Chicago Real Estate News & Neighborhood Notes

No. 9 Walton (9 W. Walton St. Chicago) is one of the highest profile condo developments to break into the downtown market since perhaps the Ritz Carlton Residences were finished along Chicago’s famed Michigan Avenue, and buyers have clearly responded over the past 12 months or so.

According to recently gathered figures, No. 9 Walton is now nearly 90% sold, making it one of the fastest selling luxury condo buildings in recent memory. Located at 9 W. Walton and hovering along the Gold Coast-River North boundary line, it’s easy to see why buyers have absolutely fallen in love with this lavish Gold Coast high-rise, and much of its attraction goes far beyond location.

Interior finishes at No. 9 Walton are about as upscale as it gets, and the lifestyle

Downtown Chicago’s hotel inventory got a little deeper last week as the 287-key Conrad Chicago hotel made its official debut. Located at 101 E. Erie inside the former DraftFCB office, Conrad Chicago is just steps from the Magnificent Mile and right in the center of all the action. Countless restaurants, stores, and downtown attractions virtually surround the new Conrad Chicago, but its design and overall concept should also be appealing to frequent business travelers visiting the Windy City as well. 

Conrad Chicago’s interior design is from highly-acclaimed Pierre-Yves Rochon, a Paris-based design firm that has handled major hospitality projects all over the world. In addition to its nearly 300 rooms, Conrad Chicago also includes 10,000 square feet of

Development around downtown Chicago and beyond has been booming in 2016, and much of this upward trend certainly started before this year. But as pointed out by the Chicago Tribune this morning, we’re actually seeing an extraordinary amount of new construction happening around the Windy City, which makes now a very exciting time in the world of Chicago real estate.  

As noted by The Tribune, there are currently 33 high-rises being built right now, which is easily the most development we’ve seen since the recession essentially brought construction to a standstill back in 2008. The activity was even noted by Mayor Rahm Emanuel during a visit to the building site of One Bennett Park, one of Streeterville’s newest and most spectacular skyscrapers to start

A pair of spectacular new office towers is being planned for the 300 block of South Wacker, just steps from the Willis Tower. As first reported by Crain’s, the ambitious new project is being spearheaded by local developer John Murphy, who’s planning to close on the parcels at 301 and 321 S. Wacker sometime before the end of the year. 

Although only in the planning stages at this point, the new towers would essentially replace a small park and plaza at 301 S. Wacker, and a surface parking lot at 321 S. Walker, which has seemingly occupied that space for as long as we can remember. 

The good news for developers is that zoning for the gleaming new towers is already in place, and as you can see from the rendering, much of the design work also appears to

If you’ve called downtown Chicago home for any significant amount of time, there’s a good chance we can all agree that the city’s currently configured public transit system is sufficient, but far from great. And while proposals have certainly come and gone that could potentially enhance our daily commutes, details relating to another have just recently been proposed, which could be the best to date.

According to reports, The Chicago Central Area Committee has unveiled its plan to finally bring the long-discussed ‘Chicago Connector’ line to life, which would run about 14 miles and no doubt ease the widespread congestion of downtown, while more importantly, also better connect Chicago’s South Side and new Obama Presidential Center with viable downtown

Commercial development is downright insane in and around Fulton Market right now, and one local developer has clearly taken notice. As first reported by Curbed, McCaffery Interests has recently updated a marketing plan for a prime location at 1201 W. Lake Street, taking a rather simple and conservative rendering and transforming it into a proposal that’s considerable more chic, stylish, modern, and what some might say a little more tech-centric.  

The exterior of the newly proposed commercial development at 1201 W. Lake will also go from having 89,000 square feet of space to 132,000 square feet, which will also include 16,000 square feet of retail space and even interior parking for 42 vehicles.  

Should the project eventually become a reality, the

In case you haven’t heard, luxury travel magazine Condé Nast Traveler recently released their annual Readers’ Choice Awards, which placed Chicago 2nd in the rankings for the “Best Large Cities to Visit” in 2016. 

According to the release, Chicago’s diverse restaurant scene continues to outdo almost every city in the country, while the spectacular architecture, amazing improv comedy venues, and constant efforts by Mayor Rahm Emanuel to boost tourism in the Windy City all help combine to make Chicago a world-class city that’s fun for just about anybody to visit. 

In all, 100,000 Condé Nast readers took part in the survey, which placed New York City at the top of the list, and San Francisco a close third behind Chicago. Along with the recognition,

There’s certainly going to be a lot action around Chicago’s Wrigleyville neighborhood over the next couple weeks, or at least we hope so, and if you plan on making your way over to the ballpark at some point, why not make the most of your trip?  

Much of the Lakeview area, and around Wrigleyville specifically, features a plethora of upscale single-family homes that are among some of the most impressive residences the Chicago real estate market has to offer.  

And given tomorrow’s game happens to be on a Saturday night, that leaves you plenty of time in the afternoon to check out some of the hottest homes Wrigleyville has to offer.  

So if you’re in the market for a luxury home that’s just steps from the famed Wrigley Field, start your search by

The West Loop development boom continues as reports have now surfaced about developers proposing two new condo buildings near the recently demolished Harpo Studios. 

According to a recent post from DNAInfo, Peerless Real Estate Investments is hoping to bring two separate residential projects to 19-27 N. May Street and 1111 W. Washington Boulevard, which are two locations that are essentially right in the heart of Chicago’s West Loop neighborhood. 

Although plans are just now being presented to the community, the buildings would each stretch 9 stories high and each include 28 individual condo units if approved. In addition, developers are also planning for each unit to include between three and four bedrooms, with fairly large terraces connected to

Back towards the beginning of last summer, developers announced plans to build a luxury 27-unit condo building right across the street from Groupon’s headquarters at 600 W. Chicago Avenue. Since then, there’s been hardly any movement whatsoever with the project, and it appears now that Chicago-based Domus Group is switching gears and developing a totally new rental building instead.

According to reports, the impressive new design is from architecture firm Brininstool + Lynch, and once completed, the building will stand 4 stories high, feature 49 apartment residences, and also include some retail space on the ground level as well. It’s also worth noting that the building will also include indoor garage parking that will house up to 38 vehicles.

As of now,