Now a bed and breakfast, Gold Coast’s Florsheim mansion returns asking $2.4M

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Designed by Andrew Rebori and later reconfigured by Bertrand Goldberg, the Art Modern property last changed hands in 2006

By Jay Koziarz Oct 16, 2018, 2:13pm CDT

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After a four-year stint as a bed and breakfast, the historic brick and glass block home at 1328 N. State Parkway is back on the market. Known as Florsheim mansion, named after former owner, shoe heiress and sculptor Lillian Florsheim, the Gold Coast structure has a rich and somewhat unusual architectural pedigree.

The home was designed by local architect Andrew Rebori as his private residence and originally configured as two detached structures. It was completed in 1938, not long after Rebori built the Art Moderne styled Fisher Studio Houses at nearby 1209 N. State Street.

In 1946, Rebori sold the home to Florsheim. During the following decade, the owner tapped her son-in-law Bertrand Goldberg (designer of Chicago’s famous Marina City) to renovate the interiors and bridge the property’s two buildings with an elevated gallery-style kitchen lined with translucent walls.

Organized around a private central courtyard, the 4,500-square-foot home currently sports a double-height living room, three fireplaces, and an attached two-car garage. Multiple glass-block windows flood the five-bedroom, five-bathroom space with natural light, highlighting a colorful and eclectic art collection.

Current owner Russ Rosenzweig purchased the mansion from former Museum of Contemporary Art director Robert Fitzpatrick in 2006. After offering the home both for sale and rent in 2010, Rosenzweig pulled his $2.2 million listing in early 2014 and converted the property into a licensed bed and breakfast and event space.

“We just thought we’d see whether or not there’s a buyer,” listing agent Michael Rosenblum of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices KoenigRubloff told the Chicago Tribune on Monday. “It’s on (the market) for somebody wanting to enjoy it as a single-family or for somebody who wants to buy the B&B business.”

The Rebori-designed, Goldberg-reconfigured mansion is currently available for the very specific asking price of $2,397,747 which also includes its rental license. Rosenzweig paid $2.23 million for the Gold Coast home, records show. The Florsheim mansion was a featured site during 2016’s Open House Chicago weekend.