CHICAGO— Ascend Real Estate Group and Intercontinental Real Estate Corp. have just topped off Niche 905, an 18-story, 202-unit luxury rental tower under construction at 905 N. Orleans St. The partners celebrated the milestone at a June 23 ceremony, where they were joined by representatives from FitzGerald Associates Architects , the project's design architect; Power Construction , general contractor; and other members of the development and construction team. “In addition to marking a major construction milestone, the topping-off of Niche 905 is also symbolic, representing the rise of a new retail and residential corridor along Orleans St.,” says Walter Rebenson , chief executive officer of Ascend. “We are pleased to show off the progress of the tower, which when finished will fill a 'niche' in the market by offering a fresh, truly luxury high-rise rental option in a highly accessible location that bridges the gap between Old Town, River North and the Gold Coast.” The companies broke ground on the project in November 2015, and plan to deliver Niche 905 next April. Pre-leasing will begin later this year. Upon completion, the tower will offer studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments – many with views of Lake Michigan and the downtown skyline.

Residences will include a range of high-end finishes including plank flooring throughout all bedrooms and living areas, as well as gourmet kitchens featuring Euro-style cabinetry with undermount lighting, quartz countertops and glass tile backsplashes. In addition, apartments will feature 9-foot ceilings, private balconies and in-unit laundry, and be outfitted with USB ports and fiber optic internet service capable of reaching speeds of 1 gigabyte per second – more than 100 times faster than the industry standard. “Throughout downtown and especially in a tech hub like the Near North Side, we're seeing unprecedented demand from young professionals who want to live close to the office, have the ability to work from home and be able to walk to restaurants and stores,” says Rebenson. “It's not enough to have the latest amenities – because renters are spending more time in their units and, in many cases, leasing them for longer periods of time, they want the level of finishes to be on par with the rest of the building, and Niche 905 was designed to exceed those high expectations.”

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Ascend Tops Off N. Side Luxury Tower

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