What’s It Like to Live on the 80th Floor? A 3-Bedroom Penthouse at 225 N. Columbus
This 3-bedroom duplex penthouse in the Aqua Tower at 225 N. Columbus in Lakeshore East just came on the market.
It’s on the 80th floor and faces north so there are views of the John Hancock Building as well as the Lake.
The main floor appears to have about 12 foot ceilings and has the living/dining rooms and the kitchen.
The kitchen has white cabinets, stone counter tops and stainless steel appliances.
The second floor has the bedrooms and laundry and ceilings that appear to be around 16 feet.
The unit has 2 fireplaces and 2 car parking is included.
Chicago is a rare American city with residences as high as the 80th floor (and higher.)
Is living this high the goal for every high rise condo dweller?
What are the pros and cons of super high rise living?
And would you ever go out on the “undulating balcony” this high up?
Leila Zammatta at Magellan Realty has the listing. See the pictures here.
Unit #8004: 3 bedrooms, 3.5 baths, 3500 square feet, duplex
- Sold in July 2010 for $2,291,500
- Currently listed for $5.5 million (includes 2 parking spaces)
- Assessments of $2376 a month (includes heat, a/c, gas, doorman, cable, Internet, exercise room, pool, exterior maintenance, scavenger, snow removal)
- Taxes of $34057
- Central Air
- Washer/dryer in the unit
- Bedroom #1: 21×14 (second floor)
- Bedroom #2: 12×13 (second floor)
- Bedroom #3: 13×13 (second floor)
- Laundry room: 8×9 (second floor)
- Living room: 20×25 (main floor)
Those balconies are useless this high up.
I BELIEVE I CAN FLY. ROCK ON LOLZ!!!!!!!!!!
this ain’t the penthouse
Also I think the most annoying thing about living this high up would be the elevator rides it must take forever to go up and down and then your ears pop and that’s kind of annoying too
The finishes are very mediocre for the price blah
Yes, it is a penthouse unit.
This place has foreign owner written all over it. Everything looks so perfect it doesn’t even look lived in.
Is there an express elevator? I had a friend who lived on the 80th floor of the Hancock. I’d take an express elevator to the 44th floor, then change elevator banks for the ride from 44 to 80. It didn’t take too long. I did have some ear popping. You get used to it.
“foreign owner”
Nope. West suburban family-owned industrial business.
“balconies are useless this high up”
Useless is slightly overstated, but not too often the weather conditions would make anyone want to spend more than a few minutes (smoke, sunset, fireworks) out ther.
I would certainly use the balcony. At this height, the LSD traffic noise should be muted and the air quality good. Maybe it’s high enough to be free of spiders and bugs. That’s my problem with most balconies.
“Is there an express elevator?”
Has to be one bank that runs express past the hotel and apartments, right?
“Maybe it’s high enough to be free of spiders and bugs.”
Having been approximately this high in the Amoco Building a few times, the answer to that is a resounding NO! Jurassic spiders up there.
The big factor is wind. Its always windy up there. I’ve been on those balconies just a couple floors below this, and anything more than a few minutes isn’t pleasant.
There is a high rise bank owned by the condo association (the building is vertically subdivided) that goes express until you reach the condos on floors 53-80.
I love those high rise spiders. It’s like there’s a whole spider ecosystem in the sky! They live and die up there. It’s a thing of beauty.
If I had $5.5 million to spend on a condo, this would be the LAST place I would consider. Aside from the high ceilings and views there is nothing that makes this unit special – and for $5.5 million I expect special. From the lack of a formal dining room to the pedestrian looking kitchen and baths, nothing in this unit stands out and says I’m worth $5.5 million. The flooring, marble, granite, woodworking, appliances, lighting, cabinetry are all more appropriate for a $1-2 million dollar unit. Two of the baths have the cheap tub and metal framed shower doors you would expect in a $400,000 unit.
Kinda bland, but the views are to die for.
Not sure this would be my first choice if I had $5.5M to spend, though.
“Jurassic spiders”…damn, why couldn’t it be Jurassic butterflies?
“tub and metal framed shower doors”
Not a lot of “fancier” options for a shower door over a tub.
At the price point, should all of the full baths had separate showers? Maybe. But with a combo, there are a ton of super door options–someoeone will hate on anything chosen.
oh silly anon(tfo) gunjarat may seem like a western suburb of chicago but it’s actually the western most state of india….
“This 3-bedroom duplex penthouse…just came on the market.”
No, it simply didn’t sell for 6 mil in April 2015, so it’s been marked-down & relisted:
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/realestate/20150410/CRED0703/150409761/81-floors-up-at-aqua
Dennis Rodkin’s shameless shilling is fun to read:
“Satish Shah plans to have people over to his Aqua penthouse this weekend to watch the Masters on TV. He figures that during breaks they’ll step out onto this 80th floor balcony for cigars. Shah … and his wife … bought the penthouse for just such moments. The couple live full-time in South Barrington and use their three-bedroom Aqua condominium on weekends. With an extended family of 10 and several other regulars, the 3,500-square-foot, two-level condominium “isn’t big enough for us anymore,” Shah said.
“While they hunt for a larger in-town getaway, the Shahs have listed their Aqua space for $6 million with Sheetal Balani…. She began showing it about a week ago as a pocket listing only; the property is not on the multiple listing service. Crain’s readers are getting an exclusive tour.”
(Note the comments section includes one from Gary Lucido.)
Well if you decide to jump, that balcony is sure to get the job done.
$1,500/sf is insanely expensive for this. I would expect some really high end finishes for that. $1,000/sf may get it done but that’s pushing it as well.
also btw, the previous listing from when it sold in 2010 had it at 3200sf. somehow it grew 300sf. listed by the same person from magellan who also was the developer.
Maybe I am in the minority here, but I don’t like this place. I guess everyone thinks you should live in some old renovated factory.