By Andrew Peck

Some Chicagoans may be shocked to hear it, but there is in fact life west of Western Avenue – and not just any old rugged city life.

At Cornelia Court, a townhouse development at 3001 W Cornelia Ave in Avondale, residents can find a quiet, peaceful environment to call home. The 63-unit development is located south of Addison Street between Kedzie and California avenues, just west of the Chicago River.

Developer Steven Frytz of Anchor General Construction not only built the development, but he also makes his home there. According to Frytz, buyers leaving the over-saturated downtown condo market will enjoy the solitude and privacy available at Cornelia Court.

“This is a quiet neighborhood,” he says. “I listen to the crickets at night. I don’t hear any buses, rowdy Cubs fans or anything like that.”

Frytz's most recent project prior to Cornelia Court was a 24-unit condo development in Roscoe Village known as Addison Station. He then set his sights westward to Avondale, a neighborhood that he believes is evolving along with the housing market.

“In Chicago there is always a recycling of neighborhoods,” Frytz says. “We believe that this is becoming a family-oriented community just like Roscoe Village. We assumed that people who got out of the condo market – people who had a child or a growing family – would be looking for a townhome development with low density.”

In these three-story townhouses, residents won’t have to worry about noise traveling from above or below, because their only neighbors will be located next to them. Each townhouse includes a private entrance, a finished deck, an attached two-car garage and yard space. Of the 32 completed three-story townhouses at Cornelia Court, nine were still available as of August.

The units are available in three models. The 2,242 square-foot, two-bedroom Cornelia models include a family room and start in the $470s; the 2,242 square-foot, three-bedroom/three-bath Addison models are priced from the $490s to the $520s; and the 2,904 square-foot, four bedroom/3.5 bath Bentley model is priced from the $580s to the $650s.

“This is a nice community for somebody who has to stay in the city and wants the benefits of living in a single-family home,” Frytz says. “All the neighbors here have met each other. You really have that feeling of privacy and comfort.”

The indoor finishes at Cornelia Court include hardwood floors, carpeted bedrooms, nine- to 10-foot ceilings, Canac cabinetry, granite countertops, stainless-steel appliances and marble or limestone bathrooms.

Gale Goldstick of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage is the project’s sales manager. She says Cornelia Court offers superior value for buyers who don’t subscribe to the notion that they must live downtown or in one of the more well-known destination neighborhoods.

“We say that the smart money is buying here,” Goldstick says. “Buyers will get more bang for their buck than at any place east of Western Avenue. Little by little, we’re building a community. The retailers are coming up here, and the neighborhood is gentrifying.”

The development is nestled in a 10,650 square-foot courtyard with all the amenities of city living located in the surrounding neighborhood. The McFetridge Sports Complex, Brands Park and California Park are within short walking distance, as are the Addison Mall and a Target department store. The Kennedy Expressway is blocks away (although one can’t hear it from the courtyard), in addition to ‘L’ stops at Belmont Avenue and Addison Street.

As for Frytz, who stands in his Zen garden as he talks about the quality homes he’s building around him, it’s the little things that count most.

“I save 40 minutes on my drive to the airport, and it’s the same thing when we take trips to our summer home in Wisconsin,” he says. “And I really like that I don’t have to park in the garage, go across the parking lot, and up the elevator to get my groceries up. There are a lot of advantages here.”

The Cornelia Court sales center, located at 3007 W Cornelia Ave, is open from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday, noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, or by appointment.

Cornelia Court
Avondale
Two to four bedrooms
$470s to $650s
www.corneliacourt.com
773-478-8414

When conversations turn to Chicago, most people immediately think of hot dogs, softball, or Al Capone. Architecture buffs, however, tend to recall the unique townhouse designs that dominated the city’s residential neighborhoods in the middle of the last century. Although many new residential developments try to nod to the Chicago architectural aesthetic, few have hit the nail on the head the way S&S Home Builders has with a 30-unit townhouse development at 6320 N Sacramento Ave in West Ridge on the Far North Side.

Located in the middle of a solid residential neighborhood, the Sacramento Square homes have all of the classical characteristics of true Chicago-style architecture: warm brick blended with stone appointments, the familiar elevated stoop protecting the front entrance, the perfectly-pitched rooftops, and yes, the wrought-iron fencing that defines and separates each townhouse from the street.

