As construction reached a frenzied pace in River North, a number of buildings had their views ruined – including new developments just starting construction. Developer Sutherland Pearsall touts the fact that the Grand on Grand, a 28-story glass and concrete tower at 200 W Grand Ave, has clear views on every side. Sutherland purchased air rights to the north of the building to protect views in that direction. “We definitely had the views in mind when we acquired the property, and we limited the number of units to a maximum of six per floor, so that at least four out of every six residences are corner units,” said Mark Sutherland, a partner in Sutherland Pearsall. “And above the 21st floor, we have the large penthouse units with walkout patios and absolutely spectacular views in every direction.” The new tower has 111 condos, including 16 penthouses on the top six levels. The building was designed by architect James Loewenberg, of Loewenberg Associates, and is surrounded mostly by low-rise buildings. “We positioned the Grand on Grand to be east-west oriented with a Grand Avenue address, but we also wanted the building to be a part of the Wells Street scene,” Loewenberg said. “We accomplished this through the use of setbacks, a plaza, and building materials which draw from the surrounding structures.”

A ‘moderne’ look

The Grand on Grand is rare in the sense that the actual building looks better than the renderings published before construction, though like many new highrises the base is unwieldy. Sutherland said the style was hard to characterize, though it is forward-looking. “We ended up with a structure that I would call ‘moderne’ in the French sense of the word,” Sutherland said. “It has a retro-deco feel, yet it is making a subtle new design statement.” Loewenberg agrees, noting that the use and positioning of window walls, steel and exposed concrete give the building “a postmodern look, which we combined with new forms and shapes created at the top by the patio walkouts and setbacks on the penthouse levels.” Building amenities include a landscaped outdoor plaza, an indoor parking garage, a dog run, 24-hour door staff, a secured telephone entry system and a fitness center with an adjacent sundeck. The units have one to three bedrooms, with larger penthouse units above the 21st floor. Five units remained for sale in July 2005, priced from the $350s to about $1.9 million. A deeded indoor parking space is included in the price of each unit. The homes have ceiling heights of nine feet (11 feet in penthouses), expansive balconies and terraces, solid-core interior doors, hardwood floors in living areas, bedroom carpeting, track lighting in kitchen and living room, high-speed Internet and satellite TV connections and marble and ceramic tile bathroom floors. Fixtures are by Kohler, American Standard, Moen and Jacuzzi. Kitchens have Canac cabinets, granite countertops and stainless steel appliances.

More highrises