(note- this property has gone under contract as of 9/19/10) My excitement this morning can hardly be contained. I’m probably going to type this post out with errant key strokes, similar to what I used to do in those dreams where someone is coming to kill me- and while I have a phone in my hand, I can’t seem to dial 911 without hitting 8s and 2s. I’m excited not for a huge sale, or because I found a drug that would allow me to lose 40 pounds without effort, rather I’m excited because of an opportunity. Opportunity isn’t the right word. It’s an opportunity, sure, but it’s more like finding the holy grail and being able to give it to someone else. My life won’t be changed, but yours most certainly may be. And with that, I present to you the most elusive of all Lake Geneva real estate. Belvidere Park. Just writing the words sends shivers down my bent spine. This venerable association was the first such club formed on the shores of Geneva Lake in 1869, and my new listing is the first public offering in at least 20 years. This is an event, and I can honestly say it’s the most excited I’ve been for a listing of mine in the 14 years that I’ve been slinging Lake Geneva vacation homes like pancakes at a Lions Club breakfast.
Words are generally close friends of mine, but in this case, I’m not quite sure how to arrange them in order to properly present this property to you. First, I must tell you that among all of the reasons to read this blog, the fact that you’re the first to know about this new listing must surely be chief on the list. This property will not be in the MLS until Monday, so for now, you’re in a very exclusive club. Speaking of exclusive clubs, Belvidere Park is quite obviously the most exclusive of all, with a possible caveat created by the Chicago Club and their steadfast ownership. Belvidere Park consists of 23 cottages, most basic lake cottages in the style of those at the Harvard Club and in Glenwood Springs, even though some are impressive beyond words. The club is located just north of Fontana’s downtown, off of North Lakeshore Drive. The Fontana location affords municipal water and sewer that services each of the 23 cottages.
There is a brook that babbles through the property, providing a charming sound track that can only be provided by the movement of water. That stream, according to one life long owner who I met at the property, used to be home to a thriving supply of brown trout, much like Uhleins, Van Slyke, and Southwick creek host today. The stream is inconsequential as an individual element, but combined with the gentle front lawn of the association, the idyllic row style placement of the cottages, and a glorious lakefront, the ingredients add up to vacation home utopia. In that statement, there is no hyperbole.
The cottage that I listed is wildly charming, with several original cottage features- including hardwood floors and brick fireplace- just waiting to be restored. The condition is surprisingly good for an old cottage, and while some cottages of this tenure creek and groan and pitch under foot, this cottage is solid and feels warm and comfortable. The home is larger than the exterior would lead you to believe, and with three bedrooms and two baths, there is ample room and then some. Unlike several period homes, this home is firmly positioned atop a block foundation, and if you take the time to investigate the rudimentary basement level, you’ll be immediately reminded of a different era a time courtesy the built in, concrete fish tank, which is awesome. The same gentleman who told me of the trout that once populated the stream (before a small waterfall of rapids was engineered decades ago), told me of an evening that he caught a four pound smallmouth bass off the association pier.
I was told that bass weighed four pounds, and knowing that bass season didn’t open until the following morning, the gentleman, who was a boy at the time, quickly ran the fish up to his parent’s cottage and placed the bass in the basement fish tank. Thinking he’d cleverly concealed his sin, he went to dinner. When his father asked him “when did bass start flying?”, he knew his crime had been uncovered. He marched the fish down to the lake for an unceremonious release, and spend the next two weeks sleeping on the porch as punishment. Such stories appear to be the norm at Belvidere Park, where history that most have long forgotten seems to make its way into every day conversation. In that, I know that I love this club.
The house is one of only a handful in the club that are winterized, and the fact that several neighbors exclaimed this cottage to be the “warmest” house in all of Belvidere Park certainly means something. The association lakefront is bucolic, with a dedicated boat pier, swim pier, and something they call the baby pier. The baby pier is more of a lounging pier, which hopefully you’ll see when I return this morning to post a video of the property right here. Each cottage has a garage, located on the west side of North Lakeshore Drive, so storage is at a maximum here. Here’s the video. It’s shaky as usual, and I’m annoying. And I call it the Harvard Club when it’s really Belvidere Park, but you get the idea.
Perhaps this morning fewer words are better. This cottage is listed at $519k. It’s a deal, and it will sell quickly. If I’m wrong on that, I’ll be sure to let you know. Chances are, some lucky family (or single person- don’t sue me) will snap up this cottage almost immediately, and then it might be another 20 years before another such cottage in this classic association is available. Since Belvidere Park is a co-op, there is no financing allowed. Owing to the co-op nature, the annual expenses for this property that include taxes and all club maintenance remain incredibly low. If old school Lake Geneva sounds like a place that you’d like to visit on a weekly basis, please get up here today or tomorrow to see this place. Realtors are fond of spewing on and on about “once in a lifetime opportunities”. I find that tedious and underwhelming, and I typically shy away from such proclamations. However, today is a different day, and Belvidere Park is a different club. This literally is the opportunity of a lifetime, and I’m benevolently laying it squarely at your feet. If you want to pick it up and run with it, you know who to call. (262-745-1993)