Luxury Living

From convenient to surprising to wait-till-my-friends-see-this cool, amenities popping up on our luxury apartment and condo scene make livin’ it up in these cities a waking dream.

by Andrea Lahouze

February 6, 2017

2:17 PM

Photograph by Brandon Stengel

EDITION apartments' view of U.S. Bank Stadium

EDITION apartments have an unparalleled view of Commons Park and U.S. Bank Stadium.

Winter-Proof

Across the board, properties are minimizing the hassles of Minnesota winters so residents can more fully enjoy the season. Heated underground parking and car wash bays are common, and, of course, salting and shoveling are taken care of. In downtown Minneapolis, EDITION, The Nic on Fifth, Soo Line Building City Apartments, and others offer direct skyway connection for walkable, climate-controlled commutes. Below ground at 610 West in Brooklyn Park, a series of tunnels connects the four buildings so that residents can avoid the cold, rain, and snow. And Hotel Landing & Residences, a boutique hotel and luxury condominium project opening in downtown Wayzata in May, has even heated the streets and sidewalks for slip-free strolling. Let it snow, indeed.

Round-the-Clock Service

With concierge and emergency maintenance services akin to a hotel, advice and assistance are always nearby.

“Our concierge staff will make reservations, arrange for grocery shopping and delivery, provide a hot cup of coffee as residents dash off to work, and handle their package deliveries,” says Brandi Donaldson, senior vice president of multi family for Doran Companies, which built, owns, and operates several luxury apartment communities, including Mill & Main in Marcy-Holmes, 610 West, and The Moline in Hopkins. “It’s a good life, and we work hard to keep it that way.”

At The Walkway in Uptown, concierge staff offer an equally impressive menu of services: complimentary house and pet sitting, personal errand assistance like grocery shopping, takeout ordering and pickup, gift shopping and wrapping, travel and hotel booking, housekeeping, and dry-cleaning.

Photograph by Brandon Stengel

Rooftop pool at Vintage apartments

The rooftop lap pool at St. Paul’s Vintage on Selby offers a picturesque spot for summer fitness and relaxation.

Maintenance staff is also at the ready, available 24/7 for emergency repairs and most hours for everything else, right down to replacing light bulbs. Residents of The Flats at West End in St. Louis Park and Vintage on Selby in St. Paul submit online maintenance requests, and onsite teams repair and replace while residents are at work. Vintage and EDITION also offer bike repair stations when cyclists need to tune up their rides.

“Our concierge staff will make reservations, arrange for grocery shopping and delivery, provide a hot cup of coffee as residents dash off to work, and handle their package deliveries.”

—Brandi Donaldson, Senior Vice President of Multi Family, Doran Companies

Good Eats

Grocery shopping on your to-do list? Take the elevator down to the lobby. “Live at Vintage and you can grocery shop in your slippers all year round,” quips Shelly Steitz, marketing manager for Excelsior Group LLC, which is the management company for Vintage on Selby, EDITION, The Walkway, and The Flats at West End. Both Vintage on Selby and 222 Hennepin in the North Loop are directly connected to Whole Foods, and Lunds & Byerlys is downstairs at The Penfield in downtown St. Paul. When East End Apartments opens in downtown Minneapolis in 2018, it will be home to Trader Joe’s.

Prefer to let someone else do the cooking? The Walkway’s first level contains Agra Culture, SotaRol, and Coup d’Etat, and Latitude 45 in downtown Minneapolis is home to Ryan Burnet’s Eastside. EDITION houses McKinney Roe, and LPM Apartments in Loring Park recently welcomed both Lakes and Legends Brewing Company and Eggy’s Diner, an “urban family comfort food” restaurant that also offers delivery for residents.

Sport and Spa

Photograph by Tom Witta

Shared amenity space at Custom House apartments

Shared amenity spaces at Custom House blend modern design with hints of the building’s 1933 roots as the St. Paul Post Office.

With pools and fitness centers certainly on hand, residents’ options for fitness indoors or out are so plentiful that most no longer keep a gym membership. You can swim on the rooftop at Soo Line Building City Apartments and Vintage on Selby, and outdoors on The Nic on Fifth’s and 222 Hennepin’s terraces. Both Elan Uptown’s yoga studio and Custom House’s fitness center in downtown St. Paul offer virtual instructor-led classes at the push of a button around the clock. LPM Apartments improves flexibility with membership discounts at YogaFit’s 24/7 studio in the building, and virtual golf and baseball tone residents’ muscles at 610 West.

