130 Michaux Road,
Riverside, IL 60546

Note: This property is not currently for sale or for rent on beycome. The description below may be from a previous listing.

Modernized, warm and welcoming 18-room 1800's architectural gem -- optionally FULLY-FURNISHED -- on the premier block of historic Riverside, the world's first planned suburb. Your family will live in the heart of this charming, walkable and SAFE, GREEN 19th-Century village with TOP-RATED SCHOOLS (RBHS and K-8 feeders), fine restaurants, organic market, art center, gothic library and picturesque riverfront parks, paths, fishing, kayaking, biking and skiing just a few blocks away. Your loved ones will thrive in this home with its expansive, fireplace-warmed kitchen; oak dining room; soaring great room, loft-style clean lines, library, solarium, sauna, exposed brick, wet bars, prep sinks, wine cellar, inviting front porch, giant rear deck, spa, fire pit, huge yard and converted garage studio. Known for gas lights and more green space per capita than all other towns, Riverside is a kid-safe, family-friendly ‘burb just 20 minutes from Chicago's loop and airports with great train service. You'll be living in a spacious "Arts and Crafts" vintage home at the center of the 1869 landscape architectural masterpiece of Frederick Law Olmsted’s (the design genius behind Central Park). Architect Dwight Perkins was known for his rock-solid public buildings, and you'll feel it here; nothing flimsy about this castle's foundation! Vitals: ** Bedrooms: 7 ** Bathrooms: 3.5 ** Total Rooms: 18 -- includes solarium; excludes playroom, laundry room, generator room, converted garage-studio, basement (wine cellar, workroom/toolroom, coal room, pantries, exercise area), porch, attic storage and closets. ** Heated Living Space: 5,150 sf (floors 1-3, including staircases). ** Total Roofed Floorspace: 7,500+ sf (heated floors 1-3, plus all spaces listed above). ** Lot: 17,391 sf ** Heat: Radiator (Natural gas boiler) ** Air: Central ** Electric: 120/240 with generator back-up and panel ** Fireplaces: 3 Great Schools & Safety: https://www.zillow.com/riverside-il/schools/ ** Elementary: Central (District 96), one block away. ** Junior High: Hauser (District 96), one block away. ** Parochial: St. Mary (K-8), two blocks away. ** High School: Riverside-Brookfield (District 208), 0.8 miles away, rated 10/10. ** Police, Fire and EMT just 3-6 blocks away. This antique-filled 1894 mansion, designed by famed Chicago architect Dwight Perkins, founder of the firm Perkins and Will, is fit for raising a large family, hosting neighbors and charity events, or entertaining statesmen (we've done all three). Now, as the latest owner/caretakers approach "empty-nester" stage, we aim to radically downsize by offering this dwelling and ALL FURNISHINGS to worthy successors who appreciate history, fine architecture and the otherwise time-costly aesthetic challenge of filling a large place with antiques, art and a warm, welcoming character. First Floor features: ** Enormous, sunny Chef's Kitchen (prep sinks, marble, cheery to-the-ceiling cabinets, two refrigerators, two dishwashers, two disposals, double oven with 6-burner+griddle stove, gas fireplace with a gorgeous mantle, an island that can seat a dozen) flowing out onto a huge rear deck and adjoining a convenient Laundry Room; ** Stately Dining Room (seating 20+ in oak paneled, chandeliered elegance); ** Butler's Pantry (breakfast bar, wet bar, prep sink, instant hot water dispenser, dishwasher, disposal, beverage refrigerator, wine rack, exposed brick); ** Spacious 19th-Century Living Room (with original "Arts and Crafts"-era fireplace mantle, built-in bookshelves, French doors, and objects d'art); ** Cute Powder Room; ** Music Room, with original French doors and baby grand piano; ** Stately Foyer and dazzling, chandeliered Central Staircase to the upper levels. This sturdy property retains most of its original architectural features, including hardwood floors, 6-inch baseboard molding, ornate radiators, inlaid decorative molding, built-in bookcases, French doors, built-in linen cabinets, bedroom transoms, and thick oak doors, all under a new roof. (If you prefer sleek urban chic, look elsewhere; this gem has nooks, crannies, pipes, chips, and historical character!) Second Floor features: ** Master Suite features an original built-in closet dresser and adjoins a ** Master Bath (Petra-marble, Jacuzzi-style tub); ** Bedroom Two features a fireplace and currently