Rostenkowski home and apartments hit the market for $4.5 million

A three-building piece of Chicago political history, the home of the late Dan Rostenkowski, is for sale with an asking price of $4.5 million.

The properties at the northeast corner of North Noble Street and West Evergreen Avenue have been under the Rostenkowski family control for more than 100 years, said Roman Serra, a broker for Spaces Invest. They are configured for about 12 apartments but with renovations could accommodate 18 to 20 units, he said.

Serra, who is marketing the site with broker Julia Stoner, said the properties aren’t candidates for a teardown. The brick construction is high quality, so a renovation to enlarge rooms and possibly add a rooftop deck is more likely, he said.

“It’s the family’s wishes to get the building to an owner that’s going to use it and bring it back to life,” Serra said. He said the properties encompass about 18,000 square feet, plus an unfinished basement.

Rostenkowski’s widow, LaVerne, leads a trust that owns the property. She now lives in Wisconsin.

Her husband, former chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, died in 2010. His 36-year career in Congress ended with mail fraud convictions over use of congressional and campaign funds for personal expenses. He spent 13 months in prison, but President Bill Clinton later pardoned him.

Serra said the Rostenkowski home in a three-story building at 1372 W. Evergreen Ave. was expanded into a four-story building to its north and to a building to its east. He said the sale includes a lot at 1345 W. Evergreen Ave. that could be suitable for parking, as the Rostenkowskis didn’t have a garage.

He said most of the apartments can overlook Pulaski Park. The properties are across Evergreen from St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish, where the family worshipped.