Johnson’s Stacks

Over the past few months, as the new 47-story condo tower at Van Buren and Franklin Streets has taken shape, it’s become clear that the city has another Ralph Johnson dazzler on its hands. Known as 235 Van Buren, the building impresses from all viewpoints, be it the seemingly crazy pattern of box balconies projecting off the south side; the ribbon of concrete running…

Urban Wowboy

List Price: $1.899 million
The Property: Among the sharpest buildings from the city’s recent years of condo buildup is the five-year-old Contemporaine, a modern 15-story concrete and glass design by the estimable Ralph Johnson.

Turret Syndrome

Christopher Kowalski’s home may not be his castle, but his guesthouse sure is. A three-bedroom castle complete with turrets, gargoyles, and rooftop battlements, the guesthouse stands about 50 yards away from the four-bedroom Tudor home where Kowalski and his wife, Grace, have lived since 1990…

A Second Home Search Engine

If you are one of the fortunate few looking for a second home, you may want to check out the Niche Properties Network, which showcases second-home properties on eight different websites. Those sites are only a few weeks old now and have very few listings, but this week the company is starting a concerted push to get real-estate agents to sign on with…