Post-workout, residents can relax in hot tubs, saunas, steam rooms, and spas, often with skyline views, and perhaps most conspicuously in The Walkway’s outdoor spa, which hangs directly over Uptown’s Lake Street. A Scandinavian-inspired spa in Hotel Landing & Residences offers incentives for homeowners.

Happy Pets

Resident pets get top-notch treatment, too. The pups of Custom House, Vintage on Selby, and Onyx Edina mix and mingle in their own dog parks, while Latitude 45 canines play year-round in a heated outdoor “dog oasis.” At IndiGO at BCS in Bloomington, residents and their pets stroll the onsite pet park, which features a covered and heated pedestrian path. Hotel Landing & Residences’ concierge staff offers dog-walking services. And at LPM Apartments, an indoor dog room allows for exercise in any weather.

Time for a bath? Custom House, Onyx Edina, EDITION, and Elan Uptown offer indoor pet-washing stations, and Mill & Main has its own Pet Spa, where many pets enjoy a weekly grooming session. Opening in downtown Minneapolis in 2018, The Legacy condos will sport a pet-grooming area.

Going out of town? Concierge staff at The Walkway arrange complimentary pet-sitting so furry friends can remain comfortable at home.

Urban Nature

In addition to pet-focused spaces, a creative array of al fresco amenities makes the most of our warmer months. Terrace and rooftop lounge and grilling spaces are plentiful, often with fire pits for cooler weather. Inspired by the landscaped lawns of nearby Summit Avenue, Vintage on Selby sports a 6,000-square-foot, real grass “backyard” on top of Whole Foods, used for everything from morning yoga sessions to yard games and picnics. A zen garden graces IndiGO at BCS. The Legacy will offer rooftop lawn bowling, and Custom House has its own bocce ball court. IndiGO at BCS has an outdoor movie screen and a Skyroom featuring shuffleboard and a super-sized chess game. For runners, bikers, and hikers, Mill & Main offers a direct connection to the Midtown Greenway, Custom House is just half a block from the miles of trails overlooking the Mississippi River, and many more properties are within walking distance.

Culture Central

Life in the center of it all continues to draw more condominium buyers and renters-by-choice. “Our residents are at various stages in life,” says Kate Heitzman, property manager at LPM Apartments. “However, one thing they seem to have in common is wanting to be close to the culture, conveniences, and energy this area has to offer.” On the edge of downtown Minneapolis, LPM Apartments overlooks Loring Park, and is steps from the Walker Art Center and Hennepin Avenue. It has also welcomed four new onsite retailers in the past year, including a yoga studio, global gift shop, taproom, and diner.

In the new East Town neighborhood, EDITION’s three buildings surround Commons Park and are just steps from U.S. Bank Stadium. Nearby, The Encore sits next to the Guthrie Theater and Gold Medal Park, affording panoramic views of the Mississippi River. In St. Paul, Custom House, too, offers stunning river views, and both Rayette Lofts and Custom House are in the popular Lowertown neighborhood.

Details, Details

A few of our favorite little perks on the scene:

The Walkway: A complimentary grab-and-go breakfast during the week with coffee, juice, fruit, yogurt, and granola bars.

Luxembourg Apartments

In Bloomington, Luxembourg Apartments took building and landscaping inspiration from the Luxembourg Palace in Paris.

Luxembourg Apartments: The first apartment in the metro to have an ultra-fast fiber Internet connection, which is significantly faster than DSL, digital, or cable.

Custom House: Original mail chutes, safes, and architectural details from the 1933 building’s previous life as the St. Paul Post Office.

Elan Uptown: Dry-cleaning lockers. Place your dry-cleaning in your locker and it will be ready for pickup within 24 hours. Magic!

Party On

Shared entertaining spaces from clubrooms to kitchens make it easy to host friends and family, often without the cleanup. Common areas also promote new friendships among neighbors, and many properties host regular events for residents to socialize. The Walkway hosts weekly resident events like Sushi & Yoga, fine wine and cheese tastings, pool parties, and live music, and its R Bar, a resident-only staffed bar for residents and their guests, hosts a complimentary happy hour each Friday. The Flats at West End also hosts regular resident events ranging from Sunday brunches to pool parties to dog-friendly “yappy hours.” As Hotel Landing & Residences’ Mallory Busacker puts it, “Our greatest amenity is the community of neighbors.”

Up-And-Comers

Ready to live the suite life? These luxury residences are all new in the last three years.

Photograph by Saari & Forrai Photography

Residents of The Flats apartments playing bocce ball

Residents of The Flats at West End take to the bocce ball court.

Apartments

LPM Apartments | 1369 Spruce Pl., Mpls., rentlpm.com, Open: 2014 Units: 354, Pets: Yes, Pricing: $1,320-$4,950

Condominiums