Joint Effort

Two Development Companies Create  Museum Square, a building that combines townhouses and condos.

By Gwen H. Jader Daily Herald Correspondent

Price range: Townhouses, $414,900 to $416,900; condominiums, $359,900 to $499,900

Square footage: 1,964 to 2,296 square feet

Schools: Hawthorne Elementary, Sandburg Junior High and York High schools in Elmhurst Unit District 205

Parks: Elmhurst Park and Recreation District

Museum Square offers home buyers a new idea in residential living: townhouses and condominiums in a single building in downtown Elmhurst.

Being developed jointly by Teng Development and the Morningside Group, Museum Square will include 13 dual-level townhouses and 43 one-level condominiums.

The first two floors of the five-story masonry and stone building will be townhouses, while the condominiums will be located on the third through fifth floors.

By combining the two, the street-level ambience is friendlier than the typical condominium structure, says Barbara Morris, director of marketing for the Morningside Group.

“Buyers also like the location. Museum Square is located next to Wilder Park and a block from the Metra station. It’s also within walking distance of the lapidary museum, the library and restaurants,” Morris says.

Museum Square homeowners can take a picnic basket and walk to an art show, the movies or a restaurant, Morris says.

“Our buyers are diverse, ranging from young professionals to double-income professionals to snowbirds to empty-nesters who like the convenience of the location,” she says.

The community is about 90 percent sold. There is a model of the 2,296-square-foot Adams townhouse. Studio H of Chicago decorated the home.

“We designed an eclectic mix of contemporary fabrics and colors with metal as well as maple for someone who would live downtown, but prefers an Elmhurst location, surrounded by the ‘museum’ setting the town can provide,” says designer Tracy Holmes, president of Studio H.

The main living level of the two-bedroom plan with a private terrace, flows from the entry foyer through a great room with a fireplace to the L-shaped kitchen. Light wood floors are throughout the first floor.

The 10-by-20-foot kitchen includes an island with a breakfast bar, swan stone counters, stainless steel appliances and cherry cabinets. A powder room and laundry adjoin the kitchen.

The focal point of the upstairs sleeping level is a luxurious master suite that stretches 16 by 18 feet with large his-and-her walk-in closets and a private master bath.

Also on this level are a second bedroom, a bath and a 107- square-foot loft shown as a home office.

Each townhouse will include a fenced, landscaped patio. The Adams is priced from $414,900. The 2,206-square-foot Cassatt is priced from $416,900.

Remaining single-level condominiums include the 1,964-square- foot Nowell, priced from $499,900; the 1,735-square-foot O’Keeffe, priced from $359,900; and the 2,004-square-foot Quirt, priced from $399,900.

Each townhouse has two heated, indoor garage spaces, access to an exercise room with fitness equipment and a meeting room.

Each condominium has one indoor garage space, but there is a special closeout offer that gives each condominium owner two indoor spaces.

Features to assure privacy and minimize noise have been built in. For example, the combination of copper water supply piping and cast-iron waste stacks offer both sound resistance and durability. Other features include steel framing, brick and block masonry bearing walls, cork underlayment under the hard surface floors and specially constructed party walls.

There is fire sprinkler system in every room, a computer- controlled fire alarm with smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors in the garage.

Kitchens include spacious cabinets, double-bowl sinks, ceramic- tiled backsplashes, refrigerators, dishwashers, gas ranges or cooktops with separate double electric ovens and built-in microwave ovens.

The townhouses have wood floors in the kitchens, living, dining and family rooms, with ceramic tile in the entry foyers. There also are extra-large windows and pre-wiring for telephone and cable television in every room. The radiant-heated building has heated floors.

Monthly maintenance fees range from $106 to $288. These also include heat, water and gas.

The Museum Square information center and furnished model are at 112 S. York Road in Elmhurst.

Teng Development is an architectural/engineering firm that specializes in design, construction and project development consulting. Morningside Group specializes in suburban downtown residential developments.

For information, call (630) 834-7800.