John Novak of Novak Construction sells Lincoln Park mansion for $6.75M

The founder of one of Chicago’s more prominent construction firms has officially parted ways with his longtime Lincoln Park mansion, marking the neighborhood’s priciest home sale so far this year.

John Novak, head of Novak Construction, sold his five-bedroom, 7,800-square-foot residence at 1970 N. Burling St. for $6.75 million in late July, according to Crain’s. The deal closed at just under 97 percent of its most recent asking price, coming out to approximately $865 per square foot.

The sale marks the priciest deal for single-family homes in Lincoln Park in 2025. The only city property to surpass it this year is a River North mansion for nearly $7.2 million in June. The rest of the city’s top five residential transactions have all been condos.

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Novak first listed the house in 2015 with a price tag of $8.95 million. Over the years, the property cycled on and off the market as he debated whether to sell or not. Emily Sachs Wong of @properties Christie’s International Real Estate, who held the listing, described the home as “an ultra-sophisticated, incredibly well-designed” residence.

When it returned to the market this spring, the asking price had been trimmed to just under $7 million. The final sale price, although 25 percent below Novak’s original asking price, still marks a significant success in the current luxury housing landscape.

The home was designed by Liederbach & Graham, an architecture firm known for high-end residential projects. The house was completed in 2010 and pairs contemporary industrial elements with Chicago’s classic common brick, used both inside and out.

Notable details include steel staircases, exposed beams supporting a glass solarium roof, and a barrel-vaulted shower that opens directly onto a balcony. A long wall of glass connects the home to a private courtyard hidden behind a towering brick wall along Armitage Avenue.

That courtyard once housed one of the more controversial pieces of neighborhood art: “Chevron,” a 40-foot blue steel sculpture by John Henry. Neighbors balked at the sculpture’s size and visibility. After years of tension, then-Ald. Michele Smith brokered a deal in 2013 that allowed Novak to keep his oversized wall in exchange for removing the piece. “Chevron” now resides near Diversey Harbor on the lakefront.

The Novak family’s relationship with Liederbach & Graham extends beyond Burling Street. The architects also designed a Wicker Park home for Novak’s daughter, which sold in 2022, and a striking metal-sided residence on Armitage for his son, which was briefly listed last year.

Novak Construction has been a fixture in Chicago for more than four decades. The firm, founded by John Novak 45 years ago, has built thousands of residential, commercial, and institutional projects. Today, it reports annual revenue exceeding $500 million and employs over 150 people.

Although Novak did not comment on the sale, the house reflects both his personal taste and professional ethos, characterized by grand scale, high-quality design, and an insistence on detail. For Lincoln Park, it’s another reminder of Burling Street’s stature as one of the city’s more coveted and competitive residential corridors. Burling Street’s reputation as “mansion row” doesn’t appear to be going anywhere, with luxury demand holding firm.