Lake Michigan's pink house available for first time in 25 years
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Photo: Courtesy of Peggy Sayre/Coldwell Banker
A flamingo pink, art deco home on Lake Michigan could be yours for $2.5 million.
- The catch is that you'll lease it, not own it.
Driving the news: The Florida Tropical House, one of the five landmarked Century of Progress Homes in Beverly Shores, Indiana, is available for the first time in 25 years.
Why it matters: The home is on the National Register of Historic Places, and preservationists lease it to tenants who agree to maintain the home's landmarked architecture and design and to open it to tourists annually.
How it works: The new occupants must pay cash for a 52-year lease and be approved by Indiana Landmarks and The National Park Service.
Yes, but: They won't pay property taxes and will have 225 feet of lakefront with sweeping views of Lake Michigan for what breaks down to about $4,000 a month.
History: The Century of Progress Homes were built for the 1933 Century of Progress World's Fair in Chicago to showcase architectural innovation and modern features like dishwashers.
- The Florida home's pink exterior and multiple outdoor spaces were designed by Miami architect Robert Law Weed to entice 1933 fairgoers to visit "paradise" — which in this case was Florida.
- After the fair, developer Robert Bartlett moved the homes to Beverly Shores to build a resort town on the Indiana shoreline, and the National Park Service took them over in the 1970s.
- In the early 2000s, Indiana Landmarks leased the homes from the National Park Service, then began subleasing them to tenants who agreed to restore them.
