Photos: One Of Those Quirky Harry Weese River Cottages Is For Sale

By Emma G. Gallegos in News on Oct 2, 2015 8:23PM

You have a very rare chance to purchase a Harry Weese River Cottage.

The cottages were built in the late '80s, and when they went on the market they sold for $325,000 to $500,000. Now a 3-bedroom unit at 365 N. Canal St. is listed on Sotheby's for $2.3 million. The original owners have hung onto them: Crain's says this is the first cottage to go up for sale in 25 years.

The exterior is pretty eccentric, and it's a highlight of the Chicago Original Architecture Tour on the river. The interior has been renovated and it has all new appliances, but it has still retained quite a bit of character. Sotheby's describes it as having "a nautical theme of geometric angles, portholes, decks and spectacular triangular windows."

It has decks, an outdoor patio and rooftop space all with nice views of the city and river. The river wasn't a big draw once upon a time, according to this quote from the VP of Harry Weese & Associates in 1990: "In the past, though, people have not been much oriented toward the river for residences."

Weese told the Tribune that his designs for these projects were inspired by his travels on the Danube River in Budapest in the 1950s. The communist government allowed architects to experiment, and he came upon an interesting riverside development that inspired him. The Tribune described the design as "rakish, swept-back" with "decorative portholes were meant to recall the sailing schooners that once docked at this spot across from historic Wolf Point."