In southeast Evanston, two preservation-minded developers have restored a formerly shabby survivor from the early 20th-century heyday of courtyard apartment buildings and converted the place to condomin­iums. Now called Westminster Historic Homes, the revamped brick and limestone structure (originally built in 1912 at 632-640 Hinman Avenue) is the handiwork of Mike Niazmand and Vladimir Novakovich. The two men restored or replaced many of the building’s original details, such as the staircase balustrades and the Prairie style mullioned windows.

But the pair also included some handsome new finishes, everything from replacing worn wooden floors to installing premium Toto toilets in the bathrooms. They even dressed up the fireproof metal doors (required by code) with wood stain and picture frame moldings. "We wanted these [units] to feel more like a home than a condo," Novakovich says.

Ultimately the building will have 32 renovated condos, but the developers are selling only seven in the first phase. Of the five condos still available at presstime, prices started at $289,900 for a two-bedroom garden-level unit, and went up to $469,900 for a duplex with three bedrooms and four full baths.

Photograph: Larry Malvin Photography