The Queen Of England Bought A Condo On Randolph

By Emma G. Gallegos in News on Sep 16, 2015 2:45PM

Queen Elizabeth II in 2011(Photo by Paul Hackett - WPA Pool/Getty Images) + The Randolph Avenue condo (Google Maps)

The Queen of England, yes, that Queen of England, has gotten into the Chicago real estate market. Ironically—or perhaps appropriately!—she's purchased a condo at The Buckingham, just north of Millennium Park.

We'd like to say that the name of the condo on Randolph Street might make her feel right at home, but, alas, it sounds like she doesn't have any intentions of moving here. Crain's reports that Queen Lizzy purchased a 26th floor condo in her name at the 44-story building at 360 E. Randolph St., according to the Cook County Recorder of Deeds. It's a 2,600-square-foot unit and it was sold somewhere north of $1.57 million.

The condo will actually be inhabited by Canadian consul Roy Norton, according to his real estate agent Steve Acoba. The condo has a renovated kitchen, three bedrooms and a den. There are three baths and a laundry room, too. It sounds like a slight step down from the consular's previous digs on Cedar Street, which had five bedrooms and 4,700 square feet. It's been listed for just under $2.3 million.

The Queen did come to Chicago long ago in 1959 and it was a big deal then. She was taking a tour of the Canadian wing of her queendom and Chicago was her lone stop in the U.S. She said at the time she was "frightfully excited by the city."