It was also one of the most unique condo sales in recent years, boasting a rare four bedrooms and five bathrooms with nearly 6,000 total square feet overlooking the Mississippi River in one of the city’s hottest neighborhoods, the Mill District.
“There’s nothing like this one,” said Isaac Kuehn, the agent who represented both the buyer and seller on the sale. “It’s so large. It’s the size of a house.”
The sale — which took more than a year and at a significant loss to the sellers — offers a glimpse into the high-stakes and often challenging conditions for those selling multi-million-dolar homes in the Twin Cities. While the luxury market has posted some of the biggest sales gains of the year, finding buyers for one-of-a-kind homes and the most expensive condos can be tricky. There’s a limited number of people who can afford them, and that segment of the market is flush with listings.
This condo is on the seventh floor of the Whitney Lofts, a brick and timber mill building built in 1879 that helped make Minneapolis the flour capital of the world. In 1987, the ramshackle, riverfront building became a posh hotel that was the go-to for visiting celebs, including Elton John and Mick Jagger. In 2007, the hotel became a boutique condominium building with nearly 30 units.
The Helmings built the kitchen to have an open floor plan. (Spacecrafting Photography/Spacecrafting)
This condo was a combination of two previously unfinished units, a passion project for empty nesters Lisa and Keith Helming. They were looking for a downtown landing pad after selling their house in Eden Prairie.
In late 2019, they paid $2.75 million for a pair of raw, unfinished condos and united them, spending another $3.5 million in the process, per Kuehn.
In addition to the ample square footage, the Helmings also installed another exotic feature: a fully enclosed glass solarium. The Crystal Palace, a sprawling glass and iron hall built to house the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London, inspired the design.