Walk through the 4,000 square foot penthouse looking over the South Loop.

List Price: $2.25 million
The Property: Openness is the watchword at this sprawling penthouse on the 34th floor of a five-year-old South Loop condo tower. It applies to the dramatic uncovered fireplace that showcases a string of open flame in the center of the main living space; to the wide-open views framed in windows on three sides; and even to the master shower and tub, which are open not only to the master bedroom but to any neighbors’ prying eyes that might spot them in a big wall of eastern windows.

Fortunately, the only people with a line of sight to those particular windows are in buildings at least seven blocks away. And, as the condo’s seller David Kleiman notes in the video tour, there are blinds that can be closed for privacy. There are also blackout shades that can darken the south-facing family room so that it feels like a dim movie theater at high noon.

Kleiman is half of the D2 Realty partnership that developed the sleek Wells Street Tower, just west of Printers Row on South Wells near the River City building. In 2003, he moved into the south half of the building’s 34th floor with his wife, Angela, after a coin-toss gave his partner, David Crawford, the north half. With their children raised, the Kleimans have listed the penthouse for sale.

The Kleimans have 4,000 square feet in a J-shaped floor plan that puts three bedrooms on the west, the main living spaces on the south, and the dining and oversized master suite on the east. They fitted out the condo with contemporary finishes, including a fine kitchen, the open fireplace, and a row of wine refrigerators in the dining room. There are balconies on the south and east sides, as well as an outdoor cooking area on each side (so the wind can’t frustrate plans for a barbecue). The Kleimans share rights with Crawford to a 2,000-square-foot rooftop deck that they have not finished, although they have plans for an elaborate layout up there from the esteemed landscape architect Doug Hoerr. A buyer can go ahead with that or not.  

Price Points: While condos priced well above $1.5 million are nothing new in the South Loop, all those that have sold, according to data from Midwest Real Estate Data, are at least seven blocks east, near the bottom of Grant Park or in the Museum Park and Prairie Avenue districts. The highest condo price recorded in the past three years on the west part of the South Loop (near this one) was $1.05 million for a 3,500-square-foot space in a 1913 building on Printers Row. Nevertheless, this building—and especially this unit—benefits from being separate; its views are magnificent and unlikely to be blocked for a very long time.

Listing Agent: Debra Palotto Dobbs  of Koening & Strey GMAC, 312-893-3548