Illinois

Disgraced Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich's Personal Belongings To be Sold at Auction

Filed under: Auctions

Disgraced Illinois Governor RoDisgraced Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich's personal belongings go up for auction, including thios life-size statue of Elvis Presley.

Disgraced Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich's personal belongings are set to go up for auction by the storage facility to which he owes one year's worth of back rent. Indeed, Boyer-Rosene Moving & Storage, a Chicago-area moving and storage company, plans to sell the contents of seven 5' by 7' wooden storage crates he has rented for the past eight years (as seen above), according to Paul Lombardo, Boyer-Rosene's chief executive officer.

Most of the contents of the crates are documents, but there's one intriguing item: a life-size statue of crooner Elvis Presley with a microphone in hand.

Unless Blagojevich ponies up what he owes, the public will be invited to buy at auction the contents of the crates on August 14. The proceeds of the auction will be donated to a local charity, Children's Memorial Hospital, according to Lombardo.

It is unlikely that former Governor Rod Blagojevich is terribly focused on the belongings he left at Boyer-Rosene--at least not right now. In fact, he spent much of today in a court room listening to closing arguments during his federal trial in Chicago for corruption charges. Jurors are expected to begin their deliberations tomorrow.

Tags: auction, Boyer-Rosene Moving Storage, Elvis Presley, Governor Rod Blagojevich, Illinois, trial

Chicago Beach Polo Kicks Off in September

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Events, Sports

Back in May we reported that the organizers of the annual Miami Beach Polo World Cup were planning to bring the sandy sport to Chicago for the first time ever. Now it's becoming a reality, with the first Chicago Beach Polo World Cup set to take place Sept. 10 – 12th at North Ave. Beach in a new custom-built outdoor arena. Given the time of year it may not be bikini weather so don't look for the Chicago version to pack Miami's sex appeal, but there are still plenty of opportunities for conspicuous consumption and ostentatious fun. Polo itself is not new to Chicago; the first Chicago Polo Club was formed in 1895, though interest had waned in recent decades. "When speaking with friends and fellow players, I knew Chicago was going to be a great place to bring polo," the event's co-founder Marcos Lopez says. "It's really been here for a while, just hibernating. The City of Chicago and the surrounding suburbs used to have a lot of competitive players, games, and fans. We just want to bring that back."

Tags: beach, beach polo, Chicago, Chicago Beach Polo, equestrian, horses, illinois, Miami Beach, Midwest, polo

Lansdowne, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Today's estate is one of the most expensive in the Chicago area. This home in Lake Bluff, Illinois was built in 1911 for heirs to the Rand McNally map empire. The Chicago Tribune's Elite Street column reports that the nine-bedroom Georgian mansion, known as Lansdowne, was listed in 2001 by industrialist Ronald Friedman for $25 million. Friedman sold the mansion and its 21-acre lakefront property for $16 million in 2007 to developer Orren Pickell Designers & Builders and Pickell renovated the home. The mansion and 11.26 acres are now on the market. The property has a pool, pool house and a 5,000-square-foot coach house. The classic brick Georgian home was designed by architect Benjamin Marshall and has a white-pillared rotunda and a beautiful double staircase. The rooms are large and light-filled even in winter. This home is now listed for $15.465 million.

Gallery: Lansdowne

Tags: estate of the day, illinois, lake bluff, lansdowne

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The Battle To Save A Frank Lloyd Wright Classic

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

The B. Harley Bradley House in Kankakee, Illinois may not look like much to the uninitiated but preservationists interested in preserving the legacy of architect Frank Lloyd Wright want to make sure it has a new life as a house museum and arts education center. Some say that the home marks the beginning of the architect's Prairie Style.

Pieces of the home have already been removed and auctioned off. Years ago Barbra Streisand paid $176,000 for its Frank Lloyd Wright-designed desk. This week a pair of leaded-glass windows, removed from the dining room sideboard years ago, sold for $15,000 at Christie's New York. Blair Kamin, who writes the Chicago Tribune's Cityscapes blog reports that a University of Illinois architecture professor and his wife hope to turn the house over to activists to create a Frank Lloyd Wright center. They want $1.9 million, a price which would make this one of the town's top properties.

The nonprofit Wright in Kankakee foundation hopes to raise $170,000 by June for a down payment. So far they've got around $70,000. While the exterior of the seven-bedroom structure may seem a bit humble (it's no Fallingwater), the interior is another matter. The home features many of Wright's beautiful art glass windows and the elegantly-proportioned rooms are full of Wright's carefully crafted wood built-in pieces.

Tags: architecture preservation, bradley house, frank lloyd wright, house museums, house preservation, illinois, kankakee, prairie style, preservationist

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Tony Rezko's Former Home Back on the Market

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

The former mansion of Antoin "Tony" Rezko has had nearly as rough a few years as its former owner but now it's back on the market again. Rezko gained national infamy as a political fundraiser for former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich and was brought up on fraud, money laundering and abetting bribery charges.. Rezko lost the vintage home in Wilmette last year in a $5.9 million foreclosure. Last summer Bank of America attempted to sell the home at auction but no one went above the bank's $2.8 million opening bid and so it was sold back to the bank.

The 8,500 square foot home was used for political gatherings and was the location of a 2003 fundraiser for the Senate campaign of Barack Obama. Prudential Starck Realtors has the home listed at $3,587,900. The listing says that the seven-bedroom home will need cosmetic repairs and is being sold as is. The pictures do reveal a large home with great bones that could use a little gentle restorative love. But I wonder if it didn't sell for $2.8 million last year why anyone might pay more than that for it now.

Gallery: Tony Rezko's Wilmette Home

Tags: illinois, Tony Rezko, TonyRezko, wilmette low-emission, WilmetteLow-emission

Lake Road, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Today's estate is a David Adler home in Lake Forest, Illinois. The six-bedroom home dates back to 1917 and reflects his love of Italian style. The home on Lake Michigan includes grand lakefront gardens. Inside, details include elaborate plasterwork, wood paneling and columns. The overall effect is one of expansive graciousness that reflects a long-gone era. This home is listed at $8.65 million.

Gallery: Lake Road

Tags: david adler, DavidAdler, estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, illinois, lake forest, lake michigan, LakeForest, LakeMichigan

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Loyola University Receives Museum As A Gift

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Big Givers

Loyola University is getting a big early Christmas gift. The Cuneo Museum and Gardens in Vernon Hills, Illinois is being donated to Loyola University by the The Cuneo Foundation. The gift which includes the 100 surrounding acres and art collections is valued at $50 million. The Chicago Sun-Times says that the gift is the largest in the university's 140-year history.

The stately 31,000-square-foot museum is a real treasure. The mansion was built in 1918 and is home to a collection of antiques and art, including Thomas Gainsborough's self-portrait. James Cuneo, Jr. wanted to share his childhood home with the public. His father, printing magnate John Cuneo Sr., bought the home in 1937 and created the foundation. The terms of the gift require Loyola to keep the building open to the public for at least 20 years.

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Tags: cuneo museum, CuneoMuseum, donations, illinois, loyola university, LoyolaUniversity

Scott Turow In Glencoe, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

This seems to be writer week here on Luxist. Today we've got the home of thriller writer Scott Turow. Turow, writer of books such as "Presumed Innocent" and "The Burden of Proof" owns a home on Lake Michigan in Glencoe, Illinois. The five-bedroom home has high ceilings and huge windows facing the lake. The contemporary home has a first floor lake-view master suite with a dressing room and his and hers baths and an office. Additional bedrooms are located on the second floor. The home also has a four-car garage and has stairs leading directly to the beach. The Chicago Tribune's Elite Street column reports that Turow recently reduced the price from $6.25 million to $5.9 million. He bought the home in 2001 for $4.79 million.

