Chris Hancock greeted me on the 57th floor of Water Tower Place saying “this home is like nothing you’ve ever seen before.” Having seen many thousands of homes, I quickly dismissed that suggestion. I should have held my thought – Chris was right.
Unit 5706 at 180 E Pearson was imagined by award-winning architect Stanley Tigerman in 1995. It’s a sophisticated allegorical exploration of a spaceship reified in terrazzo tile and brushed and rhythmically articulated stainless steel. An abstract aqueduct in the entry hall brings the home down to earth and permeates the sound of running water through the home’s public areas. Throughout the home you experience a playful tension between being on a nautical ship and a spaceship. Stone floors and intense craftsmanship ground you in the past while space-age materials beckon toward the future and allude to Chicago’s industrial heritage.
And everywhere you turn you’re presented with open and concealed space that would be equally at home on a 19th-century sailing ship or the starship Enterprise. Custom stainless steel storage units, rather than walls, define the functional areas of the public spaces. The great achievement of the design is that it somehow manages to feel warm, comfortable and homey.
The details: 2,754 square feet, 2 bedrooms, a recreation room, 4 ½ baths, endless closet and storage space, $1,590,000.
Prudential Rubloff’s Chris Hancock was my tour guide through a home that was a genuine treat to see. This is a sponsored video.