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Webster House is a 14-story, 186-unit vintage apartment building at 2150 N Lincoln Park West in Lincoln Park.
The Webster House occupies an enviable site directly fronting the 1,200-acre Lincoln Park, near the entrance to the Zoo. The building was designed in the neoclassical idiom by Walter W. Ahlschlager and completed in 1920 as the Webster Hotel. It was completely renovated in the late 1970s and converted into rental apartments, some of them subsidized. The grand 2-story lobby is a reminder of the building’s origins as a hotel.
The apartments
The Webster House has studio, 1-, 2- and 3-bedroom floor plans.
Floor plans and near real-time availability info can be accessed online.
Apartments have 9 ½-foot ceilings and architectural moldings to add character.
The apartments have carpeted living and bedroom. Two-bedroom plans have the popular split-bedroom layout. Bedroom sizes are typically larger than in newer apartments. Closet space is marginal in some of the units. Typical of a vintage building, the units have no private outdoor space.
Views. Many of the apartments have outstanding views overlooking the park.
The building sits directly across from Lincoln Park, ensuring that views to the east will always be unobstructed.
North-facing units overlook the grounds of Francis Parker School.
Amenities, services, policies
Webster House has a laundry room and a bike storage area. On-site parking is not available, and parking is scarce in the area.
Webster House is a non-smoking building. Cats are accepted; dogs are not. The building has on-site maintenance staff and 24/7 door staff.
NOTE: The building’s online application form is not secure. It solicits information such as your Social Security and driver’s license numbers that should never be entered on a non-secure site.
The location
The Webster House is in a quiet residential area directly across from Lincoln Park, one of the greatest public spaces in America.
The location has relatively quick access to Lake Shore Drive via Fullerton Ave, and to North Avenue Beach, which stretches nearly a mile north along the lakefront.
Shopping. Webster House has reasonable proximity to grocery shopping.
The nearest full-service grocery store, two short blocks northwest of the building, is Big Apple Finer Foods. Mrs Green’s, an upscale grocer that’s a recent arrival to the area, is several blocks west of Webster House.
From early May to late October, more than 50 farmers draw Wednesday and Saturday morning crowds to the Green City Market in the park. From November through April the market is held most Saturdays at the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, several blocks northeast of Webster House.
The Visit Clark Street site gives you a good overview of the bars, restaurants, retail and service establishments near the Webster House.
Dining, nightlife, entertainment.
You’ll find a good selection of bars and restaurants along Clark Street, a short block west of the building.
Local favorites a short walk from Webster House include R.J. Grunts, Chicago Pizza and Oven Grinder, Eleven Lincoln Park and Riccardo Trattoria.
Mon Ami Gabi is located a block north of Webster House:
Parks, recreation.
Lincoln Park has too many attractions to list.
The Zoo, the Conservatory and its gardens, the landmark Alfred Caldwell Lily Pool, the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum and other Lincoln Park draws are within a few minutes’ walk from the building.
Active recreation opportunities are abundant, some of them unusual. Fly fishing lessons, for example, are available at nearby North Pond in the park.
If your idea of active recreation is that it’s something well worth watching, you can survey the beach volleyball scene from a reclining position.
Transportation. Webster House’s access to public transportation is good, but not great.
Several CTA bus routes have stops along Clark St and several more are a short distance away in the park. The nearest CTA train stops are about a mile from Webster House.
Taxi service is nearly always available outside the building. The nearest Zipcar car-sharing location is just over a block from the building.
Access to I-90/94 and the city’s expressway grid is inconvenient, and can be a source of misery during peak hours.
The competition
Rentals are typically available in a number of nearby condo buildings, sometimes at lower rents than in the managed apartment buildings.
You’ll find additional options at YoChicago’s Lincoln Park apartment guide.
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