Standing on the Argyle Street el platform this morning, I caught a flash of something bright in the corner of my eye. It was not, alas, an approaching train, but rather the blue-and-yellow exterior of Catalpa Gardens, the new condo development at 1122 W Catalpa Ave. Yo readers have been at odds about the merits of the paint job and the development in general – I think if it belongs anywhere, it’s in Schaumburg, next to Ikea:
Or East Berlin… they have painted many of the drab concrete boxes put up for the “workers” there near Alexanderplatz.
Honestly, though, whenver I’m on a roof top deck in Andersonville, I like looking at this building from afar.
I went to the Brokers Open at this building yesterday and can only say “Don’t knock it until you’ve seen it.” Tastefully designed, large spaces with plenty of sunlight, even though I’ll admit that the views from some of the units are an “acquired taste.” OTOH the view from the top floor condos facing west present a really nice panoramic view of the city, all the way to Evanston, and the ample number of colorful trees this time of year is a plus.
The IKEA comparison is hilarious, by the way.
It’s a transit oreinted develepment, hence the transit card colors are totally appropriate.
It’s also a great use of a narrow difficult site; the lot would have been useless and unbuildable otherwise.
What a hideous monstrosity. And does “transit oriented” mean no parking available? And to top it off its right on top of the L tracks, attracting only people who don’t need to sleep. Have fun next year when the CTA shuts down.
Yes, there’s plenty of parking available – come on, it’s a new condo development, they HAVE to provide at least one parking space per unit! Plus, based on what I heard from the L tracks while attending the open house, the sound baffling is quite adequate. In fact, people willingly spend lots more to live a lot closer to the L in Lincoln Park!