What is it with real estate developers and the stupid names they pick for their projects? Case in point: the Esoterica, at 1528 W Jonquil Terrace, where units range from $349,000 to $499,000 and where an appealing design redeems the judgment lapse in branding.
The word Esoterica [mention of which is shrewdly omitted from the online listing] brings to mind either an intellectual concept (minutia targeted to a specific audience) or a variety of consumer kitsch (a skin cream once hawked on late night TV). Fortunately, the building itself reflects neither of these associations; actually, its bold geometric facade makes it one of the most interesting small-scale spec projects in recent memory.
John Hanna, the architect, says he had nothing to do with the name, but he’s proud of the design. He’s so sure of himself [“We do hundreds of buildings every year,” he says] that he doesn’t even bother with maintaining a website to promote his work. “Developers come to us when they want something a little different,” he says. “Not way different, but different enough.”
The big question mark for this project is its location, in the area north of Howard Street for many years referred to as the “Juneway Jungle.” Howard Street seems to grow increasingly more desolate — even the NCJW Thrift Shop closed up its doors recently, leaving yet another empty storefront. This is practically the only new construction in the area, and although older buildings have been converted just down the block on Greenview, the peeps walking around the hood on a random day last week didn’t look particularly welcoming to a white guy with a camera. But stranger transformations have occurred, so even this quarter will probably come back someday.