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From the 1880s until its demolition in 1950, 1350 N Lake Shore Dr was the site of the largest private residence in the city, designed by architects Henry Ives Cobb and Charles Sumner Frost for Bertha and Potter Palmer. Construction of the fabled Palmer Mansion, at a cost of more than $1 million, helped establish the Gold Coast as Chicago’s premier residential neighborhood. The Palmer Mansion hosted US Presidents and foreign royalty, and housed a collection of French Impressionist paintings that now rests at the Art Institute. A later owner once proposed building the world’s largest hotel on the site.
Draper and Kramer replaced the castellated Palmer Mansion with mirrored 22-story brick buildings designed by Richard Marsh Bennett, who also designed the Old Orchard shopping center and Oakbrook Center. The historic preservation movement held little sway at the time, and the demolition and construction proceeded without appreciable controversy.
Architect Gert Kerbis described Bennett’s architecture as “comfortable … He used large surfaces and forms and broke them up in a very comfortable and appealing way. He also tried to take the apartment and give everyone a view of the lake, multiplying the surface expressions. He was very clever in his designs.”
Today 1350-1360 North Lake Shore Drive stands as one of only two apartment complexes on North Lake Shore Drive. The other, 1420 N Lake Shore Dr, is a 1920s building with half-floor 4-bedroom, 4 ½ bath apartments.
The apartments
1350’s 22-story brick towers encompass 740 apartments, all with lake views, many with angled bay windows.
Five studio floor plans range in size from 467 to 537 square feet. Four 1-bedroom plans are 672 to 738 square feet, and 2-bedroom, 2-bath units are also available.
All units include a microwave and gas range, refrigerator and mini-blinds. Dishwashers are included in 1- and 2-bedroom apartments. Units are carpeted. There are no balconies or other private outdoor spaces. Units are cable-ready.
Rent includes heat, air-conditioning, cooking gas and wireless Internet access.
Amenities, services, policies
Each tower has its own laundry room, business center, “fully-equipped” fitness room and rooftop sundeck.Hallways and fitness rooms were recently renovated. Four 1- and 2-bedroom furnished guest suites are available for nightly rental.
There is an on-site dry cleaners and a food commissary which also offers soup and deli sandwiches.
Cats are allowed in the north and south towers with a non-refundable fee. Dogs, subject to weight and breed limits, are only allowed in the north tower with a fee. There is a limit on the number of dogs allowed in the building.
1350 has on-site leasing, management, maintenance, door staff and package receiving service.
Parking is available on-site in an enclosed, heated garage with valet service.
Views. All units have views of the lake, and many have outstanding views of Oak Street Beach, North Avenue Beach, and the cityscape along East Lake Shore Drive.
Location
1350 has an enviable location a few minutes’ walk from Oak Street and North Avenue beaches, Lincoln Park, Division Street nightlife, Magnificent Mile shops, the tree-lined, history-laden streets of the Gold Coast, and enough restaurants and bars to satisfy every hunger and thirst.
Full-service supermarkets and a Walgreens drug store are a 10-minute walk. Two Whole Foods stores are within a few minutes’ drive and there are a variety of other specialty grocers in the immediate area.
Transportation. CTA bus service is available at the curb and the CTA Red Line stop at Clark and Division is a 10-minute walk. Cabs are always plentiful.
There’s easy access to Lake Shore Drive, but inconvenient and sometimes time-consuming access to the city’s expressway grid.
The competition
You’ll find additional options at YoChicago’s Gold Coast apartment guide.
Share your take on 1350
If you’ve lived at or visited 1350 North Lake Shore Drive, add your thoughts in a comment. Comments are moderated, and commercial messages are not allowed.