While some developers are copying the Art Deco style of the early 20th century in new-construction buildings, Absolute Builders has the real McCoy at its new condo conversion, Grand Briar, located at 433 West Briar Place in Lake View.
The 11-story building has had only two owners, said Millie Rosenbloom, marketing agent for Habitat Brokerage. It was built in 1920 by the Wertz family and subsequently passed through four generations of the Rosenberg family, she said. In its renovation, Absolute Builders hopes to preserve the aura of the period.
“The building absolutely evokes the old Art Deco era,” said Rosenbloom. “It still has all the beautiful picture mouldings and wood detailing throughout the hallways.” Absolute will tuckpoint the exterior brick and add a new awning to the entrance, and the wood-paneled lobby will be refurbished with new marble and carpeting.
Grand Briar’s 34 condos have two or three bedrooms, two or 2.5 bathrooms and formal dining rooms, which Rosenbloom said lends the residences a certain opulence. “The units are grand,” she said. “They’re your typical grand Victorian units, but new.”
All units have refinished hardwood floors, rehabbed kitchens with new European cabinets and high-end appliances, new solid-core doors, new individual heating and air conditioning, new electric wiring, and in-unit laundry. Master bathrooms have whirlpool tubs, separate showers with body sprays, Grohe plumbing fixtures, Toto toilets, and natural stone floors and walls available in three different designs during preconstruction.
Three-bedroom units have over 2,500 square feet, decorative fireplaces and, Rosenbloom added, a unique semi-private elevator that opens directly into a private foyer. Two-bedroom units have 1,600 square feet, and the four first-floor units range from 850 to 1,100 square feet. The building will also have a lower-level bike room, storage cages and a common laundry room. Prices range from the $500s to the $820s.
Limited garage parking, located off-site at 450 W Briar Pl, is available for $45,000.
Absolute closed on the building in June, and construction is already underway. The sales center is located on-site, and Rosenbloom expected first occupancy would start in spring 2007.
