2035 N Orleans
Lincoln Park, Chicago
Ten bespoke residences built inside a reimagined 1930s red brick structure — a five-story steel-and-glass building concealed within a historic Chicago envelope, delivering a rare combination of old-world character and modern precision.
Total Sellout: $28M
Units Resold at 20–30% Premium
Full Asking Price Achieved
Sold into a softer luxury market.
Orleans came to market when Chicago's luxury segment was not cooperating. Two competing luxury developments in the same submarket launched in the same window and failed to sell through. We chose to proceed. The residences sold out before completion and set record new-construction pricing in Lincoln Park at the time. Buyers later resold at 25–30% premiums — a clearer signal of durable value than any marketing claim could produce.
Most developers would have demolished the façade. We saw greater value in preserving what could never be recreated. Four original masonry walls were retained while an entirely new five-story steel-and-glass structure rose within and behind them.
That decision transformed a conventional redevelopment into one of the most distinctive residential offerings in Chicago — private outdoor terraces framed by historic brick and contemporary glass, an experience unavailable in competing condominium product. Scarcity drove demand. The residences achieved record pricing at launch and have since resold at 20–30% premiums, validating the long-term value of differentiated design.
Inside, no two homes were identical. Ceiling heights, window orientations, layouts, and material palettes shifted floor to floor, allowing each residence to feel bespoke rather than standardized. This was intentional. Product decisions were informed by real-time buyer intelligence from our active brokerage platform, enabling us to anticipate demand rather than rely solely on backward-looking comps.
The engineering complexity was significant. Preserving the façade while constructing an entirely new building required deeper expertise, greater coordination, and higher conviction than a standard ground-up approach. That conviction created more than a successful project — it created a category of its own, with stronger pricing power, durable resale performance, and superior outcomes for investors.
