Dennis Rodkin knows something we didn't when we dished on a colossal Hyde Park Victorian back in January: that the 1885 former boarding house was a one-time crashpad for Ben Hecht, titan of Hollywood screenwriting in the early 20th century. That's a bit of intrigue that may prove useful to the seller, who's had the listing up for over a year. And sure enough, a sale pending banner has been newly affixed to the listing. It also helps that the home's nine beds, five-and-a-half baths, four fireplaces, array of porches and balconies, and roughly 7,000 square feet (not including the basement) are priced at $699K, down from a peak of $899K. But there's one key thing to bear in mind, which listing agent Bobbie Pottenger stresses: the cost to renovate "starts at a couple hundred thousand". All told, you could still end up with a singular Hyde Park mansion for under $1M. [Chicago Mag, previously]
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