WICKER PARK — Three condos in a new building along Wicker Park Avenue include a penthouse with a private rooftop deck and Downtown skyline views for $1.24 million.
Real estate agent Brad Soltwisch said that the three units — all, three-bedroom, two-bath condos at 1311 N. Wicker Park Ave. — took more than two years to complete, which was longer than expected.
"When we finally had our first open house, half of the neighborhood showed up to see what was going on over there," said Soltwisch, describing the intriguing homes in a four-story black steel structure as "absolutely beautiful and unlike any other new construction on the market."
Soltswisch said the condos, which went up for sale on April 20, are expected to be ready within the next two months, once an elevator is installed and working properly. They were developed by local architect Brent Norsman and Shawna Hanson's construction firm, House Plant, Inc., with investment partner Mike Legamaro.
The second and third floor condos are priced at $899,000, and the penthouse, which includes a 2,000-square-foot rooftop deck and a two-car garage, is listed for $1,249,000.
"The ideal buyer would be someone who has modern taste and appreciates high design," Soltwisch said.
Though the CTA Blue Line "L" runs behind the building, Norsman said the location of the building is near where the elevated tracks go underground, so the noise is minimized.
Norsman said that while he has served as the architect for several multi-family condo buildings, those jobs were usually for developers — and he had no control of the interior finishes as the client usually make the selections.
"We took our time with it. Since I am part owner of this, it is one of the first times we’ve had a chance to design every aspect of the residential units. ... As such there is a very consistent aesthetic throughout. The whole place has a European warm modern Nordic Flair," Norsman said.
Some of the unique elements are an orange Bertazzoni cooktop stove, a German wood burning free-standing stove, saunas in all the units, and Nordic-style wide plank white oak white wash floors.
The front German-made windows in each unit offer a 16-foot-wide lift [up] or slide to the side, resulting in tons of natural light flooding in.
Once the development is completed, Norsman plans to relocate his firm's office from its existing nearby quarters above Filter at 1375 N. Milwaukee, to the ground floor of the condo building.
"We are excited to be on a tree-lined residential street," Norsman said.
Currently there are 92 condos on the market in Wicker Park and Bucktown, with a median list price of $650,000, according to Soltwisch, who said the new units are priced similarly to other new construction of similar size in the neighborhood.
