Once Again, Lincoln Park Writes a New Chapter in Luxury

Lincoln Park has no shortage of standout real estate stories — but every so often, one illuminates the forces that truly shape the neighborhood’s luxury market.
Crain’s Chicago Business recently told one of those stories: a family expanding their Burling Street home through a multi-year sequence of acquisitions, investments, and vision.

It’s not a teardown drama. Not a speculative build.
It’s a masterclass in how and why people stay in Lincoln Park.

Step One: The First Anchor Purchase

The narrative begins in 2021, when the family purchased their primary residence on Burling Street for $4.65 million.
A strong statement, and one that immediately positioned them among the committed long-term owners who define this celebrated block.

Step Two: Buying Next Door to Build a Future

Last year, the neighboring home became available — a smaller structure, but perfectly located.
The same family purchased it for $1.65 million, not to flip or rent, but to incorporate into a larger estate plan.

This is the part of the story that only happens on certain streets in Chicago.
Burling is one of them.

A Combined Vision: $8–10 Million in Total Investment

With both parcels secured, plans are underway to unify the properties and expand the existing home.
Crain’s estimates $2–4 million in renovation and construction costs, putting the overall investment between $8 million and $10 million once completed. 

There are no images of the work included in the application, though the description says the building will have a basement, a covered porch and a roof deck. It was designed by Charles Von Weise of the architecture firm Von Weise Associates and will be built by Savane Design + Build. Both are Chicago firms.

This is not the behavior of a buyer shopping for novelty.
This is the behavior of a homeowner who refuses to leave Lincoln Park because the block offers something irreplaceable.

Context Matters: Burling Street Sets (and Keeps) the Standard

The Crain’s story also mentions one of the neighborhood’s defining sales — the $15.2 million Burling Street transaction that helped anchor recent pricing confidence in Lincoln Park’s luxury market.

That sale was represented by Engel & Völkers Chicago — our brokerage.

It’s a meaningful piece of context:
When the highest-end properties trade hands on this street, we are often part of the story.

Why This Story Resonates for Lincoln Park

What the article captures — and what we see every day in practice — is the mindset of Lincoln Park’s most committed homeowners:

• They don’t want to leave the neighborhood.

• They reinvest rather than relocate.

• They expand instead of starting over elsewhere.

• They envision homes measured not just in square feet, but in longevity, lifestyle, and design.

That is why homes on this corridor are so rarely available, and why the most significant ones often evolve over multiple purchases and multi-year planning.

Our Perspective 

Having represented luxury clients throughout Lincoln Park — including marquee listings and major transactions on Burling, Orchard, and Howe — this Crain’s story feels familiar.
It is exactly how this neighborhood grows: deliberately, thoughtfully, and with owners who understand the value of place.

The family’s multi-lot investment isn’t an anomaly.
It’s the continuation of a decades-long pattern that has shaped Lincoln Park into one of Chicago’s most exceptional residential markets.

A Street That Keeps Moving Forward

The real takeaway from the Crain’s piece is simple and powerful:

Lincoln Park remains a neighborhood where people build their forever homes.

Not because they have to.
But because they want to.

And Burling Street — with its estates, architecture, privacy, and enduring desirability — continues to inspire the kind of long-view investment that strengthens the neighborhood year after year.

For buyers and sellers navigating this ultra-select pocket, seasoned guidance matters.
For us, this isn’t just another neighborhood. It’s decades of insight, relationships, representation, and results.

The original story appeared in Crain's Chicago on 11/16/2025. Once again, Lincoln Park writes a new chapter in luxury.