2484 W. Estes Avenue

2484 W. Estes Avenue, Apartment 3 (Condominium)

Circa:

Original Owners:

Present (2010) Owners: Barbara Steinbeigle and Gene Miller.

Featured in the 2010 Annual House Tour.

The first thing you notice when you walk into this three-bedroom apartment is the living room’s dramatically vaulted cathedral ceiling, which reaches 20 feet high. One of the largest and most magnificent of the Park Gables’ co-op apartments; this one enjoys south, east, and west vistas of Indian Boundary Park. It sold for $12,500 in 1927, a selling price comparable to the larger single-family homes built near the park at the time.

And the Park views are unquestionably the star attraction of this apartment. Be sure to walk up to the (all original) windows in each room to soak in the views. When the trees are not fully leafed out, you can clearly see the Park’s field house, the lagoon and island, playground, and even part of the zoo from this unit’s windows.

Current homeowners, Barbara Steinbeigle and Gene Miller, have lived here since 1990, and, particularly, love the views from their home when it snows. They also delight in opening their home to family and friends.

The well-proportioned living and dining rooms lend themselves to gracious entertaining as much today as they would have in the 1920s. Notice the coved ceilings throughout and the original textured plaster walls. While the crystal chandeliers are not original, their elegance suits the reception area and dining room.

A previous owner of this apartment worked for the Heinemann Bakery and installed many clever built-ins, including the refrigerator and freezer in the large kitchen—decades ahead of its time—a countertop built-in blender, an indoor grill, several exterior exhaust fans, and central air conditioning, all unusual at the time. There’s even a built-in scale in the bathroom.

This apartment has windows on four sides, and, since it is on the top floor, has access to a 1,000-square foot attic.