A Brand-New Bridgeport

Stylish building signals ongoing changes in this former blue-collar enclave
Bridgeport
From $200,900 to $358,900

At 35th and Halsted streets, the traditional heart of Chicago’s Bridgeport neighborhood, a handsome new condo building stands as a clear sign that this once blue-collar neighborhood is in the midst of a significant transformation.

The Bridgeport Condominiums, a project of Mega Group, is a 67-unit building with an Arts and Crafts look to the exterior and roomy floor plans inside. But the building hasn’t turned its back on the neighborhood’s roots: an outdoor common area on the fifth floor, perfect for barbecuing, looks east toward nearby U.S. Cellular Field, where fireworks follow many of the White Sox home games.

One-bedroom units at 767 square feet start at $200,900, while the largest (1,350 square feet) two-bedroom units cost $358,900. Most of the 35 units already sold have gone to Bridgeport residents, says Christine Sloper, Mega’s director of sales and marketing. But once the building is completed this spring, she expects buyers from other parts of the city will give the place a look. “Ten years ago this neighborhood was totally different,” says Sloper. “Another five years from now, it will be amazing.”

Jahn’s Hangover

Star architect’s sleek new glass tower protrudes over older three-story building
Streeterville
From $437,000 to $2.18 million

The family of Noah Schatz had owned the three-story building at Ontario Street and Fairbanks Court since 1948, so when Schatz set out to develop the empty land to the south, he transferred the air rights above the older structure to the new one he had planned. As designed by the architect Helmut Jahn, the sleek new glass tower-called 600 North Fairbanks-will jut out over the smaller building as it rises 41 stories to an open-air party space that sits beneath a weatherproofed roof.

Because the building is sheathed in glass, the condos will all have floor-to-ceiling windows, as well as balconies that seem to disappear behind glass panels. Other design elements include stainless steel elevator doors and exposed concrete ceilings and columns. “Helmut has given us a contemporary, somewhat German aesthetic,” Schatz says.

The first units are scheduled for occupancy this November. At press time, all but 14 of the building’s 227 condos had been sold. The remaining units included several south-facing 926- square-foot one-bedroom units priced at $437,000, and the largest (3,177 square feet) of the building’s 15 penthouses, a four-bedroom unit priced at $2.18 million.

Noises Off

Innovative construction methods diminish din from nearby Kennedy Expressway
Logan Square
From $356,000 to $435,000

The five new condo buildings-three of them with copper roofs-at 2600 West Diversey Avenue are less than a block from the Kennedy Expressway. That detail might raise concerns about too much traffic noise, but inside, the condos are surprisingly tranquil-quiet enough that prospective buyers could look on the expressway as a convenient transportation asset rather than a loud neighbor.

The secret, says Sophia Klopas-the Koenig & Strey GMAC agent handling sales at the building-is in the construction. The buildings, a project of Deva Development, are made of concrete, masonry, and steel, and all the condos have insulated, double-pane glass windows-all of which helps to keep the noise at bay.

Three of the buildings’ 37 units were set aside under the city’s CPAN (Chicago Partnership for Affordable Housing) program. Two of the three units, along with 28 market-rate units, have already been sold. At press time, six market-rate units remained for sale. They included a three-bedroom, two-bath 1,810-square-foot unit priced at $356,000; its 20-foot-high living-room ceiling left space for a small lofted den. A three-bedroom, two-bath 1,920-square-foot condo on a top floor was priced at $435,000; it has a street-facing balcony and three large arched windows in the mansard roof. All units are ready for immediate occupancy.

Send tips about high-end home sales to dennis@rodkin.com.

Illustrations: (Top) Young Ki; (Middle) Courtesy Of Schatz Development; (Bottom) Courtesy Of Deva Development