New Home Notebook

Tentatively named Wacker Gateway Park, the Loop’s long-awaited park located immediately adjacent to 235 Van Buren appears to be nearing the final stages of construction. Benches and antique street lamps have been installed, and walkways partially paved. Along the perimeter, trees have been planted, with various other plantings in place or on-site as well. Another section of the park, identical in size to the one pictured above, is on the south side of Congress Parkway.

Also nearing completion is the surprisingly large new dog park southwest of 235 Van Buren. In the interim, the building’s dog owners have been frequenting the main park.

Designed by Ralph Johnson, 235 Van Buren is a new award-winning high-rise condo building. One-bedroom units in the building start at $198,900, 2-bedroom units at $275,900, and penthouses at $339,900.

Located at the edge of Chicago’s Loop, it’s hard to imagine a location with more convenient transportation options than the new Ralph Johnson-designed condo, 235 Van Buren .

All of the Loop is within walking or biking distance, and the El and subway lines are around the corner, just a few short blocks away, as are Union Station and the Ogilvie Transportation Center for suburban rail connections.

The reconstruction of the Congress / Wacker interchange is great for those who are car-oriented, which has afforded incredibly easy access to Chicago’s expressway grid from 235 Van Buren.

Or, for a fun commute, hop a water taxi from Union Station to Michigan Avenue from May through September.

A closer look at these options in available in this sponsored video.

A new full-amenity condo high-rise in Chicago’s South Loop, Astoria Tower hosts a series of events for its residents throughout the year.

When asked what they like best about Astoria Tower, the most common resident response was the convenience of the location.

Meet some of the residents at a party and barbecue on Astoria Tower’s sprawling terraces, and hear what else they love about living in the building and South Loop neighborhood.

Events such as ‘Movie In The Park’ is an outstanding way to reach out and get acquainted with your local apartment community. This Movie At The Park event was held at the park at K Station in Chicago’s Fulton River District, a lively community packed with restaurants, nightlife and neighborhood activities.

One of the sponsors of this event is Echelon at K Station, a luxury rental high-rise that is located adjacent to the park.

Echelon at K Station offers studio, one bedroom and two bedroom apartment homes. Each apartment features elegant living with top quality finishes, in unit washer and dryer, floor-to-ceiling windows and balconies.

Visit KStationChicago.com for more information.

Astoria Tower located on 8 E 9th St in Chicago’s South Loop is a high-rise luxury rentals that offers extensive amenities such as indoor pool with whirlpool, sauna and steam room adjacent to the fully-equipped fitness room. The pool and fitness facilities are flanked by sprawling sun decks that afford spectacular views in all directions and offer a variety of flexible seating arrangements, a fireplace and gas-fired grills.

Astoria Tower’s best amenity however could be their location.  Within walking distance to Grant Park, public transport, restaurants, shops, nightlife, the Museum Campus, the Art Institute and more.

Recent months have seen solid sales activity at Superior 110. The high-rise at 110 W Superior has only 3 units still available - a high-floor full floor and two half-floor units.

“These are desirable units,” said Greg Eldridge, who is in charge of sales at Superior 110. “They’re available only because of contract fall-throughs, a situation that’s been the story in many new developments in recent years.”

The striking Hartshorne Plunkard-designed River North high-rise is also known informally as “the blue building”.

Location, views, in-unit and common area amenities and services are all part of the compelling package at the residences at Echelon at K Station. Apartments at Echelon contain thoughtful layouts with excellent separation of living spaces, balconies, floor-to-ceiling windows, in-unit washers and dryers, stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and more.

Echelon also features a large pool and sun deck, fully-equipped fitness room, guest suites, stylish lounge areas, business center and party rooms, as well as easy access to the Kennedy Expressway, the CTA Blue Line, the Grand Avenue CTA bus and Metra’s Ogilvie Transportation Center.

From the Jefferson Tap, a popular neighborhood hangout, to the glitzy Carnivale, Echelon’s Fulton River District location has a wide range of dining options nearby. A Jewel-Osco that rivals the selection of a Whole Foods is also across thre street, as well as an adjacent park with dog run.

Did we mention the views? The views alone are worth a visit to Echelon.

Please join us for a brief overview of Echelon at K Station in the above video.

A striking new 46-story condominium building designed by Ralph Johnson in the Loop, 235 Van Buren, is launching a rent-to-own program on selected units.

One-bedrooms are to start at just over $1,500 per month, while 2-bedroom, 2-bath units will start at around $2,000 a month. Heat, air-conditioning and gas are all included in the rent.

Renters who execute an option to buy by the end of their 12-month lease will have up to 30% of their rent – not to exceed 3% of their purchase price – credited toward closing costs.

“It’s a great opportunity for people who just need a little more time to save, or fix their credit, or just see if they like living in the Loop,” noted January Sambell of CMK Realty.

235 Van Buren is positioned as a low-amenity building to keep costs low for owners and renters who don’t desire the common-area amenities, or would just prefer to join one of the nearby full-service health clubs. That strategy allows renters to move into a 2-bedroom, 2-bath unit for less than renting a 1-bedroom in some amenity-rich Loop buildings.

235 Van Buren doesn’t skimp, however, on building services or in-unit amenities. Residents enjoy 24-hour door staff, on-site management, multiple bicycle storage rooms, I-GO car service, secured-entry parking and a new convenience store, the second location of the popular South Loop Market. The new Wacker Gateway Park adjacent to the building is nearing completion.

The units have high-style finishes, in-unit washers and dryers, office nooks, private balconies, 10-foot ceilings and expansive views.

235 Van Buren provides residents a walk-to-work location, and extremely convenient access to Chicago’s public transit and expressway grids.

Take a tour of some of the available models at this YouTube playlist, and meet some of the buyers at 235 Van Buren in this series of videos.

Boldly blue at 27 stories, luxury condo tower Superior 110 catches all eyes along Chicago’s River North skyline. Recent penthouse and half-floor unit sales have put what the locals call “the blue building” within six units of selling out.

Designed by Hartshorne Plunkard Architecture to be a “gleaming gem amidst a sea of beige concrete”, this new construction high-rise carries the designer’s intent with a visual impact unrivaled by its dull-looking neighbors. With recent price reductions, remaining units are available from the $500s to upwards of $2 million.

Greg Eldridge of @properties has the listings. He details Superior 110′s immediate neighborhood in the following video: