Oct. 14--The national organization for the Baha'i faith in August paid the $1.45 million asking price to buy its third house since mid-2014 on the block immediately south of its landmark Baha'i House of Worship in Wilmette.
The Baha'is of the United States bought the five-bedroom, 3,960-square-foot French Provincial-style house from a lender that acquired it in a foreclosure. Built in 2008, the house is being renovated and is expected to be rented out, said Glen Fullmer, a spokesman for the Baha'is of the United States.
As Elite Street reported, the group paid $1.2 million in May for a vintage American Foursquare-style house on Sheridan Road and $1.4 million in May 2014 for a house on Linden Avenue. Both homes are being rented out, Fullmer said.
"There's no master plan for the block," Fullmer said. "What's driving the purchases is an interest in preserving the residential character of the neighborhood around our national center and also to diversify our investment portfolio. But these purchase decisions are being made on a case-by-case basis."
The house the group bought in August has 5 1/2 baths, three fireplaces, a master suite with cathedral ceilings and a basement with a media room, a game room, an exercise room and a second kitchen.
Crain's Chicago Business first reported the purchase.
Bob Goldsborough is a freelance reporter.
