“The opportunity to build a high-rise in East Lakeview is very rare,” said Jim Letchinger, president of JDL Development Corporation. The developer, whose company built Maple Tower and Elm Tower in the Gold Coast, seized the chance to build a 24-story boutique high-rise with 22 full-floor condos at 541 W. Cornelia Ave. The goal: bring the space and privacy of a single-family home to those who want the convenience of a condo and the Lakeview East location.
“Most single-family homes being built today are very, very large — bigger than many people need — and very expensive,” Letchinger said. “Especially in the Lake View and East Lakeview area, to buy a new single-family home is a major commitment. There are a lot of families and couples that want to live in this area. They want the feeling of being on their own and having their own space, and this really fills that niche.
“The buyers, I think, are going to include families with school age children taking advantage of the schools that are located very close to there,” Letchinger said. “You’ll also have young couples. I think it’s a wonderful location for a gay buyer.”
JDL, which also builds custom single-family homes, is giving buyers at 541 West Cornelia many of the same options they would find in a single-family home. Packages for both contemporary and traditional finishes are available, and buyers can mix and match between the two. Traditional finishes include three-piece crown moldings, picture moldings and dark wood paneling while a more contemporary aesthetic might include high-gloss lacquered woods, stainless steel backsplashes and glass tiles.
The building itself, designed in-house by JDL, is intended to ease unobtrusively into its small footprint (only a single-family home stood on the site before). “We’re trying to really make it a building to fit into the neighborhood,” Letchinger said.
The front façade is brick and stone with the kind of traditional detailing on the first floor that you’d see in many turn-of-the-century buildings. “The back side of the building,” Letchinger said, “will have pretty much a glass façade, which is both designed to make the building feel lighter and take advantage of great views to the south and tremendous light.” Every unit has a south-facing balcony.
All 22 condos at 541 West Cornelia have three bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms and an average of 2,750 square feet. The duplex penthouse has 4,200 square feet and a terrace overlooking the lake, and there’s a common garden and dog park on the third floor. Prices range from $1.1 million to $2.6 million, and garage parking is available for $40,000. Letchinger said JDL hopes to break ground late this fall, and first occupancy is slated for late 2008 or early 2009.
This design is absolutely horrendous – it’s hard to imagine anything worse here…
Two words: Architecurally Bankrupt
But will you get a good view of Wrigley Field via telescope from any of the windows?
I think this developer (Letchinger’s JDL) is the same who built Maple and Elm Towers in the Gold Coast, also two very lame designs themselves…
Sam, please see second line of story for confirmation.
I love it (and NO, I’m not being sarcastic).
Chicago needs more buildings like this in its neighborhoods. Way, way, way, way, way more
Busted! I suppose I should actually read the articles if I’m going to make a comment…
These developers better hope the drillbit building doesn’t get built, since it will have 120 floors of condos at exactly the same price point. The market could get ugly for high end units targeting only the most discriminating buyers.
These look like two entirely different market niches to me, Pete.
I don’t think they’d be competing for the same buyers.
Why is it that you seem to want a crash to occur so badly?
Joe, and all, while much of the aforementioned may seem so, I’d like to say a few things. The architect and engineer for these buildings has been Epstein. The Elm Tower has an art-deco style exterior that belies the challenges contained within the 16 story structure. The goals of its elegant design included using cost-effective and durable material.
The architect and developer were aware of the turn-of-the-century vintage townhouses and cooperatives surrounding tower and considered it vitally important and an architectural precast skin was designed to permit greater detail in the facade.
Epstein is a 100 year old international architecture, engineering and construction firm founded in Chicago in 1921. They built the new underground garage at the Museum of Science and Industry.
An interesting aspect of that project involved placing a restored Burlington Zephyr train into the garage to create a visual centerpiece. The train is located on the lowest level of the garage in a climate controlled three-story space that connects directly into the lobby. This space is located directly on the north/south axis of the museum and is designed as a permanent exhibit by MSI.
Joe, how about a story on the garage, I’ll drive.