Morhyne Development Company’s latest condo building seems tailor-made for empty nesters and others with a newfound interest in city living. The 22-unit condo project is big on amenities and low on maintenance, but unlike many similar developments, it’s located on the edge of the South Side’s Washington Park, rather than in a trendy downtown pocket such as the West Loop or River North.
Morhyne’s Joyce Moran, who earned her MBA at the nearby University of Chicago, says the combination of luxury and location will create a winner at St. Lawrence on the Park, 5050 S. St. Lawrence.
“St. Lawrence on the Park is designed to cater to the lifestyle of individuals who no longer want the responsibility of a single-family home and who want elegant city living that offers maximum amenities and goes beyond industry standards,” said Moran, president of Morhyne Development Company, LLC. “The residences at St. Lawrence on the Park will cater to people who want stair-free, spacious, elegant living in an environment where you are encouraged to know your neighbors.”
At press time, the developer had not yet closed on the land but was about to acquire it from the city.
“The development received final city zoning approval in December, and is in the final stages of acquiring the land from the city,” said development consultant William H. Jones, principal of Bill Jones & Associates. “The sales center recently opened, and we are now accepting reservations.”
The off-site sales center at 1300 E. 47th Street in Kenwood features a fully furnished two-bedroom vignette model with living area, kitchen and bathroom. Pre-construction base prices range from the $190s for a one-bedroom with 1.5 baths and from the $290s for a two-bedroom with two baths. Three-bedroom units with two baths start in the $320s, and four-bedrooms with four baths are priced from the $420s.
Prices at the five-story elevator building are lower than those on the North Side, though they’re higher than at some other South Side condo projects. The size and quality of the condos, however, also are a notch above many of Morhyne’s competitors, according to architect Todd Main, of Bauhs Dring Seglin Main, the project’s designer.
“Units are very large and can accommodate singles or empty nesters who have lots of furniture coming from large townhomes or from single-family homes,” Main said.
Interiors have oak floors in living areas, recessed lighting per plan, granite or Corian counters, ceramic baths and washer and dryer hookups. Upgrades include marble flooring, fireplaces, black or stainless steel appliances and other options.
The building has an exercise room, a heated indoor garage, a common patio, a rooftop walking track, a heated indoor garage, individual storage lockers and a lobby with an entry phone system wired to closed circuit television cameras.
Neighboring Washington Park, a historic meandering space designed as part of the city’s boulevard system, is another perk, according to Moran, who says she plans to live in the development.
“Washington Park is very special,” Moran said. “It’s a sacred place. It was the first park space that African Americans were able to use when they came up from the South during the Great Northern Migration.”
The park suffered its share of neglect over the years, but the city made improvements to its lagoons in 1999 and 2003, and new gardens are planned.
Pre-construction sales for St. Lawrence on the Park are being conducted from an off-site sales center on the second floor of the Hyde Park Co-Op Market, at 1300 E. 47th St.