February 28, 2009 - For those of you watching the progress of The Legacy, Mesa Development’s 72 story high-rise in Millennium Park, you have probably noticed that it isn’t far from topping off. The tower, located on 60 East Monroe Street, contains 356 Chicago condos and deliveries on the first round of units are scheduled to begin later this fall, probably around September, according to the sales staff.

The Legacy, designed by Solomon Cordwell Buenz, has an impressive list of building amenities. Besides the 24 hour doorman, concierge service, bike room and fitness center, there is the heated indoor pool and spa, sundeck and terrace on floor 15 plus lounges and sky gardens on floors 42 and 60. And don’t forget the sky bridge that connects this Chicago real estate development to the University Club where residents have access to catering services and squash courts. The condos will also have the expected luxury finishes such as stainless steel appliances, hardwood flooring and marble baths.

Sales at the Legacy have been pretty strong, and the high-rise is around 87% sold. Of the condos that are still available, there is a still a good selection of one to four bedroom layouts through the building. Those remaining units are priced anywhere from the high $400,000s to over $4 million. The combination of location, amenities and prices puts The Legacy in the category of Chicago Luxury Condos.

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February 27, 2009 - The Chieftain Group, developers of Lexington Park Condominiums on South Indiana Avenue, is advertising a discount of as much as $30,000 off certain unsold units for a limited time. The 35 story tower topped off late last year and deliveries on the first of the 297 units are expected this spring, around April. The 7 story 36 unit loft building that is also under construction and attached to the high-rise via a parking structure and landscaped terrace will also be ready for deliveries soon, according to a recent ad in the Tribune.

Along with the price reductions, buyers can also get half off the price of parking at Lexington Park. The spaces are priced at $34,900, so buyers will be paying $17,450 while the offer is in effect.

The units at this Chicago real estate development are about half sold, and prices on the Chicago condos at Lexington run from about $209,900 to $721,900. These condos size up at about 656 to 1,346 square feet and are one and two bedroom layouts. The discounted lofts are currently priced from about $199,900 to $349,900. The lofts have from one to two bedrooms and measure around 1,068 to 1,645 square feet.

Some of the features include the standard stainless steel appliances, granite counter tops, Moen and Nautica faucets, eco-friendly bamboo flooring, carpeting and Carrarra marble in the baths. Lexington Park Condominiums and Lofts are one of the first developments of Chicago Lofts to roll out incentives this year, so a visit to the sales center might be worth the trip.

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February 26, 2009 - With construction on Aqua set to wrap this year, work is also underway on the nine townhomes that are next to the Park at Lakeshore East. The townhomes are also the work of architect Jeanne Gang, just like Aqua, and the building blog states that the developer will start marketing on this phase of the project sometime this spring. The townhomes will all be three story units, and as soon as more information becomes available we will post it here.

As for the tower itself, Aqua is certainly one of the most recognizable high-rises in the 28 acre, $4 billion Lakeshore East complex. This Chicago real estate development, which is really more of a planned community, is about one third complete according to a recent article by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. The CTBUH also stated that Aqua is actually 88 stories tall, not the widely listed 82 or 83 stories that most assume. The building’s eight story base will be crowned with an 80,000 square foot terrace with landscaped gardens, pools, gazebos, hot tubs, trails for walking and running and a fire pit.

As for the trademark wavy balcony design, the article went on to explain that every floor plate in the building is a different shape on every level. The balconies are what gives Aqua its ripple, and in some cases they jut out up to 12 feet from the glass curtain wall. The floors in these Chicago condos are an average of 9 inches thick, but the balcony floors become thinner as they extend out from the building, adding to the ripple or wave illusion.

There is still no word about what will fill the vacant hotel space at Aqua, which was to include one of the largest ballrooms in the city. At one point developer Magellan considered adding more apartment units, but with news that apartment rents are sliding and added competition from Rent to own condos in Chicago, that may not be something they are still contemplating.

Technorati Tags: Aqua, Chicago Condos, Chicago Real Estate