A 10,000 Square Foot Converted Warehouse in Southern Illinois Lists at $375,000 — and Reddit Has Questions
The first Reddit comment on this listing was: "Hey honey, have you ever thought about moving to Benton, Illinois?" The second was: "Would be several million dollars in any city." Both are correct. A three-story 1900 brick warehouse at 421 E. Webster Street in Benton, Illinois has been converted into approximately 10,000 square feet of living and working space and is listed at $375,000 — or $40 per square foot.
What $40 Per Square Foot Gets You
The main floor is over 4,000 square feet of open workshop, garage, or creative studio space — ready for whatever large-format project, vehicle collection, or industrial hobby the next owner has in mind. The second floor is a fully built-out 4,000-plus square foot condo with an open floor plan, a massive kitchen flowing into a bar and living area, a large primary suite with an en suite bath, and two additional bedrooms. The third floor is another 4,000-plus square foot condo with its own open layout, expansive kitchen, primary bedroom, second bedroom, and a dedicated home office. Two fireplaces, five full bathrooms, a half bath, a full unfinished basement for storage, a fenced half-acre yard, and a five-car garage complete the picture. The listing suggests use as a single-family home, a multi-generational compound, or an income-producing multifamily property. At $375,000 for 9,444 square feet, the math for any of those scenarios is difficult to argue with.
The Benton Question
Benton is a small city of roughly 7,000 people in Franklin County in Southern Illinois — about two hours southeast of St. Louis. One Reddit commenter who worked there in 2018 offered: "It's Southern Illinois. Not much going on but there is some charm around there." Another raised the practical question that applies to every listing in this category: "What are these people doing for work? WFH? Independently wealthy? I'd love to be in the middle of nowhere in a decent little cabin in the woods, but I need to be an hour or so away from an airport for work." These are fair questions. St. Louis Lambert International Airport is about two hours north. The property is not a cabin in the woods. It is a 10,000-square-foot converted warehouse with a workshop floor, two full condos, and a five-car garage — in a town where that costs $375,000. For the right combination of remote work situation and spatial ambition, the math resolves itself.
The Internet Has Thoughts
Naturally, this listing caught the attention of Reddit's r/zillowgonewild community. See what people are saying about it here.
10,000 square feet. Two full condos. A workshop floor. Five-car garage. $40 per square foot. Benton, Illinois. View the full listing here.
