Citta Development hopes to break ground on Mondial, a 15-story high-rise in River West, by year’s end. The building, located at 900 W. Huron St., will be the largest assertion yet of Citta’s modernist design philosophy, which it has successfully exhibited at earlier River West developments like the twin gray-skinned condo buildings Montreux (1035 W. Huron St.) and Moderno (950 W. Erie St.). Mondial, designed in-house by BDS Architects, similarly combines concrete and glass, clean lines, geometric shapes and a palette of neutral charcoal, gray, white and off-white colors.
“It’s more of a sleek, linear architecture that has that contemporary, European feel,” says Brant Booker, Koenig & Strey’s sales manager for Mondial. “It reflects the name Mondial, which means ‘world’ in Italian.” Interior designs will also follow a modern aesthetic with gray tints, hardwood floors, carpeted bedrooms, stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, contemporary Grohe plumbing fixtures and marble master bathrooms with stainless steel sinks. Pre-construction options for customization are available, but they mostly remain consistent with the building’s contemporary style, Booker says.
At 15 stories, Mondial will take River West to new heights. A parking lot, which Booker says has been owned by Citta for many years, currently fills the site, adjacent to the seven-story building that is presently the tallest in the area. According to Booker, Citta met with no resistance from the community over the building’s size because of its successful track record. “Citta has done eight additional projects in the neighborhood, so the community has been happy with the kind of product it brings,” he says.
“The views tower over all the other buildings in that River West area,” says Booker, adding that one of the main selling points at Mondial is the light and views afforded by large windows and unobstructed exposures on all sides of the main portion of the tower, which begins on the seventh floor. Each of the 141 units will have private outdoor space, ranging from a five-foot by 10-foot balcony to a terrace with more than 300 square feet. Some balconies span the entire length of the unit, Booker says.
And those views should be secure, at least for a while. “I think Mondial will probably stand alone for a while,” says Booker. “There’s not a lot of land left over there to do these kinds of buildings, and the zoning doesn’t permit it in a lot of locations.”
The lobby of the building will have 16-foot ceiling heights and one commercial space that Booker hopes will be filled by a coffee shop. At the foot of the entrance sits a park, equivalent to the size of two city lots, landscaped with trees and benches. The 15th floor is designated as a common party area with a wet bar, gas grills and an expansive rooftop deck. Booker says there’s also an open space that may be turned into a fitness area.
Sales opened the weekend of September 23rd, and Booker said 32 contracts had been written at press time. A significant amount of one-bedroom product priced from the $230s to the $300s has brought in many buyers that have been priced out of the River North and West Loop neighborhoods, as well as young professionals already living in the neighborhood who prefer the contemporary architecture to “conventional red-brick construction,” says Booker.
Condos range from loft-style units without enclosed bedrooms to three-bedroom units with two bathrooms. Deeded parking in the six-story parking structure is available for $29,900, and condo prices range from the $230s to the $700s. A sales center is located at 915 W. Huron St, and Booker anticipates delivery in late 2008.