Like its Evanston location, Ivy Court Townhomes have a sophisticated, urban appeal, plus a touch of greenery and a bit of the feel of protected suburbia.
Though Evanston is a city–not a town or a village–with a population of about 74,000, it is nestled next to Chicago. The southernmost of the string of affluent North Shore suburbs, Evanston has a loyal residential base who’d rather live there than in any of the plush communities to the north, or in a Chicago loft or high-rise.
The 30 two- and three-bedroom town homes of Ivy Court are designed to appeal directly to those Evanston aficionados: The eight buyers so far are either young, urban professionals; families with older children; or some long-time Evanstonians who are downsizing from a larger residence, says Sandra Bothfeld Brown, broker/owner of Lakeshore Partners, which is marketing the town homes.
Located on the southeast corner of Maple and Emerson, the town homes are actually located in about a 30-acre parcel of land called the Northwestern University-Evanston Research Park. In the mid-1980s, Evanston and Northwestern University formed a partnership to redevelop the area, which had been an eyesore consisting of old warehouses and the like, says Chris Wonders, general planner for Evanston. “Residential units were always part of the plan for the area,” says Wonders. But it wasn’t until a couple of years ago when Broadacre Management Co., the developer of Ivy Court, presented plans that the residential units began to become a reality.
Shaped around a courtyard, the Ivy Court town homes have a protected feel. Guests would enter on the courtyard level after communicating with their host through the intercom and entering through an iron gate and climbing a short stairway.
Nearby, an elevated train track provides an urban background noise, as well as practical transportation convenience. Each of the town homes comes with a parking stall, and additional stalls can be purchased.
The design of the brick exterior of the town homes is similar to the nearby research center. Laid out to form a square, the town homes overlook a large (120-by-100-feet) courtyard that has been landscaped with trees, lawn and flower gardens.
The view from the master bedroom suite situated on the top floor in each of the two furnished models looks down upon the courtyard, as do views from other floors. In one of the models, the 2,380-square-foot three-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath unit based priced at $359,900, the master suite occupies the entire fourth floor.
Homeowners enter the units at street level from their heated parking stalls. In most of the designs, the parking area entry leads into a family room (14 feet, 4 inches by 22 feet, 2 inches). Stairways lead up from there to a level that houses a small powder room, a living area (17 feet, 6 inches by 15 feet), a dining area (14 feet, 6 inches by 11 feet) and a small kitchen (10 feet, 8 inches by 8 feet.)
In the two-bedroom, 2 1/2-bath furnished model, based priced at $282,500, the third level contains the master suite, a secondary bedroom and bath, and a stackable laundry unit. In the three-bedroom design, the third floor contains both of the secondary bedrooms and a bath, as well as a walk-in laundry. In the three-bedroom design, stairs lead up again to the master suite.
A layered floor plan has an appeal for Ivy Court buyers, notes Bothfeld Brown. For one thing, many of the buyers have home offices that can be secluded from the activity on the living and dining level by converting either the lower-level family room or one of the secondary bedrooms into an office. In addition, the family room has a corner tucked away by the stairway in which many buyers are adding a bathroom, allowing the area to be used as its own bedroom suite.
In some variations, corner units have triangular shaped rooms. In these designs, the dining area and slightly larger kitchen (14 by 8 feet) are on their own floor, while the third floor houses the living room, and the fourth floor contains the master suite.
Four units don’t have a family room. Base prices for the various units are $275,000 to $359,900.
Among options and upgrades are a whirlpool tub for the master bath, hardwood floors and carpet, kitchen cabinet finishes and countertop materials. Standard features include nine-foot ceilings on the main level, central air conditioning, woodburning fireplace, and ceramic tiled bathrooms.
The units are constructed, but unfinished, explains Bothfeld Brown. Withing 60 days from the time the contract is signed, the unit can be ready with any of the upgrades specified by the buyer.
All of the parties involved with creating and marketing Ivy Court have Evanston ties, notes John Adamson, a co-owner of Lakeshore Partners. He and Bothfeld Brown grew up in Evanston. The architectural firm that designed the project, Yas-Fischel, is Evanston-based, and one of the architects, Stephen Yas, has bought one of the town homes. And, the owners of the contracting company, W.B. Olson, live in Evanston, and Teska Associates Inc., the landscape architecture firm, is Evanston-based.
For directions and to make an appointment to see the furnished models, call the Ivy Court hotline at 847-570-9904.
