The Kopley Group is transforming two buildings at 1800 W. Grace St. into The Lofts at 1800, a collection of 91 one- and two-bedroom loft condos, according to Kopley's project manager, Steve Karavalos.

New loft projects are less common in North Center than in the early 1990s, when developers recycled a number of commercial buildings along heavily industrial Ravenswood Avenue and surrounding streets. These days, zoning laws prohibit conversion of many of the neighborhood's industrial buildings.

Kopley is converting a six-story concrete building and a three-story timber dwelling previously occupied by a company that manufactured graduation caps and gowns.

Features

The concrete building will house 70 units with exposed ductwork, floor-to-ceiling windows and concrete ceilings and columns.

The lofts range from 850 to 2,500 square feet and some have dens or duplex layouts, Karavalos said.

A glass walkway with an atrium will link the concrete dwelling to the timber building, which will contain 21 lofts ranging from 800 to 1,450 square feet.

Units will feature 10-foot ceiling heights and timber rafters and columns, Karavalos said.

All the lofts will have stainless steel appliances, granite countertops and in-unit washer and dryer hookups, and the elevator buildings will have rooftop decks with views of the lake and Wrigley Field, Karavalos said.

Location

The development is a short walk from the retail and restaurants of Lincoln Avenue in the North Center neighborhood of West Lakeview.

South of Addison Street, Lincoln Avenue is particularly lively, and even the stretch north of Addison has filled in with a significant amount of retail over the last few years. The stretch of Lincoln between Addison Street and Irving Park Road includes retailers such as Trader Joe’s and CB2, and upscale eateries such as Sola and T Spot Sushi & Tea Bar.

Sales center

In January 2007, the developer hadn’t finalized prices but expected to open an on-site sales center in mid-April. Conversion of the buildings was slated to get underway in September or October 2007, and The Kopley Group anticipated delivering the units in September 2008.