As congregations shrink and consolidate, more neighborhood churches are hitting the market as commercial and residential properties. In the past few months we've posted about a handful of church conversions in Chicago. Here's a roundup of 10 churches — seven that are ready to live in and three that need some serious renovation work — that are currently for sale.
1. The Church: 2411 W. Walton St. Unit 1A [Prudential Rubloff]
The Price: $549,000
The Skinny: From the street, this place looked pretty questionable when it was under construction in 2007, but it's what's inside that really matters, and the interiors look great. Not many of these homes have hit the resale market, but there is currently one 3BD, 3BA for sale.
2. The Church: 1658 W. Superior St. #8 [Baird & Warner]
The Price: $419,000
The Skinny: Converted to 14 condos back in 1998, this East Village church is one of the more attractive church conversions in Chicago. The developers did a great job transforming the place into residences while retaining original features, like those big stained glass windows.
3. The Church: 4154 W. Berteau Ave. Unit A [Dream Town]
The Price: $690,000
The Skinny: This Irving Park church conversion has been on the market for two and a half years, and in that time the price has been reduced by nearly $300,000. It looks like someone has finally made an offer on it, because it's currently listed as "contingent."
4. The Church: 1021 W. Barry Ave. unit 2W [Dream Town]
The Price: $669,900
The Skinny: In some units in this building it doesn't feel like you're in a church at all, and in others you're right up in the eaves. This unit falls into the second category, with arched timber beams overhead and large semi-circular windows, there's no denying that Sunday mass was once held here.
5. The Church: 1010 W. George St. [Coldwell Banker]
The Price: $3,500,000 / $20,000 per month
The Skinny: We've looked at the Lake View mansion that R. Kelly used to own several times since it hit the market over the summer, but we often lose sight of the fact that it used to be a church. An added bonus: the log cabin-themed basement where Kelly filmed a sex tape is still intact.
6. The Church: 1339 W. Webster Ave. [Baird & Warner]
The Price: $3,800,000
The Skinny: Beating out Kelly's mansion for the top price is this 10,143-square-foot Lincoln Park mansion, which we featured earlier this morning. The 6BD, 3BA former Greek Orthodox church was rehabbed in 2002 by Burns & Beyerl Architects, and it just came back on the market today.
7. The Church: 2558 W. Cortez St. [@properties]
The Price: $699,900
The Skinny: This church has probably gotten more press than any other in Chicago over the past year, but even after a "HUGE price reduction" it's still on the market. Why? Like some of the others, despite its grandeur, it's still a very unconventional space.
8. The Church: 1657 N. Rockwell St. [Conlon]
The Price: $499,000
The Skinny: Another small, West Side church waiting for some wealthy buyer with a vision to convert it into a single-family home. Although it's still very raw, this one looks a bit more livable than some of the others, and it comes with a large side yard.
9. The Church: 1046 W. Polk St. [Pearson Realty Group]
The Price: $990,000
The Skinny: This 12,000-square-foot Little Italy church isn't ready for anyone to move in (as the photos indicate), and it looks like there's still plenty of work to do. The place can be divided into two 2BD and 3BD condos, or it can be converted into one, massive single-family home.
10. The Church: 2258 W. Huron St. Unit L [Realtor.com]
The Price: $429,900
The Skinny: The listings describe the Bell Tower Lofts as a "converted church/school," and the marketing brochures call it "one of Chicago's best church conversions," but we don't know too much about its history as a church or a school. What we do know is that it's now 18 condos, one of which is currently for sale.
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