Prettying up the dreaded four plus ones that dot the North Side like so much acne might be the real estate equivalent of giving face transplants to burn victims. Not an easy task, but Kevin Kroupa, of REM Homes, has shown that there is hope for these stepchildren of the ’60s. At 512 W Barry Ave, the developer undertook a transformation that has amazed neighbors as part of a condo conversion. The dingy two-tone brick building accented with gaudy AC units and a front-loaded garage was given two new classic facades — one red brick, the other pale yellow — and the appearance of two buildings. The structure now has a scale in line with its neighbors and an eyesore has been removed from an otherwise charming Lake View block. The conversion, which had 48 units priced from the $160s to the $260s, sold out in about four months.
The project by Kroupa, who is planning another similar conversion in Lake View, could have big implications for enclaves such as the Winthrop-Kenmore corridor in Edgewater, which is rife with these buildings. The flip side of the issue, of course, is that whatever their aesthetic value, Four plus ones have been a source of affordable rentals in gentrifying lakefront neighborhoods. What do you think? Is this the answer to some of the lakefront’s ugliest blocks or another slide down the slippery slope of eliminating affordable housing? Has anyone ever seen a four plus one that hadn’t beaten with the ugly stick? Send us your thoughts, photos and nominations for the ugliest (or least ugly) four plus one in Chicago.