Completion 6: Residences at Lake Shore Park
Cost: $210 million

Three condominiums make up the Residences at Lake Shore Park in Chicago: the 26-story 840 N. Lake Shore Drive, 16-story Belvedere and 35-story Pearson.

The project is located in the city's Streeterville neighborhood, and reflecting the urbane flavor of what is among the toniest city areas was important to get community support and attract buyers.

It was also vital to provide at least one parking space for each of the 290 units, many of which cost more than $1 million.

A potential conflict arose because a wide base for parking - typically called a podium or pedestal - might have adversely affected the neighborhood's appearance and sightlines.

Pearson Street, the road the development faces, has the distinctive street wall often found in venerable urban neighborhoods, and the expansive views of the streetscape from Lake Shore Park across the street needed preservation.

The 450 parking spaces were incorporated in the development's two-level shared basement. The street wall and sightlines are protected, and he unsightly view of hundreds of parked cars in a garage is kept out of the scene.

The property for the development was acquired from Northwestern University, and as part of the purchase, the mat-slab foundation for a parking garage the university still owns north of the project was allowed to encroach into the site about 11 ft. The condominiums' foundation walls could not touch the university's.

The parking was cantilevered over the mat slab. Heavy columns carry the overhang.

About the Residences

The buildings' numbers vary.

The 538,000-sq.-ft. Pearson has 179 units; the 197,000-sq.-ft. Belvedere has 41 units; and the 320,000-sq.-ft. 840 N. Lake Shore Drive has an estimated 70 units.

The average unit floor sizes range between 1,700 sq. ft. for the Person and 3,400 sq. ft. for the 840 N. Lake Shore Drive.

Being neighborly was important during construction.

Construction started at 8 a.m., rather than the typical 7 a.m., because of neighborhood rules. Shades were placed on the tower cranes to direct the light beams because of grumbling from residents about the brightness.

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