functions as a sunny Sitting Room and Study (home office), adjoined to the Master Suite and Bath. ** Three bedrooms are perfectly situated to receive morning sunlight; three for magnificent sunsets. Down the hall is a... ** New Wet Bath (couples' dual showerheads, exposed brick, southwestern tile, therapeutic heat and disability-friendly, ready for an optional claw-foot tub). ** Four-Season Solarium with 16 five-foot tall windows, perfect as a Greenhouse, Sitting Room or Bunkroom -- or all of the above. Used for sleeping, this is Bedroom #6 on the Second Floor. Third Floor features: ** A separate Servants' Stairwell opens breathtakingly to a 16-foot knotty pine vaulted ceiling, evoking a western lodge replete with hunting trophies, secret nooks and views of green, glorious Riverside in all directions. This airy space features a ** Great Room (or Family/Media Room), which involves a * Library, * Wet Bar, * Kitchenette, * Children's Playroom and * Storage space in abundance. ** The former Maids' Quarters (potentially the perfect in-law or caregiver's apartment) features: * A cozy, woody Euro-style Sauna half-Bath, * Vaulted Bedroom, plus * Office/Sitting area. This stunningly-huge attic level space has hosted wedding rehearsal dinners, VIP guest families, talent shows, film crews (for location shooting) and 100+ students during Young Life Clubs. Exterior Features: ** Giant Front Porch, featuring: * White pillars and wicker furnishings, * Attractive lighting, * Gypsy carpeting and floral displays. Each spring, this sunny and inviting place, becomes our "19th Room" for three seasons. ** Enormous Back Deck, featuring: * Recessed Cal-Spa hot tub (8 seats), * Natural gas BBQ, * Brass chiminea, * Pergola lighting, * Deck furnishings and dining places for 20+, * Bleacher-style seating for backyard sports, * Enormous below-deck storage. ** Shading it all is one of Chicagoland's most magnificent trees, a soaring cottonwood. ** Large Campfire Area, ** Lighted Basketball Court, ** Converted Studio/Function Room: This woody, detached 720' garage-studio evokes a Wisconsin cabin. It's perfect for an artistic space, yoga/exercise area, kids' game room or for parties and celebrations, with huge dry storage capacity upstairs. (Or, simply use it as a two-car garage, the original function). ** New, fully-replaced roof and gutters atop house and studio, ** New, no-paint stucco clads each structure. Basement Features: ** Mud/Coat stoop in the side entrance to the former Servant's Stairwell, ascending to kids' cubby holes and descending to a ** Clean, unfinished 19th-Century Basement featuring * Wine Cellar, * Rounded "Medieval Castle" Doorways * Two Pantries * Recreation Area (Yoga, Ping-Pong, Olympic weights and bench), * Overflow Sleeping Space, * Work Room/Tool Room, * Utility Area (steam heating plant, institutional hot water heater, back-up generator and electrical panel), * New supply and exit plumbing, * Original Coal Room (enormous storage space for inventories, files, boxes, etc). This magnificent, vintage property has been ample enough to raise ten kids and function like a B&B: To understand how your family and guests will experience Riverside via 130 Michaux Road, go to www.airbnb.com/rooms/18448535. This home has hosted congressmen, refugees, foreign missionaries, countless family reunions, "Great Gatsby"-style wedding receptions of 400+ and has served as a filming location for movies, hip-hop videos and TV commercials. Approved for a European and worldwide house-swapping network, ownership of 130 Michaux Road also offers abundant, essentially NO-COST ACCESS to desirable vacation spaces from Versailles to Valencia, from Los Angeles to London. At your option, this address can be maintained within a points-based network, similar to timeshares, which given the scale of this property, can generate weeks or months of economical away-time. So, why would we leave? One word: Grandkids. Eight so far, too many hours away -- and we don't want to miss their birthdays and big moments. Thus, as we downsize and simplify, the next owner can win with ALL FURNISHINGS INCLUDED: 19th-century antiques, original paintings, mirrors, collectors' wines, classic books, 12 beds, dressers, desks, dining tables, art glass, chandeliers, taxidermy, wicker, and a baby grand. For qualified inquirers, we also are open to seller-financing. (Google "Riverside: Frederick Law Olmsted's Illinois Masterpiece" to learn more about Riverside on the "Enjoy Illinois" website.)