Two Ritz Residences Homes Prove 51 Square Feet Might be Worth $300,000

There are only two homes currently for sale at the Ritz Residences in tower one, and they’re both skirting 3,000 square feet. And they both have one-of-a-kind floor plans. And they’re both listed with the same agent – Sharon Quist with Dave Perry-Miller. And one’s on the 18th floor, the other the penthouse 19th. And yes, 51 square feet is (sorta) all that separates them.

Since we’re at the Ritz, let’s start at the top. Unit 1901 clocks in at 2,928 square feet with two bedrooms and two full and one half bathroom. Pretty standard stuff at the Ritz. But how about 12-foot ceilings, and as you can see above, 891 square feet of terrace. And yes, it’s a terrace. You and I have balconies. It’s co-listed with Dave Perry-Miller agents Sharon Quist and Curt Elliott for a straight $3 million.

I think it’s safe to say that in urban living and especially Ritzy urban living, that nearly a grand of terrace space might just be worth the $300,000 more than the other unit, but I’m outdoorsy. So outdoorsy that when I viewed the units with Quist, we decided to sample the amenities of living at the Ritz-Carlton — room service.

A bottle of self-supplied champagne (I’m not a total mooch) and a flick through the menu (just like in a hotel, because, well, you’re on top of one). The menu is a nice mix of typical room service mixed in with Dean Fearing’s tasty delights. I gotta say, sitting al fresco on the terrace while room service waiters trundled in with our meal was super indulgent. For the next owner of this home, it will be Tuesday night.

Anyway, enough gushing on the terrace – which I’d camp out on, ‘cause ya know, the picnic table.

Entering the home you can tell immediately something is up. For those liking more modern (but not crazy modern) interiors, this unit has spiffed up the more traditional Ritz palate. The lit chain chandelier is a clue, as are the custom wall treatments. I also like that you can see straight through to the living room, its fireplace, and even out to the terrace.

I like a wide, symmetrical room. Matching sofas flank the fireplace and pull the eye out the windows. The wall on the left (master bedroom on the other side), offers impressive art space. Having never met this owner, I must say his collection of art photography (Peter LiK?) was fabulous to look at without a hovering salesperson. The living room flows into the dining room to the right.

It’s certainly a space capable of hosting large groups, but I have to admit, I like the spare décor here. What a luxury to have a table for six in such a large space. Especially one with two window faces and another art wall. If the conversation dragged, there’d always be somewhere interesting to look.

The kitchen is equally generous. That wall of windows makes me glad to live in this era. Back when kitchens were sculleries, no servant had a view like this. As I like to cook, a great kitchen facing outside is as far away from servitude as you can get.

But this is more than a kitchen. Looking beyond the island and you see another seating area. Sure, if the breakfast bar wasn’t to your liking, you could set that area up as an eat-in nook, but why?  Again, as a cook, how decadent to have a private seating area with a fireplace to sit down while remaining close to simmering pots?

The master bedroom is another light-filled room (unless you’ve flicked the blackout shades). The mirror reflects the outdoors while the fireplace lets you snuggle up on chilly nights (but with our warm winters, you’re just as likely to have cranked down the A/C to put a bit of romance in the air).

Finally, the master bathroom is the typical ballroom-size found in Ritz units. Multiple sinks, toilets, a shower, and this jumbo soaking bathtub. What I love about this picture is that the Ritz’s sibling, tower two, is framed perfectly. The schoolboy in me sees it as the perfect setup to moon the neighbors. I mean, they’re already jealous of the terrace, why not rub it in?

But we’re not done yet. Let’s head downstairs …

Sub-penthouse unit 1804 is similarly-sized to its upstairs neighbor, in fact it’s got the extra 51 square feet inside. As you can see, it too has a terrace but it’s not nearly 900 square feet. It’s funny — I go gaga for outdoor space, but most high-rise buyers don’t care nearly as much. I suspect they’ve downsized from some acreage and are happy to be outdoors sparingly.  Certainly my neighbors would agree.

But what you do get are views of the Trinity and both Calatrava bridges. That’s Ritz’s tower two sibling to the right. And because this is kind of a peninsula unit, you get views all the way around including up-Uptown, the Crescent Court, and the aforementioned Calatravas. I could be mesmerized for hours.

As a sub-penthouse, it has 10-foot ceilings hovering above its 2,979 square feet. Like unit 1901, this, too has two bedrooms with two full and one half bathroom. As I noted, it’s listed with Sharon Quist for $2.7 million.

For those who want to make a grand entrance, this has it. The entrance also offers the side benefit of placing the living areas further away from the front door, making it feel more single-family-like. To the left is an office area connecting to a bathroom and the kitchen (work makes me hungry).

At the end of the entrance hallway is this huge living and dining room combination separated by Corinthian columns. Walls of glass are what you buy a high-rise for. The living room has access to the terrace for seamless indoor/outdoor entertaining.

The kitchen is another full firepower affair with a jumbo range and huge Sub-Zero fridge-freezer. What you’re seeing as empty space in the distance isn’t …

Just like its upstairs neighbor, this kitchen also includes a great sitting/breakfast area. I can easily see a more formal living and dining area with this being more curl up with a book but not too far from the fridge kind of space. I think I’d spend Sunday unmoved except to make popcorn or order a pizza (because, remember, you can do that at the Ritz!).

The master bedroom is another large space with lots of windows. For the eagle-eyed, you can see the terrace is right out your door. For those coffee people (I don’t judge), install a coffee bar and brew up some caffeine and enjoy waking up on the terrace before the day sets in. Feel free to wave to the early risers already working at the Crescent.

The master bath has an interesting layout. Instead of side-by-side vanities, they’re separate here. One guess who gets the smaller one without the bathtub attached. Yup, the guy.

There’s a special surprise in this master suite – an enormous closet. While there are plenty of parking spaces with this unit, you could certainly park a car in this closet. One way you can tell is that most of it is only single rodded. If you were hungry for space, there’d be more double-rods, right?  What’s also fair about this closet is that it’s pretty evenly divided down the middle so clothes-horse him can duke it out with clothes-horse her … as it should be.

Having toured both units, the big difference for me was the outdoor space. Sitting outside, on top of the world, sipping champagne and noshing on room service is totally worth the extra money for me (if I had the money). But that’s also part of living at the Ritz Residences with all the amenities of a hotel.

Of course being the clothes horse that I am, that closet is also calling my name.

Decisions, decisions.

Remember:  High-rises, HOAs and renovation are my beat. But I also appreciate modern and historical architecture balanced against the YIMBY movement. In 2016, 2017 and 2018, the National Association of Real Estate Editors recognized my writing with three Bronze (2016, 2017, 2018) and two Silver (2016, 2017) awards.  Have a story to tell or a marriage proposal to make?  Shoot me an email [email protected]. Be sure to look for me on Facebook and Twitter. You won’t find me, but you’re welcome to look.