This quaint, northwest neighborhood is best known for its historical charm and quiet, tree-lined streets. Home to hundreds of historic bungalows, North Mayfair captures the vintage, urban charm that gave Chicago its swagger during the mid 20th century. Today North Mayfair is a family-orientated community steeped in rich history, scenic parks and a sprinkling of retail and restaurants. The neighborhood parks are not only a place to enjoy the great outdoors, but a venue for annual events and fun holiday celebrations. From Easter egg hunts to live musical entertainment, North Mayfair residents can always count on Gompers Park to be a flurry of activity and an excellent spot to meet the new neighbors.
Like many outlying Chicago neighborhoods, North Mayfair grew from small farms scattered around the outskirts of urban development. In 1889, the city of Chicago annexed Jefferson Township and the Village of Montrose, an area that would later include the North Mayfair neighborhood. With many residents looking to settle outside of the city for more space and less congestion, the new village experienced a housing boom between the turn of the 20th Century and the Depression era.
North Mayfair’s history is unique in the fact that a small number of families had a hand in designing the aesthetic character of the neighborhood. Some of North Mayfair’s earliest families included the Spikings, the Hardings, and the Ericksons, who not only set the foundation for North Mayfair, but also were involved in building the nearby Bohemian National Cemetery and hundreds of homes in neighboring Albany Park.
The Erickson family played the most pivotal role in establishing North Mayfair as its own distinctive neighborhood. In 1850, all 10 acres of their family farm resided in what is now North Mayfair. With every generation, the Erickson family acquired more land and eventually began building bungalows on the property - bungalows that still exist today and are now considered historic. At one time, the family owned 11 bungalows in North Mayfair, with most still standing on the 5100 block of north Kostner Avenue.
North Mayfair has always maintained its own distinctive, historical identity. Residents formed the North Mayfair Improvement Association as far back as 1929. The organization was 24 members strong when it published its first newsletter. Today, North Mayfair continues to uphold its unique identity with a mix of historic bungalows, courtyard condos and renovated two-flats that cater a diverse group of residents from young families to long-established homeowners.
North Mayfair facts
Location: About 11 miles northwest of the Loop Boundaries: Lawrence Avenue south, Pulaski Road to the east, Foster Avenue to the north and Cicero Avenue to the west Bordering Neighborhoods:Mayfair, Sauganash, Jefferson Park, Albany Park, Forest Glen Crime Statistics: Go to CLEARMap for crime stats on specific Chicago neighborhood, intersection, address or police beat.
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North Mayfair Real Estate
Few Chicago neighborhoods boast the kind of historical swagger embodied by North Mayfair. In February 2006, it became Chicago’s fifth bungalow neighborhood to be added to the National Register of Historic Places. The area bound by Foster Avenue, Pulaski Road, Kilbourn Avenue and Lawrence Avenue includes approximately 700 homes that were constructed between the post World War I and Depression eras.
Today, many of these historic bungalows proudly dot the neighborhood streets. And homeowners in National Register Historic District also benefit from such prestige. They have the option to apply for the State of Illinois Property Tax Assessment Freeze when completing major home renovations equal to at least 25% of the market value of the property. The renovations must be approved by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.
Aside from historical bungalows, North Mayfair has a wide variety of single-family houses and apartment buildings, ranging from rehabbed two-flats to spacious courtyard condominiums. Most of the private dwellings have front lawns and cozy front porches, and while there are certainly plenty of brick one- and two-story homes in North Mayfair, there are also a good number of places with barn-style rooflines and a variety of other architectural designs to choose from.
The average sales price for a three-bedroom home in North Mayfair is about $360,000. For something with more space, and a couple more bedrooms, you can expect to pay around $425,000 on average. Not everyone needs that much room—one-bedroom North Mayfair condos are available for anywhere between $140,000 and $225,000. Two-bedroom units cost around $200,000 on average.
The average sale price of a home in North Mayfair is represented by the chart to the right. The red line indicates the average price based on the total time frame selected in the drop-down window. The blue line indicates the average sale price for the particular month within that time frame. For more detailed information on North Mayfair sign up for the trends report below or contact your Dream Town broker.
The average number of days a home in North Mayfair spends listed for sale is represented by the chart to the right. The red line indicates the average number of days based on the total time frame selected in the drop-down window. The blue line indicates the average number of days a home spent on market during the particular month within that time frame. For more detailed information on average market listing times in North Mayfair sign up for the trends report below or contact your Dream Town broker.
The average sale price of a home compared to its listing price in North Mayfair is represented by the chart to the right. The black line indicates the baseline listing price for homes during the time frame selected in the drop-down. The red line indicates the difference between the average listing price and the average sale price during the particular month within that time frame. For more detailed information on North Mayfair sign up for the trends report below or contact your Dream Town broker.
The total number of listings in North Mayfair is represented in the chart to the right. The red line represents average number of days based on the total time frame selected in the drop-down window The blue bar represents the current number of listings during the particular month of that time frame. For more detailed information on North Mayfair sign up for the trends report below or contact your Dream Town broker.
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