The former home of notable Chicago architect Frank Shaver Allen is back on the market seeking an ambitious (and brave) new owner. Built in 1887, the five-bedroom structure was both designed and occupied by Allen.
The Illinois architect was born in 1860 and was a contemporary of greats like Louis Sullivan, Daniel Burnham, William LeBaron, and Richard Morris Hunt. Known primarily for his Richardsonian Romanesque designs, he was behind Kenosha’s High School building as well as Joliet’s gothic Christ Episcopal Church. Both structures are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
As for Allen’s suburban home, the exterior sports a limestone stone arch and cylindrical tower that exemplifies the designer’s Romanesque expertise. Despite its original millwork and moldings, things get a little more grim inside the historic house.
The property will certainly require the investment of some serious sweat equity to get everything up to snuff. According to its listing notes, however, some parts of the home have been rehabbed already including the addition of new plumbing, some wiring, and updates to its one-and-a-half bathrooms.
If the needed renovation work wasn’t enough to scare you away, perhaps the poltergeists will do the trick. The property was named one of the Top 10 Most Haunted Houses in Illinois. Sightings of multiple spirits including an elderly woman, a nanny, and a child have been reported at the home. The list claims that paranormal activity “seems to have died down” in recent years.
Joliet’s Frank Shaver Allen house can be scooped up for $98,900. Though a sale was pending in April of this year, the transaction never went through and the spooky fixer-upper is back on the market.
- 608 Morgan Street, Joliet IL [Estately]
- Frank Shaver Allen biography [City of Joliet]
- Top 10 Most Haunted Houses in Illinois [Mysterious Heartland]
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