Just when you thought the highest of the high-end market couldn’t get much higher, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company announces The Ritz-Carlton Residences, an 86-unit boutique on the Magnificent Mile with condos starting at $1.4 million.

The project promises “a new era of luxury living” and just about any service you can imagine – plant care, pet care, housekeeping, catering, car washing, clothes washing, personal fitness training… And if other desired services aren’t on the list, homeowners are encouraged to see the director of residence or the concierge and arrange them for a fee.

Wine cellar, spa

The building will have a club and spa with a “grand salon,” a wine cellar, a screening room, a dining / board room, a billiards room, a fitness center and spa treatment rooms. The staff includes a director of residence, a door person, a concierge, a chef, a porter, a housekeeper, a valet and a security guard.

Ritz and Chicago-based Prism Development Company are co-developing the 40-story condo tower, which will replace the now shuttered Terra Museum of American Art.

Art deco feel

The new building was designed by Lucien Lagrange, of course, the Parisian-born architect behind many of Chicago’s newest ultra-luxury towers. The look is traditional, with an art deco feel – a strong vertical emphasis and setbacks near the top.

The condos range from 1,397-square-foot one-bedrooms to penthouses of more than 6,500 square feet. Features include ceiling heights of 10 to 12 feet, crown moldings, solid-core doors, laundry rooms and balconies or terraces. The master baths have Whirlpool tubs with separate towers, stone counters and separate water closets. The kitchens include Christopher Peacock cabinetry, Sub-Zero fridges, Miele dishwashers and Waterworks fixtures.

Penthouse units will be offered raw and finished to suit buyers' tastes.

The building will have parking for 177 cars, 21,769 square feet of retail space and the offices of The Terra Foundation.

Rubloff Residential Properties is handling sales from an office at 625 N. Michigan Ave., Suite 500. Construction is scheduled to begin in fall 2006 and be completed in 2009.