David Levine and his wife, Karla, spotted RiverBend, a new 37-story condo tower on the Chicago River, from the deck of a tour boat. The couple were happy in their suburban Lake Forest home, but the modern highrise instantly conjured images of the excitement of city life.
Now, with their oldest son in college and their daughter in her final year at home, David and Karla are preparing to move into the highrise at 333 N. Canal. They are part of a growing trend as empty nesters – those whose children have flown the coop – move from the suburbs back to the city.
Developed by Atlanta-based the Radco Companies, RiverBend has 145 condominiums and four townhomes, each with east-facing views of the river and downtown Chicago. Because of its price point and luxury features, RiverBend has attracted a significant number of empty nesters.
The condos have one to three bedrooms, 1.5 to 3.5 baths and 1,206 to 4,057 square feet, base priced from $387,000 to $2.6 million. Three-story townhomes have three to four bedrooms, 4.5 baths and private terraces. They range in size from 5,400 to 6,118 square feet and are base-priced from $1.9 million.
Architects DeStefano and Partners designed the building with a concave façade that hugs the bend of the Chicago River. It’s a look that has paid off in terms of both aesthetics and marketing, apparently.
“RiverBend was the first of roughly 50 downtown properties we toured. But in terms of location, design, value and views, nothing else compared to RiverBend,” said David Levine.