“Edgewater’s last historic mansions are dwindling in numbers as developers eye them in order to capitalize on the neighborhood’s popularity. But one home’s likely fate in particular has some shaking their heads and wondering if there is any hope.
“Many of the surviving century-old homes such as the one that housed Wing Hoe restaurant at 5356 N. Sheridan do not meet the requirements needed to be landmarked. Those structures will likely see the wrecking ball after they are sold. But one historic mansion with a colorful history at 6106 N. Kenmore has everything needed for easy landmarking, not to mention a buyer willing to preserve it.
“The house which stands on the northwest corner of Kenmore and Glenlake was owned by one of the most celebrated voices in both radio and television, Grammy Award nominated Ken Nordine. He purchased the mansion in the 1960s and it became home to his legendary recording studio Snail Studios. Through the decades a wide range of celebrities secretly recorded at the home. If those walls could talk they would boast about the likes of the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia and the masterful Tom Waits (just to name a couple) and the creative collaborations that took place there. Sadly, time moves on and Nordine passed away in February of this year. His estate was left to his sons who quickly started to look for a buyer.
“It did not take long for perspective purchasers to show interest. The lot that the house sits on is a large, double-wide property that is zoned RM-5. That means that a developer can come in, demolish the property, construct a larger multi-unit building up to 45 feet in height and make a nice profit. In Fact the property listing for the house boasts about its current RM-5 zoning designation and its ability to accommodate medium to high-density multi-family buildings as well as a variety of other residential housing types.(Edgeville Buzz, 10/10/19)
The Nordine House is orange-rated is a demolition request will trigger a 90-day demo delay.