It’s not in the house, but the best seat just outside the United Center may be at Paramount Lofts, a condominium building on Chicago’s West Side.
The two-bedroom unit we toured, which is for rent, has a view of the center from the living room. Sports fans and music lovers may find this building appealing because of its proximity–a couple blocks–to the entertainment emporium.
The eight-story Paramount building has a concrete exterior contrasted by black wrought iron balconies. It’s also near other entertainment options such as the restaurants, boutiques and galleries on Randolph Street three blocks away.
Shopping was once the focus of this building, constructed in 1925 by W.A. Wieboldt and Co. Dubbed the Midwest Store, it was the largest Chicago department store outside of the Loop.
Large is a word still associated with this building. The lobby, which has walls of pastel blue or yellow, is airy and comfortable. The walls, which stand 14 feet high, are decorated with colorful framed posters and artwork. The building has 207 units; fourteen are rentals.
That sense of living large extends to the seventh-floor, two-bedroom unit we saw. The front door leads into a foyer with a blond hardwood floor and track lighting. There are two closets in this space. One contains a full-size washer and dryer; the other is a coat closet.
Follow the steel ductwork and pipes in the high ceiling to the left of the foyer to reach a 10-by-13-foot multipurpose room. This space has no windows but could serve as a home office or family room.
A long hallway between the multipurpose room and the foyer leads to the living room. One of the bedrooms and baths can be accessed from the hall.
The smaller of the two bedrooms is 8-by-8 feet and has tan carpet and two double closets. Rather than standard windows, two small windows are set higher in the wall than usual. These eye-level windows are an interesting feature and allow sunlight to brighten the space. They overlookOgden Avenue to the west, where patches of lawn can be seen behind brick and frame residences.
Across the hallway, the bath has a gray slate floor, an oak vanity with a gray-speckled white marble counter, a row of lights and a white tub/shower.
The hallway leads to the 11-by-16 1/2-foot kitchen. It has stainless steel appliances including a built-in microwave oven, refrigerator, stove and dishwasher. The room is divided from the living room by an island with an oak base and a granite counter in gray, black and tan. Track lights illuminate the oak cabinets lining one wall.
From the kitchen, it’s easy to see through the living room to a sliding glass door and an ample terrace. This deck is large enough to entertain friends. It also has a bird’s eye view of the United Center.
In a corner of the living room–just next to the sliding glass door–is a gas fireplace. It has a black marble hearth and a white mantel. In addition, as in the bedroom, the living room has two windows higher in the wall for a view of Ogden Avenue.
A short hallway connects the living room to the master bedroom. It has three windows that also overlook the United Center. The room has a blond hardwood floor, metal ductwork in the ceiling, a large walk-in closet and an adjoining master bathroom, appointed similarly to the other bath but larger.
The building has easy access to Loop buses such as the CTA’s Madison No. 20. A large grocery store is about a mile away.
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Vital stats
Address: 1645 W. Ogden Ave., Chicago
Size: Two bedrooms, two baths
Rent: $2,000
Security deposit: One month’s rent
Utilities: Resident pays gas and electricity
Parking: Indoor garage space is $150 a month
Pets: $300 deposit for dogs; $150 deposit for cats
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For rental information, call 312-492-1955.
