Train tracks aren’t usually considered a residential amenity – most people consider them an eyesore and noisy to boot. I’d argue that the tracks that run along stretches of Ravenswood Avenue, in the Ravenswood neighborhood, are an exception. Lined by grassy embankments and gardens, the tracks create an Our Town sort of vibe – with shirring crickets and a wedge of open sky overhead. A friend of mine used to live in a loft facing those tracks, and the rushing, whistling trains, though they might disrupt a movie or a conversation when the windows were open, weren’t too noticeable.
Maybe that’s why residential development continues along the tracks. Ultimate Construction & Builders, Inc. is currently building five single-family homes on Ravenswood Avenue, on the west side of the Metra tracks, between Winnemac Avenue and Winona Street. Some of these houses are real mammoths – the one at 1806 W Winnemac Ave appears to take up two lots end to end – seen from Winnemac, it looks big enough to be a school or an institution of some kind.
ProCasa Realty, Ltd lists prices on the two homes not under contract, 5034 N Ravenswood and 5044 N Ravenswood, at $995,000.