A 27,417-square-foot, modernist-style Oak Brook mansion that was constructed for baseball Hall of Famer and Chicago White Sox great Frank Thomas — and, that was sold by Thomas in 2003 for a then-DuPage County record of $7.95 million — is being dramatically remade by current owner Syed Ali, who has completely altered the mansion’s exterior while also totally renovating its interior.
The Tribune reported in 2000 that Thomas had paid more than $8.1 million to build the mansion, which sits on 3.35 acres. Thomas built the mansion over several years before moving into it in 1996. Thomas first placed the gated property on the market in 2000 for $11 million.
After Thomas sold the mansion in 2003, it had a succession of owners, reselling for $2.71 million in 2014, $2.3 million in 2016 and again to Ali for $4.5 million in 2021.
Now, Ali has decided to ditch the mansion’s modern exterior architecture.
In its place, Ali has chosen an architectural style that one might characterize more as modern eclectic or modern organic. Gone are the mansion’s boxy look, glass brick windows and flat rooflines. In their place are pitched roofs, more balconies, an expanded second level, a covered entrance and more traditional — and in some cases, larger — windows. According to a Village of Oak Brook building permit application, the work was designed by West Chicago-based Jakl-Brandeis Architects.
Even the exterior of the mansion’s ground-level garage is being redone. The mansion contains a four-car garage at grade, as well as a ramp that travels underground to four more heated garage parking spaces under the mansion.
In an interview, Ali, who owns Shalimar Banquets in Addison, told Elite Street that he and his family plan to occupy the mansion when it is finished, and that they are “100%” redoing the mansion, inside and outside. They are retaining the mansion’s gym and the outdoor pool.
Ali said the renovations should be completed in April. He told Elite Street that he has dubbed the estate “Faheem,” after the nickname that friends call him.
Thomas’ $7.95 million sale price for the mansion in June 2003 remained a DuPage County record for more than 20 years. It only was eclipsed in November, when a five-bedroom, 15,451-square-foot mansion in Naperville sold for $8.076 million.
Bob Goldsborough is a freelance reporter.
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