Gallery: Scott Turow in Glencoe

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Tags: celebrity real estate, CelebrityRealEstate, estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, glencoe, illinois, scott turow, ScottTurow, writers house, WritersHouse

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Estate Owner Puts Faux Church On The Market

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Crimes and Misdemeanors

This is not a church, but the owner tried to claim it was to avoid paying real estate taxes. The Chicago Tribune's Elite Street column brings in the story of a home in Lake Bluff, Illinois owned by a banker who tried to duck out of around $80,000 in property taxes because he said that parishioners had congregated in his home so that his disabled wife could worship without leaving the house. Neighbors debunked that claim, telling the Tribune they never saw services held at the mansion. Over the summer an independent state administrative law judge for the Illinois Department of Revenue reversed the ruling leaving the banker liable for the tax bill. Now the property has hit the market. The Armenian Church of Lake Bluff is now for sale for $12.5 million, a hefty rise over the $3 million paid for the property in 2004.

The five-acre property is listed through Michael Realty & Associates and has 265 feet of private beach with elevator lifts to the beach. Listing pics are tiny but they show an exercise room, a barbershop with a mural, indoor pool, home theater, and a 12-car heated garage. The property was renovated with a 15,000 square foot addition in 2005. The master suite has a private wet bar, walk-in his and her closets and outdoor balconies overlooking Lake Michigan and an indoor private balcony overlooking indoor pool. The first floor great room has vaulted ceilings with four rain sensored skylights, a full formal dining room with attached butler pantry, with warming drawers and dishwasher, along with fireplace and wet bar. There does not appear to be a chapel.

Gallery: This Is Not A Church

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Tags: chicago, illinois, lake bluff, LakeBluff, property taxes, PropertyTaxes, taxes

Tony Rezko's House Sold Back To The Bank

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Crimes and Misdemeanors

The Wilmette, Illinois home of former Rod Blagojevich fundraiser Antoin "Tony" Rezko hit the auction block this week. Bank of America attempted to sell the home on Monday. The multimillion-dollar mansion belonged to the bank after a $5.9 million foreclosure judgment against Rezko in May. Unfortunately, the bank will be saddled with the house a while longer. No one went above the bank's $2.8 million opening bid and so it was sold back to the bank. The former owner remains in custody and is awaiting sentencing on fraud, money laundering and abetting bribery charges. The fancy 8,500 square foot home was used for political gatherings and was the location of a 2003 fundraiser for the Senate campaign of Barack Obama. The bank may soon put the house up for sale.

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Tags: illinois, rod blagojevich, RodBlagojevich, tony rezko, TonyRezko

Villa Taj, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Few homes make as bold an impression as the Villa Taj in Burr Ridge, Illinois. This massive home is, at $25 million, the most expensive home on the market in Illinois. The outside includes over 15,000 square feet of terrace space. The developer has created a home that pulls in influences from around the world, a pastiche of Greco-Roman columns, Moorish chandeliers and Mughal wall details. He says that the home is named Villa Taj because it is a "crown jewel" but I'm sure the immediate mind association with the Taj Mahal doesn't hurt either. Last month, CBS2 News in Chicago took a video tour of the home which is over 35,000 square feet total. The scale of the home is incredible, it looks more like a museum than a private residence.

The front doors weigh 4,000 pounds. The palatial interior features two formal living rooms, staff quarters, a home theater, library and even a bowling alley. Ceilings in some rooms are 38 feet high. Antiques built into the home have been flown in from around the world. The home has made use of 160 tons of imported Gold Jerusalem stone both inside and outside the residence. The carved stonework took over two years to install. Two powder rooms are outfitted with over 4,200 square feet of Pineapple Onyx from Mexico with Italian marble accents. The home has multiple service areas including one area between the kitchen and ballroom which provides has a wet bar, icemaker, refrigerator and space for catering setup.

