There is so much great architecture in Chicago that it can sometimes be hard to appreciate all of the architectural beauty of the buildings in Chicago.

For that reason, we’ve decided to feature a few of our favorite architectural triumphs on our blog. This week, we’ll be taking a closer look at the architectural triumph that is The Tribune Tower.

The Tribune Tower may not be one of the biggest buildings in Chicago, but it is certainly one of the most beautiful and—arguably—one of the most interesting, as well.

In 1922, the owners of the Chicago Tribune decided to host an international design competition, inviting architects from all over the world to wow them with “the most beautiful and distinctive office building in the world.”

Dozens of architects entered the competition, but the winning design belonged to John Mead Howells and Raymond Hood, New York-based architects with a penchant for neo-Gothic design and flying buttresses. Howells and Hood were awarded a $50,000 prize for their design, and their fame spread quickly around the world.

With its sleek stone and its gorgeous gothic sensibilities, the Tower looks as beautiful now as it did in the early 1920s, and many Chicagoans cite the Tribune Tower as their favorite building in downtown Chicago. All in all, the tower, which overlooks the Chicago River and is only a stone’s throw away from other landmark buildings, like the Trump Tower, is well worth a visit.

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There is so much great architecture in Chicago, in fact, that it can sometimes be hard to appreciate all of the architectural beauty of the buildings in Chicago.

For that reason, we’ve decided to feature a few of our favorite architectural triumphs on the CondoDomain blog this month. This week, we’ll be taking a closer look at our second architectural triumph: The Pritzker Pavilion.

The Pritzker Pavilion was built by acclaimed architect Frank Gehry in 1999, although plans for the Pavilion were underway as early as 1935. In the 1930s, Jay Pritzker expressed an interest in building a large, outdoor concert hall suitable for the Grant Park Music Festival. His descendents were able to make his dream a reality near the turn of the century, when Gehry agreed to design and build the Pavilion in the center of Chicago’s Millennium Park.

Today, thousands of Chicagoans and tourists visit the site of the Pavilion each year, and Millennium Park attracts more visitors than any other construction in Chicago—with the exception of Navy Pier.

The Pritzker Pavilion has become emblematic of Chicago’s sleek, steely architecture, and people the world over are filled with joy when they see the clean lines and curvilinear forms of Frank Gehry’s modern masterpiece.

As such, the Pritzker Pavilion is truly one of Chicago’s architectural triumphs, and every Chicagoan ought to take a trip to it at least once.

To find out more about Chicago’s wonderful architecture, visit posts like this one on the CondoDomain blog!

This week CondoDomain sat down with Jenny Gelda and talked to her about her experience living in Lincoln Park. Jenny moved to Chicago from Boston, Massachusetts five years ago, and she’s been living in Lincoln Park for three of those years.

Why did you decide to move to Lincoln Park?

I wanted to live in a neighborhood that was safe, family friendly, and relatively close to the loop. I’m also a big fan of architecture, and I love the architectural style of many of the buildings in Lincoln Park.

Were you considering any other neighborhoods as well?

I also seriously considered moving to Streeterville, or the Gold Coast. But really, I probably could have been happy just about anywhere. There are few neighborhoods in Chicago that I genuinely dislike.

What do you like most about living in Lincoln Park?

I love the quietness and the restfulness I find here. It sometimes feels like I’m living in a small, sleepy little town—It just so happens that that town is embedded in one of the largest cities in the U.S. I really feel like I get the best of both of those worlds.

Is there anything you don’t like about living in Lincoln Park?

I sometimes wish I lived a little further away from the hustle and bustle of city life. But if I ever start to feel overwhelmed, I just spend an afternoon at the Lincoln Park Conservatory, or the Lincoln Park Zoo. The park is one of my absolute favorite places in Chicago—Or in the world, for that matter.

Do you intend to continue living in Lincoln Park?

Absolutely. When it comes right down to it, I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be!

For more information about Chicago and its vibrant neighborhoods check out this article on the CondoDomain blog!

Last year, the Trump hotel was named the best large hotel in America by Travel+Leisure Magazine. And this year, the hotel has continued to rake in a steady stream of revenue, despite the fact that most of the hotels in the Loop and the Near North have been struggling mightily.

On top of all that, the Trump Tower and its hotel seem to be having an overwhelmingly positive influence on the rest of the River North neighborhood.

One of the managers of the hotel, Colm O’Callaghan, has this to say about the impact the building has had on the devlopment of River North:

“Five, ten years ago, there really wasn’t a whole lot of activity around here. This is a vibrant community now. The investment that Mr. Trump made here – I mean, this is a significant investment, in terms of financial investment and the amount of people that are employed in this building – over 700 people working here right now. This really has become an economic engine that drives a lot of activity in this community. And I think what it also says, is it’s safe to make a major investment in this part of town, and it’s going to thrive.”

For more information about the Trump Tower, or about real estate developments in and around Chicago, check out articles like this one on the CondoDomain blog!

There is so much great architecture in Chicago, in fact, that it can sometimes be hard to appreciate all of the architectural beauty of the buildings in Chicago.

For that reason, we’ve decided to feature a few of our favorite architectural triumphs on the CondoDomain blog this month. This week, we’ll be taking a closer look at our first architectural triumph:

The Miller House. This mid century modern masterpiece was designed by renowned architects Eero Saarinen, Alexander Girard and Daley Kiley. The building is actually located in Columbus, Indiana, but Saarinen, Girard, and Kiley spent most of their time working on the project in Chicago. Tours of the Miller House are available daily.

