Pie house

Coordinates: 42°10′15.0″N 87°51′05.3″W / 42.170833°N 87.851472°W / 42.170833; -87.851472
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The pie house
The eastern end of the pie house
Map
General information
Address970 Chestnut Street[a]
Town or cityDeerfield, Illinois
CountryUnited States
Coordinates42°10′15.0″N 87°51′05.3″W / 42.170833°N 87.851472°W / 42.170833; -87.851472

The pie house, sometimes referred to as the Deerfield pie house or the Deerfield skinny house, is a two-story house located in Deerfield, Illinois, United States. It is located at 970 Chestnut Street, and is near the Deerfield Metra station. The beige-sided house was built to fit a narrow lot and has attracted attention due to its unusual shape. The house is not rectangular, but rather trapezoidal, and attained its primary nickname due to its resemblance to the shape of a slice of pie.

The house has gained media attention after being featured in a viral video on the social media platform TikTok in August 2020. Since then, it has been featured on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and has been covered by the Chicago Tribune, both of which have further increased its attention.

Description[edit]

The home was built in 2003 on a small, irregularly shaped lot at 970 Chestnut Street[a] in the Chicago suburb of Deerfield. The house is trapezoidal in shape, rather than the traditional rectangular shape,[3] which has inspired its nickname, the "pie house", due to its apparent resemblance to a slice of pie.[4] The triangular lot it sits on measures only 3,876 square feet (360.1 m2), which contributes to the house's unusual shape.[5] Despite outcry from neighbors, the village of Deerfield was not able to force any changes to be made to the design of the house as it met all building codes and was not legally required to be changed in any way.[3] The house is two stories tall, and has a finished basement.[6] It has more than 1,600 square feet (150 m2) of floor space, and contains two bedrooms, two full bathrooms, and an additional half bathroom.[6] The ground level of the home follows an open concept plan.[6]

The narrowest side of the house measures 3 feet (0.91 m) wide, with the widest side of the house reaching a width of 18 feet (5.5 m).[5][3] An outdoor patio borders the wider end of the house.[7]

Purchases[edit]

The home sold on August 6, 2020, with a list price of US$269,000 and an eventual purchase price of $260,000.[8][9] It was listed for rental on Airbnb shortly afterwards, in October 2020.[10] The house was put up for sale again in May 2021 for $300,000;[8] it sold for $295,000 later that same month.[11]

Media attention[edit]

At the time the house was up for sale in August 2020, a user named @eli.korns_ on the short-form video-based social media platform TikTok recorded and posted a video of himself examining the house's exterior and showing amazement at its unusual dimensions.[8] This video ended up going viral, receiving over one million views; attracting significant media attention to the house.[8][5] Since then, the house has been featured on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and has been covered by numerous media outlets, including the Chicago Tribune.[8]

See also[edit]

  • Casa Scaccabarozzi, house with a similar shape and name
  • Any of various spite houses, some of which are comically narrow, and also earn neighbors' disapproval

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ a b The address is listed incorrectly by some sources as "970 Chestnut Drive".[1][2]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Kussin, Zachary (August 10, 2020). "$260K 'skinny house' near Chicago stuns TikTok watchers". New York Post. Archived from the original on January 25, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  2. ^ Knight, Shawn (August 13, 2020). "TikTok Goes In A Frenzy Over This 'Skinny House' In Chicago". 107-3 KISS-FM. Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "And Buyers Complain That Old Houses are too Small". Sears Homes of Chicagoland. May 5, 2015. Archived from the original on October 20, 2021. Retrieved January 23, 2022.
  4. ^ Callahan, Chrissy (August 12, 2020). "This perplexing 'skinny house' is going viral for its weirdly thin shape". Today. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved January 25, 2022.
  5. ^ a b c Smith, Colby (August 17, 2020). "People Are Losing It Over This 'Skinny House' Near Chicago, And Here's What It Looks Like Inside". Secret Chicago. Archived from the original on September 18, 2021. Retrieved January 24, 2021.
  6. ^ a b c "See Inside Deerfield 'Pie House' On Market for $270K". NBC Chicago. June 11, 2020. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  7. ^ Mahoney, Melissa (December 15, 2020). "You Can Stay In A Delightful Airbnb Shaped Like A Slice Of Pie In Illinois". OnlyInYourState. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  8. ^ a b c d e Reid, Claire (May 6, 2021). "The Super-Skinny 'Pie House' Is Back Up For Sale But Will Cost You More Than Last Year". Lad Bible. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  9. ^ "Deerfield's iconic 'pie house' hits Airbnb, with a pizza incentive for the first guests who book a stay". Chicago Now. October 21, 2020. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  10. ^ "Deerfield's iconic 'pie house' is now available to rent on Airbnb". Chicago Tribune. October 14, 2020. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.
  11. ^ "970 Chestnut St, Deerfield, IL 60015". Zillow. Archived from the original on January 24, 2022. Retrieved January 24, 2022.