Bridgeport Village

Bridgeport on threshold of a building boom

Large subdivision joins infill projects in the land of clout and mayors

Chicago Tribune
April 7, 2002
By John Handley

The late Richard J. Daley would be amazed at all the changes in his old neighborhood of Bridgeport. Mayor of Chicago from 1955 to 1976, he would be quick to spot the obvious differences in the South Side community.

The vintage walls of Comiskey Park fell to the wrecker's ball more than a decade ago and were replaced with a new ballpark. Fish have been spotted in "Bubbly Creek," the once heavily polluted South Fork of the South Branch of the Chicago River that runs through Bridgeport. Recently, a racing shell with eight rowers was spotted practicing in the river just north of the 35th Street bridge.

But, more obvious is all the new construction.

Reflecting a residential revival in Bridgeport, the city's largest new subdivision of single-family homes is being built just east of the river and north of 35th Street.

A four-story industrial loft building on 35th Street is being gutted for new condos. At scattered locations new single-family homes and rows of multifamily units now contrast with older housing stock in the neighborhood, located just a 10- to 15-minute drive from the Loop.

Ald. James Balcer (11th) said the vision for the community is to "build new homes, keep existing residents here and increase business." He described Bridgeport this way: "It always has been a microcosm of America. The bulk of the population now is white ethnic, Asian and Hispanic." The close-knit community, named Bridgeport in 1836 after a bridge that crossed the south Branch of the Chicago River, today has a population of just over 30,000. But, it is politically connected, heavy with clout and the birthplace of mayors.

Balcer said that knocking down older homes and building new ones will have a positive effect on the community and raise property values. What hasn't changed in Bridgeport is the Daley homestead at 3536 S. Lowe Ave. In "Boss," a biography of the mayor, the late columnist Mike Royko described the home:

"It is the kind of sturdy brick house, common in Chicago, that a fireman or printer would buy. Thousands like it were put up by contractors in the 1920s and 1930s from standard blueprints in an architectural style fondly dubbed `carpenter's delight.' "

The son of "Boss," the current Mayor Richard M. Daley, moved from Bridgeport to a townhouse in the South Loop in 1993, but his mother still resides in the home, which is guarded around the clock by Chicago police. Today, the streets of Bridgeport still are lined with bungalows much like the Daley home, as well as a variety of two-flats. But now new styles are being added to the residential mix.

Foremost among the new housing is Bridgeport Village, a new subdivision that could have as many as 400 homes when it is completed in about five years. The property is west of Racine Avenue between 34th and 32nd Streets.

The first phase is on the east side of the river. Later, the second phase will jump to the west bank. Snitzer plans a riverwalk on both sides of the river, with possibly a pedestrian bridge to join the two sections.

Models scheduled to open: Seven models, five of them decorated, are scheduled to open this weekend in the first phase of construction.

"Bridgeport Village is by far the largest single-family development in the city in recent history," said real estate analyst Tracy Cross. "This is not suburban, but it is unique because of its internal sense of community that you don't find elsewhere in the city," said Cross. "It's also different because of its large scale."

"Comparable square footage at these prices would buy only a townhouse or condo in areas to the north," said Cross, president of Schaumburg-based Tracy Cross and Associates.

The two- and three-story houses with 2,400 to 5,270 square feet of living area are base-priced from $325,000. Options include garages for $20,000 and English basements for $65,000.

Cross estimated that Bridgeport Village homes are priced about 40 percent higher than existing resales of older housing in the neighborhood. The median price of a resale house in the fourth quarter of last year was $168,000. And, the median household income was $43,946.

Meant for the neighbors?

Jan Sullivan, who lives on Racine, just across the street, said she hopes the homes in the new development will be affordable for residents of the neighborhood. But after inspecting the 5,270- square-foot Lakeview model with a wraparound porch, she commented: "I may have to win the lottery to buy this one."

Sullivan added that the impact of the development will be to upgrade property values on the existing homes along Racine.

"The new single-family homes at Bridgeport Village will help to stabilize the neighborhood and bring back middle-class residents," said Arnold Randall, deputy commissioner in the city's Department of Planning and Development. "Also, people who have lived there for years want new construction," he added.