For more of Chicago’s architectural triumphs, keep checking the CondoDomain blog regularly!

In this latest installment of director Michael Bay’s Transformers saga, the evil Decepticons duke it out with the not-so-evil Autobots, and Chicago is torn apart in the process.

The robots seem to favor the busy boulevards of the Loop and the Near North, and they can be found stomping around Wacker Drive, Michigan Avenue, The Financial District, and Streeterville for most of the movie. They rarely seem to venture further afield than downtown Chicago, where the Windy City’s skyscrapers and elevated subway lines provide excellent fodder for high-budget destruction.

In the span of a two hour period, the robots manage to wreak havoc on real estate heavy hitters like the Aon Center and the Amoco Building. Several coffee shops and corner stores are also burned to the ground in the climactic battle scene, and many of the city’s swankiest hotels are blown to bits.

The Willis Tower was, however, left curiously unharmed, and large swathes of River North seemed to be unaffected by the wonton destruction.

So, how might this imagined Robot Apocalypse have affected the Chicago real estate market?

Experts estimate that, if the Transformers had, indeed, managed to bring this many buildings to the ground, Chicago would have lost roughly 30% of its real estate market. And the Loop as we know it would have become nearly unrecognizable.

Fortunately, Michael Bay’s CGI skills and big-budget special effects left the Chicago skyline as beautiful as ever.

For more information about the Chicago real estate market—the real Chicago real estate market—check out articles like this one on our CondoDomain blog!

While 174 condo sales mark a slight improvement compared to the prior quarter, it clearly isn’t digging developers out of all-time low numbers over the past five years. Even so, supply is slowly starting to match demand, according to the same report. With fewer new constructions, there are currently just 2,031 unsold condos on the market, as compared to 4,182 last year and 8,222 in Q1 2008. The number 2,031 also represents an all-time low in number of condos on the market in the past 14 years.

Part of the reason that supply is starting to meet demand is not just the amount of condos selling. It also has something to do with developers producing fewer buildings as well as converting existing developments into apartments. One example of this is Crescent Heights, a developer which bought Astoria Tower from the lender back in December. All 205 units in Astoria are now being rented out.

So what do fewer condominiums on the market mean for a buyer? Currently, it means that prices are still quite low, but if supply starts to really match demand, prices might start going up.

It also means that, while there are fewer condos on the market, there are still plenty of condominium options for buyers. Here at CondoDomain, in fact, there are nearly 39,000 units for sale both in Chicago and in the suburbs. This number includes all sorts of units both location and size-wise. Choose from a condo steps away from the lake to townhomes in the suburbs.

In additon to searching CondoDomain’s MLS, the Website also does list new developments in Chicago, proving that, while fewer developments are happening, developers are still continuing to both build and renovate buildings in the area.

The Loop has long suffered the stigma of being branded as a business center only. Dozens of major corporations, including up-and-coming Chicago-based businesses like Groupon and Grub Hub, have made their homes in the Loop. But relatively few retail centers and apartment complexes have followed suit.

But real estate experts suggest that that may be about to change. Several new retail centers have chosen to set up shop within the limits of the Loop, and most of them seem to be doing quite well for themselves.

Retail giants like Target and Walmart were undoubtedly encouraged to purchase property in the Loop after learning that no less than 72 new leases were signed in the Loop on 2010, and it stands to reason that even more leases will be signed in 2011.

If these housing trends continue, the retail centers building in the Loop are likely to make quite a profit on their investments.

DSW intends to occupy roughly 5,000 square feet on the first floor of the Sullivan Center, and an additional 21,000 square feet in the Center’s lower level.

This new retail branch will be directly across from a Target store—to be completed later this year. It will also be close to a Walgreens, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Illinois Department of Employment Security.

This DSW will take up approximately 75% of the retail space available in the Sullivan Center, and will offer Chicago shoppers a “big box” shopping experience in the heart of the loop.

If construction goes as planned, DSW will open this Chicago super-store sometime in the spring of 2012.

For more information on this construction project, keep checking the CondoDomain blog!

Rent in downtown Chicago now averages about $2.29 a square foot in the first quarter of 2011, a 2.7% increase over 2010 fourth quarter rates and a 6.0% increase compared to last year at this time. The cost of renting, according to Appraisal Research Counselors, will just continue to climb. They predict that rent will continue to rise for about another two years, or until supply finally meets demand for apartments. These predictions are supported by the numbers; there’s 5,226 more renters this year, as compared to 2008, meaning the rental market has seen a 35% increase in the number of renters.

With the cost of rent continuing to rise, there's never been a better time to buy a condo in Chicago.

Another trend that speaks to this raise in rents comes from how many downtown buildings are now converting from condominiums to apartments, a reverse in how real estate was working just a few short years ago. In the past three years alone, developers have created 5,800 more rental units. That number is expected to increase as well, considering that developers currently have another 7,400 units under development. This increase in number of units may oversaturate the market eventually, but for now landlords see this as a way to fill demand.

But attempting to catch up to demand doesn’t make renting any more affordable. In fact, rent is higher than ever before. So, even with tighter lending standards, it makes sense to think about buying. In fact, the reverse trend is currently true in the condo market; there’s a glut of unsold condos on the market, meaning sellers are more willing to negotiate than ever before.

While landlords continue to list apartments at an unheard of pace, developers have already listed another 2,500 condo units for sale so far this year. Check out CondoDomain’s downtown condo listings by searching the MLS here.