Located on a picturesque tree-lined street between Devon and Peterson avenues, west of California Avenue and east of the Chicago River, Sacramento Square is steps away from world-class cultural, educational, shopping and dining amenities and is readily accessible to public transportation, Lake Shore Drive and the expressway system.

Location and appearance are critical factors in the eyes of a prospective buyer, but Sacramento Square offers much more.

“With prices from $389,000, we are offering 2,400 square feet of townhome living at condominium prices,” says Michael Schwartz, a principal at S&S. “We are unique in that we are the only new-construction townhome project in the entire area, and we are offering a level of value that cannot be matched by the masses of condominium units that are so prevalent on the North Side.”

The experienced developer is right on the money on both counts. From a price-point perspective, Sacramento Square will definitely turn heads, and with respect to style and type, the development is the only one of its kind in the area.

Although Sacramento Square pays considerable homage to the historical architectural heritage of the neighborhood and the city, the unit design and amenities accommodate the desires and tastes of today’s forward-thinking buyers.

The upper floor contains a master bedroom with cathedral ceiling, private master bath and walk-in closet. The second and third bedrooms share a hallway bath and large linen closet.

The lower level has a two-car garage, as well as a family room that can be converted easily into a fourth bedroom or in-law suite.

The bedrooms and the lower level include high-quality, wall-to-wall carpeting. The luxurious master bath has marble tile flooring and a separate walk-in shower with glass door. Crème Marfil marble countertops with over-mount sink and surface mounted mirrors are standard. Canac cabinets are available in either oak or maple finishes.

Secondary baths will also feature a tub/shower combination and chrome lever faucets.

The first floor contains a spacious kitchen and dining area with sliding doors leading to a balcony. The kitchen overlooks a living room with a 14-foot ceiling. A powder room is centrally located between the living room and kitchen.

Kitchen finishes includes a breakfast bar, standard 42-inch oak or maple cabinets, a Whirlpool stainless-steel appliance package, granite countertops, and stainless-steel double-bowl sinks. A focal point of the adjacent first floor living room is a ventless fireplace with marble-tile surround.

Red oak flooring is standard on the first floor, including the stairway between the living room and dining room.

Each residence is wired for telephone, cable and alarm. The front door also features a phone-based intercom system.

Delivery of initial units is expected in the fall of 2008. The project is being marketed by Barbara O’Connor at Baird & Warner. The sales office, complete with a fully furnished model and showroom materials, is open Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 4 p.m. and Thursdays from 4 to 7 p.m.

By Dana Dubriwny

For many, the $1 million-plus price tag on a single-family home in Chicago makes ownership an unachievable goal. But for buyers who know where to look, a wrought-iron fence, backyard and attached garage are all within reach.

Cornelia Court, a new townhouse development at 3001 W Cornelia Ave in Avondale, offers all the perks of a single-family home with all the amenities of condo living. When completed next year, the $28-million development will feature 13 buildings housing 63 three- and four-story townhouses. Every single unit will have a deck, fenced-in private yard, and a two- or 2.5-car garage.

The townhouses at Cornelia Court on Chicago’s Northwest Side are offered in four distinct floor plans. The smallest unit, called the Cornelia, is a 2,242-square-foot, two-bedroom, 2.5 bath townhouse with a two-car attached garage, with prices beginning in the $490s. The Addison, which starts around $500,000, is a 2,242-square-foot three-bedroom, three-bath townhouse and includes a two-car attached garage. The Bentley, priced in the $630s, is a four-bedroom, 3.5-bath townhouse with 2,904 square feet and a 2.5-car attached garage. And in February, developers introduced the Dorchester, a three-bedroom, 3.5-bath unit complete with a two-car garage from the $500s.

Gale Goldstick, sales manager at Cornelia Court for Coldwell Banker Residential, says the unique craftsmanship and personalized detail in each unit is a testament to the quality of the development. Buyers are able to customize their units because co-developer Steven V. Frytz of Anchor General Contractors Inc. is also a hands-on builder and contractor.

"For example, a buyer from Florida is putting some unique architectural details in the home’s interior, and he’s making some light-orientated changes as well as some structural alterations,” says Goldstick. “We have added some extra details within the unit, and that simply has not been done before.”

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