Oct 22, 2009

On the Market

Eyeing a Bucktown Penthouse

List Price: $1,175,000
The Property: This two-level penthouse unit is at Aspen 6, a Bucktown building. Its distinguishing feature (not visible from the street) is an enclosed second-story courtyard, shaped approximately like an eye, that all the condos look into.

Attila Demeter, the building’s architect and developer, used eclectic materials and unique design elements—corrugated metal siding in the courtyard; crisp birch paneling inside the condos; the arched wooden ceilings above this unit’s living room and kitchen—to create a mellow but contemporary look. When I first visited the unfinished building in autumn 2006, I was captivated by Demeter’s sail-like ceilings. I have since transferred my affection to this Demeter-designed house in Wilmette, where the curves are even more pronounced.

With its curving south walls, on both levels, composed of windows, this condo gets the maximum benefit of both the courtyard view and the ample natural light. The first floor of the condo—which is on the fourth floor of the building—has three bedrooms. The master bedroom, separated from the other two by the spacious family room, has lots of storage—a wall of closets and a pair of walk-ins next to the sleek, deluxe bathroom.

The more formal living floor is up a curvaceous flight of steps; the living room (on the west) opens onto a large sheltered terrace with views of the neighborhood. On the east end of the floor is the kitchen, where three pairs of French doors lead out to another large terrace, this one capturing magnificent views of the Chicago skyline. 

Price Points: According to information from the Cook County Recorder of Deeds, Christopher Zachary paid $1.125 million for the condo in January 2008. He then invested “at least $50,000” more in window treatments and other finishes that will remain with the property, says his agent, Maria Casciaro. With a relocation pending, Zachary put the condo on the market in September with an asking price of $1.25 million. Earlier this month he reduced the price to $1.175 million, which Casciaro says is Zachary’s break-even point.

Listing Agent: Maria Casciaro of RE/MAX Vision; 312-994-6258 or mcasciaro@remax.net 

Correction: Due to an editing error, the photographs accompanying two condo items were flipped in the November 2009 issue of Chicago. To see those items paired with the correct photos, go either to Mozart Manor or Library Plaza Townhomes. 

Posted at 09:27 AM in On the Market | Permalink

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