Bridgeport Village is a development of Snitzer Homes, based in Arlington Heights. Thomas Snitzer, president, said he spotted the vacant industrial site four years ago and concluded it had potential for new homes. He now owns 35 acres and would like to acquire an additional 15 acres.

Bridgeport Village's long, landscaped entry looks suburban, but the home styles are strictly urban. The six architectural designs reflect old Chicago, with brick siding on four sides, front porches, detached garages in the rear and 26-foot-wide, 110-foot-deep lots.

First occupancies in the first phase of 116 homes are scheduled for winter of 2003. Snitzer expects to build 8 to 10 homes a month.

New loft development

In contrast to Bridgeport Village's single-family atmosphere is Union Lofts, another residential project, at 939 W. 35th St. The four-story warehouse is being converted into 71 condominiums by Chicago-based Tandem Developers.

Priced from $180,900 to $378,900, the lofts with 720 to 2,300 square feet have high ceilings. "Bridgeport's time has come. Development in Chinatown and the South Loop has been pushing toward Bridgeport," said Paul Marks, who is co-developing the project with Paul Dincin.

"The condo conversion of the loft building on 35th Street is in the right price range to attract younger buyers," said deputy commissioner Randall. "There is a possibility that other industrial lofts in the area might be converted for residences, depending on the success of the first project."

In addition to rehabbing, the developers plan to build nine penthouses on a new fifth floor. They will be set back to leave room for decks. Views of the downtown skyline will be visible from the third, fourth and fifth floors.

Dating from 1913, the 100,000-square-foot heavy timber loft building most recently housed the headquarters of Josten Ring Co., marketers of school class rings.

An even older Bridgeport structure is being recycled into a single-family residence. A onetime Lutheran church at 31st and Racine is being transformed into a 3,600-square-foot home by renovation specialist William Lavicka. "I call it my Chapel House," he said. When completed in about three months, it will have three bedrooms, two full baths and two powder rooms. Living in this old church will not come cheap, though. Lavicka has set the price at $550,000.

He estimates it was built in the 1860s because of the construction methods used. In excavating the basement, he discovered old horseshoes, indicating it might have been used as stables. "We also think it might have been an old German drinking hall because of all the empty beer and whiskey bottles we found," Lavicka said.

Lavicka voiced this theory on why Bridgeport is heating up: "The area is teeming with artists. You can always follow artists to solid, undiscovered neighborhoods that are on the upswing. There are good values here compared with the West Loop and the North Side."

Chinatown expansion

Raymond Spaeth, president of Chicago-based Lakeside Bank, said, "The renaissance of the Bridgeport has been in progress for some time, in part because of the expansion of Chinatown, located directly to the north."

On the commercial side, the city is requesting proposals for future development of the northwest corner of 35th and Halsted, which is currently vacant. "Our preference is for one large retailer, but the second choice would be for several stores on the ground floor and residences above," said deputy commissioner Randall. Balcer has suggested that the site could be developed with a sit- down restaurant, bookstore, home furnishings or clothing store.

Another goal on Balcer's agenda is to improve the water quality of Bubbly Creek, which will soon have new residents living on its banks in Bridgeport Village. "I'm committed to cleaning it up. Options include aerating the water and dredging it," said Balcer. While the water quality of Bubbly Creek has vastly improved since the time when it was the main drain for the Chicago's Union Stockyards from 1865 to 1971, it still can be malodorous, especially on those days when heavy rains cause sewers to overflow. "If there were continuing environmental issues, the builder would not be allowed to build there," Randall said.

From liability to benefit?

Donald Hey, senior vice president at The Wetlands Initiative, a nonprofit organization, explained that the bubbles rising to the surface of the water are the result of gas formation from highly organic material in the riverbed.

However, he believes that "the liability could be turned into a benefit by sealing off the sediment on the bottom by filling the river to within a foot or more of the surface and leaving a 3-foot channel in the middle for canoes." Hey suggested it could be a federal demonstration project that could cost $7 million to $9 million if continued past the new homes.

Mayor Richard J. Daley said in 1970 that he would like to see the day when city dwellers could fish in the Chicago River. While the section of the river that runs through Bridgeport is not yet a fishing paradise, it does have a fish population, according to David Jones, a consultant for the Friends of the Chicago River, a nonprofit group.

"I've seen great blue herons catching fish in the river near where the new homes are being built," he said. Mayor Daley would be proud of progress on the fishing front.