Lake View isn’t known for contemporary, glassy new construction. Vintage condo conversions and new homes heavy on brick and limestone dominate, which created an opening for The VUE, according to David Wolf, the @properties agent selling the contemporary project underway at 3505 N Ashland Ave, on the former site of a Burger King.
“What we found lacking was high-end construction quality with a contemporary feel,” Wolf says.
The five-story building, which includes 22 condos, certainly will bring a modern edge to this stretch of Lake View (Ashland is dominated by brick condo and apartment buildings here – most vintage, but many new. Bye bye car lots). Being the standout in a sea of masonry is a plus in more ways than one, according to Wolf.
“I think when people see hard details and they see prominent glass features, it shows the building is more expensive to build,” he says.
Not that The VUE doesn’t have its share of brick. The building, designed by Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture, is framed in light-colored brick, which is most prominent at the roofline and on the ground floor, as well as in several bands that outline the floor-to-ceiling glass and give the building a strong vertical emphasis despite its five-story mid-rise profile. The focal point is the southwest corner, where a pillar runs the full height of the building, punctuating the terraces and glass walls on that corner.
Two-bedroom, two-bath condos at The Vue start in the $300s, and three-bedroom penthouses with two or three baths start in the $600s. Developer McHugh Development and Construction expects the first move-ins by December. Two contracts have been signed and a third is pending, according to Wolf.
Most of the condos range from 980 to 1,770 square-feet and include granite countertops, espresso-stained Italian cabinets and pre-wiring for computers and audio. Penthouses, which range from 1,745 to 2,203 square feet, include crown moldings, spa baths and kitchens with Sub-Zero, Wolf, Bosch and Dacor appliances.
Where’d the name for the project come from? Given the spelling, we can’t be sure, but the project will be taller than many surrounding structures in this pocket of Lake View, and according to Wolf, some of the top floors will have views of Wrigley Field, the skyline and the lake.
