Like window shopping, but with real estate.
April 5, 2011 9:27 AM Subscribe
What new condo or apartment developments can we go look at in Chicago?
My husband works in real estate development (in Mexico) and would like to take advantage of our trip to Chicago to go look at some of the newer developments there to see how things are being designed, built, equipped, etc. in a cool city like Chicago.
Knowing that a lot of MeFis live in Chicago, I was hoping you'd refer us to some of the new condos and apartment buildings that we could go visit (possibly as walk-ins, no appointments or agents).
We are going to be in the city (visiting a friend) from April 17 to 23. We'll be staying downtown and have a CTA pass, so anything reachable by CTA bus or "L" is fine. We'd be doing these visits parallel to some more "touristy" stuff.
Any ideas?
My husband works in real estate development (in Mexico) and would like to take advantage of our trip to Chicago to go look at some of the newer developments there to see how things are being designed, built, equipped, etc. in a cool city like Chicago.
Knowing that a lot of MeFis live in Chicago, I was hoping you'd refer us to some of the new condos and apartment buildings that we could go visit (possibly as walk-ins, no appointments or agents).
We are going to be in the city (visiting a friend) from April 17 to 23. We'll be staying downtown and have a CTA pass, so anything reachable by CTA bus or "L" is fine. We'd be doing these visits parallel to some more "touristy" stuff.
Any ideas?
There's a fairly large development in the west loop that's pretty recent and will likely have staff onsite:
http://www.kstationchicago.com/
http://www.altaatkstation.com/
They're also redoing Presidential Towers:
http://www.watertonresidential.com/Apartments/module/property_info/property%5Bid%5D/17533/
...and there's a few more recent buildings over there in that area (I forget most of their names, to be honest)
Another possibility would be just north of downtown, toward the lake, there are several large complexes of varying vintages.
posted by aramaic at 9:54 AM on April 5, 2011
http://www.kstationchicago.com/
http://www.altaatkstation.com/
They're also redoing Presidential Towers:
http://www.watertonresidential.com/Apartments/module/property_info/property%5Bid%5D/17533/
...and there's a few more recent buildings over there in that area (I forget most of their names, to be honest)
Another possibility would be just north of downtown, toward the lake, there are several large complexes of varying vintages.
posted by aramaic at 9:54 AM on April 5, 2011
I have a friend who lives in Flair Tower [WARNING: MUSIC], which is all modern and eco-friendly and looks like it was designed by your grandma, if your grandma were a young, ultra-hip, clean-lines-loving architect. If that makes any sense. It should definitely be on your list.
The Heritage Building in the Loop is pretty standard for a new, high-end luxury condo.
Also, the Hancock building. This one would be pretty hit-or-miss. Some of the units are pretty lackluster and 70s-ish (albeit in a nice piece of real estate), but some folks there have done some pretty crazy renovations (like with moving walls and automatic doors) in the last decade. I have no idea how you'd go about getting a look at one of the fancy ones, but they're worth seeing if you can make it work.
posted by phunniemee at 10:02 AM on April 5, 2011
The Heritage Building in the Loop is pretty standard for a new, high-end luxury condo.
Also, the Hancock building. This one would be pretty hit-or-miss. Some of the units are pretty lackluster and 70s-ish (albeit in a nice piece of real estate), but some folks there have done some pretty crazy renovations (like with moving walls and automatic doors) in the last decade. I have no idea how you'd go about getting a look at one of the fancy ones, but they're worth seeing if you can make it work.
posted by phunniemee at 10:02 AM on April 5, 2011
Check out the MDA City Apartments in the north Loop is a great example of modern rehab to a classic Burnham landmark.
EnV Chicago is a beautiful glass-facade mid-rise just completed (2010) in River North with a leasing office on-site so you could check out the models and amenities.
Superior 110 has models open 7 days per week per their website.
If you can finagle it, I'd recommend a visit to the The Elysian for a look at the high-end of the newest Chicago builds. Not yet completed are the Ritz-Carlton Residences on Michigan Avenue.
For the mid- to low-end of new builds, check out 757 Orleans as an example of what not to build, as evidenced by multiple price-slashes and the garish "please buy a condo" vinyl banner.
Additionally, you can walk around the South Loop and hit every half-vacant new condo construction (Roosevelt Collection, et al), most of which were completed between 2006 and 2010. Many of the buildings are converting to rentals and so should have some leasing agents on-site.
Have fun! Chicago has, IMO, the finest architecture in the country and is all centered around the core downtown where you'll be staying. It's pretty evident once you start looking around what works and what doesn't, at least for this city. How well that correlates south of the border, I'd be interested to learn.
posted by firstcity_thirdcoast at 10:25 AM on April 5, 2011
EnV Chicago is a beautiful glass-facade mid-rise just completed (2010) in River North with a leasing office on-site so you could check out the models and amenities.
Superior 110 has models open 7 days per week per their website.
If you can finagle it, I'd recommend a visit to the The Elysian for a look at the high-end of the newest Chicago builds. Not yet completed are the Ritz-Carlton Residences on Michigan Avenue.
For the mid- to low-end of new builds, check out 757 Orleans as an example of what not to build, as evidenced by multiple price-slashes and the garish "please buy a condo" vinyl banner.
Additionally, you can walk around the South Loop and hit every half-vacant new condo construction (Roosevelt Collection, et al), most of which were completed between 2006 and 2010. Many of the buildings are converting to rentals and so should have some leasing agents on-site.
Have fun! Chicago has, IMO, the finest architecture in the country and is all centered around the core downtown where you'll be staying. It's pretty evident once you start looking around what works and what doesn't, at least for this city. How well that correlates south of the border, I'd be interested to learn.
posted by firstcity_thirdcoast at 10:25 AM on April 5, 2011
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posted by juniperesque at 9:37 AM on April 5, 2011