MCL’s ParkView offers an oasis in bustling Streeterville    Â
Streeterville is a busy, beautiful, hyperactive neighborhood. People who live here want to be in the thick of the action, and Streeterville has it all – the lake, Oak Street Beach, Magnificent Mile shopping, the Museum of Contemporary Art, Navy Pier… But as folks in Streeterville will tell you, even those who thrive on city action need the occasional break from it. Â
MCL Companies is addressing that need at ParkView, a 47-story high-rise that, as the name suggests, overlooks a park. And not just any park. The developer commissioned the San Francisco architectural firm of Hargreaves Associates to design a striking 74,000-square-foot multi-level park that sits immediately east of the new high-rise on a parcel of land at McClurg Court and Illinois Street. The park features seasonal plantings and a series of paths that wind through shaded seating areas, play areas and a section earmarked for a fountain.
“There is nothing comparable to this park in the entire city,” says Michael Maier, MCL Companies’ vice president of sales and marketing. “The way it’s sculpted makes it almost a work of art, and it’s been a big draw in our sales effort.”
The park positions the high-rise as the centerpiece of River East, the evolving community of hotels, shops and high-rises (including MCL’s two RiverView towers) north of the river between Columbus Drive and Lake Shore Drive, says architect John Lahey, of Solomon Cordwell Buenz, the firm that designed ParkView.
Lahey and his colleagues took advantage of the space provided by the adjacent park to design an innovative concrete, glass and metal tower with curvaceous cutaways at the top and bottom of the building.
“The large site allowed us to experiment with floor plates and view corridors, so that we were able to optimize the use of the interior space and the views afforded the residents,” Lahey says. And what views they will be. To the east, the park opens up panoramic views of the city skyline and glimpses of the lake, and in other directions, dramatic city and skyline views seem an arm’s length away.
SCB also worked to make sure that the views from the street – of ParkView itself – would be worth a close look. The building’s blue glass and vertical and horizontal copper bands reflect light, splashing the façade with color. The McClurg Court entrance leads to a contemporary lobby featuring 20-foot ceiling heights and walls sheathed in stainless steel and blond wood. The focal point of the lobby is a pillar adorned with abstract art.
Amenities include a 24-hour doorman, storage, a bicycle room, an on-site management office and a dry cleaning service. Floors two through four contain a fitness center, party room, movie room and outdoor pool with lounge area.
The 268 residences, which begin on the third floor, feature nine-foot ceiling heights, stainless steel appliances, 42-inch European cabinets, hardwood floors and private balconies.
The flexible open layouts of the units appeal to a broad range of buyers, “everyone from first-timers to retirees to even international people looking for a spot in Chicago,” Maier says.
The one-, two- and three-bedroom condos range from 921 to 1,803 square feet. At press time, the units were priced from the $380s to the $970s, and 60 percent were sold. Deeded parking is $55,000 per spot. Delivery is scheduled for late winter or early spring of 2008.