbrand, and Egbert, arrived in River Forest from Holland around 1905. At first they worked for others as apprentice carpenters and in 1917 formed their own construction company, building their first homes in River Forest along Jackson, Monroe and William streets in 1918. Although the brothers did not have formal training as architects, many of their homes were designed by staff or consulting architects, and the charm of their designs continues to make their homes sought after today.
Julie Collins says she has enjoyed her 1921 home’s generous room sizes and the design that ensures the home gets flooded with light. The home’s circular floor plan allows for a great traffic flow when the house is full, and Collins and her husband updated the kitchen and added a mudroom to make the house even more practical for a large family.
“I loved that I could be in the kitchen and hear what the kids were doing outdoors. You could keep an eye out and watch them from the kitchen.”
The second floor boasts a master suite with a new master bathroom, and three more bedrooms that share a full bath. Another two bedrooms and full bathroom round out the attic, leaving plenty of room for children and guests. The finished basement offers another gathering space.
606 Keystone
Built in 1906, another River Forest house on the market was designed by local architect E.E. Roberts. Born in Boston, Roberts moved to Chicago after attending architectural school. In 1893, he established his family and his business in Oak Park, where he designed over 200 houses. His designs adhered to the popular styles of the time, spanning Queen Anne, Tudor, Prairie and Shingle styles.
The Tudor Revival home at 606 Keystone has a soaring, peaked roof, large dormers and a solid brick base. Many original details mark the home as a historic masterpiece. Eighty-two original, tulip-themed, art-glass windows grace the house throughout the formal living room, dining room and family room and into the second floor. Original rich wood details include wood paneling, French doors and built-in cabinetry in the dining room, pocket doors, and banded woodwork throughout.
The formal living room is surrounded with windows on three sides and is anchored by a fireplace on one wall. The light-filled room has space for multiple seating areas.
The library’s fireplace is one of two in the home, and the walnut mantle still bears an original carved excerpt from Frank Dempster Sheridan’s poem, Ghost Fairies: “When the open fire is lit in the evening after tea, I like to come and sit and let the fire talk to me.”
In 1986, the owners added onto the house, creating a large eat-in kitchen, and the first floor also includes a large home office. On the second floor, four bedrooms occupy the corners of the home, with bathrooms in the center. The master suite has its own private sitting room with art-glass windows and views onto the lush lawns of Keystone. Once a ballroom, the third floor has been re-imagined as a family room and includes another bedroom. The oversize lot measures 120 by 270 feet and includes a spacious yard and three-car garage.
Bob Swindal of @ Properties is listing the five-bedroom, 3½ bathroom home for $1,125,000. He notes that times have changed in the local real estate market and new buyers are no longer interested in purchasing a home that needs to be rehabbed.Â
He acknowledges that new owners might want to update the kitchen and add their own touches to the home that has been loved by one family for decades, but he sees a big upside for someone willing to put in a little elbow grease.
“No one wants a house they have to do work on these days, but it is worthwhile on a house like this. This location is phenomenal. You can buy it for a reasonable amount, and the house will be worth well over $2 million when fixed up.”
For Swindal, also a River Forest resident, the appeal of an older home in the suburb is something that can’t be matched.Â
“We’re so close to the city by Metra or CTA, we have wonderful parks and schools within walking distance, and then there is the history of these homes. They just don’t make them like this anymore.”