Two months have passed since I came across these two Studio Dwell-designed condo buildings at 728 – 730 N Ada St in West Town, and I finally have some new information to report. An MLS search in August retrieved five results, but now only one home is listed, so I gave Bill Williams from Halyard Realty a call to find out what happened to the other four.
Williams was the right person to contact, because he’s developing, building, and marketing the project. He says he’s had little trouble selling homes at the six-unit development.
“I put both buildings on the market and got four contracts immediately,” Williams says. “I put them on the MLS in January, and they were sold by March.” One buyer later backed out of his contract at the yet-to-be-built 730 North Ada, so between the two buildings, three homes have sold.
This morning, I walked around the construction site with Williams to get a feel for the space. Each building will have duplexes at the top and bottom, with a 1,034 square-foot single-floor condo with two bedrooms and two baths sandwiched in-between. The homes have a lot of open space, and considering that almost the entire front and rear walls will be fitted with tempered low-E glass, they’re sure to have plenty of natural light.
Williams is developing another Studio Dwell-designed building at 1919 W Crystal St in Wicker Park. He praises the firm, saying that its concern is more with artistic expression than with practical issues. Buyers at 728 – 730 North Ada seem to subscribe to the notion of architecture as a form of personal expression, he says, because they all work in creative fields: One is an interior designer, one is a chef, and one is a web designer.
The duplex-ups in each building are under contract, as is 728 North Ada’s single-floor unit. The only home that’s currently for sale is the single-floor two-bedroom / two-bath in 730 North Ada, which is listed in the $300s. Williams has not obtained the necessary building permits for that building and doesn’t expect construction to begin until February.
Williams is keeping the duplex-downs off the market for now. He says he will probably soup them up with some high-end finishes including Arclinea cabinets. Construction on 728 North Ada should be finished by February or March of 2009.