The initial landscaping has been completed with over 600 trees planted at the home. A swimming pool and pool pavilion are planned.There are just a few photos here, check out the property website for the full effect of this home.

Gallery: Villa Taj

[Thanks, Brad]

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Tags: burr ridge, BurrRidge, estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, illinois, villa taj, VillaTaj

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Illinois Says No To Luxury Tax

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

If you are in Illinois go ahead and splurge on that piece of bling. Jewelers of America has announced in a press release that the Illinois State Legislature's Revenue and Finance Committee has opted not to move forward with HB 451, a bill that would have slapped a five percent luxury tax on watch and jewelry purchases over $20,000. Jewelers of America had created an anti-luxury-tax letter and fundraising campaign to stop the bill fearing the impact the luxury tax could have on the industry. Now Jewelers of America is setting their sights on New York which also has a similar luxury tax proposal that calls for a percent tax on jewelry and watches over $20,000.

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Tags: illinois, luxury, luxury tax, LuxuryTax, tax

For Cigars, Chicago Closes at 5 PM

by Tom Johansmeyer (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Cigars

cigar store

According to Gregory Mottola, of Cigar Aficionado, most of Chicago's cigar smoking takes place in local smoke shops. A smoking ban has whittled the field of options down, and there aren't any grandfathered establishments (as there, for example, in New York). Of course, lighting up on Michigan Avenue works for only part of the year, thanks to the city's brutal winters.

Mottola did find luck at Jack Schwartz Importer, a small shop on West Jackson Boulevard in the financial district. The store is small, but it does have a few chairs – for which there is considerable competition. Unfortunately, Jack Schwartz closes at 5 PM, leaving few options for an evening smoke.

When Mottola asks a store manager where people smoke after work, the reply was brutal and blunt: "They don't. This is pretty much it."

Iwan Ries, which also closes at 5 PM, has a 1,000 square-foot lounge on its second floor, with large windows that allow plenty of sunlight. Black leather chairs, televisions and wood floors adorn the lounge. Non-members have to pay a $10 fee (per day), and they, like members, are required to bring their own spirits. The store does not have lockers or personal humidors on site.

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Tags: chicago, cigar, cigar aficionado, CigarAficionado, cigars, illinois, michigan avenue, MichiganAvenue, smoke, smoker, smoking, smokingban, tobacco, tobacco use, TobaccoUse

The Schweppe Estate, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

One of the grandest estates in the Midwest has hit the market. Built in 1917, the Schweppe Estate in Lake Forest, Illinois was a wedding gift from Marshall Field and Company president John G. Shedd to his daughter Laura. It was famous for parties and on one occasion, Lake Forest society entertained the heirs to the crown of Sweden and the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. The home has 11 bedrooms and was vacant for 40 years but was restored in the 1980s by over 70 craftsmen who tended to the marble fireplaces, wood paneled library and the plaster relief ceilings and limestone moldings. It is listed at $18 million.

Experience more lush living in luxury homes and mansions or see the stars living large with celebrity homes galleries at AOL Real Estate.

Gallery: The Schweppe Estate

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Tags: illinois, lake forest, LakeForest, schweppe

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Burr Ridge, Illinois, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

I'm not sure if today's home belongs to a sports star but the indoor basketball court with the Chicago Bulls logo in this home in Burr Ridge, Illinois does make me wonder. No matter what this is one extravagant home that could easily appeal to someone finding themselves suddenly in need of a place to spend their big paychecks. In addition to six bedrooms the over 20,000 square foot home home also has an indoor swimming pool, locker room, spa, sauna, home theater, elevator, two kitchens, an outdoor patio and pond with a huge fountain (even more pictures at the virtual tour here). It is listed at $8,999,999.

Experience more lush living in luxury homes and mansions or see the stars living large with celebrity homes galleries at AOL Real Estate.

Gallery: Burr Ridge, Illinois