Urban Vibe

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Loft & Condo Living in the Twin Cities

The simplicity of owning a maintenance-free home. The convenience of living within walking distance of shopping, dining, and entertainment. The energy of the city at your doorstep.

 

A New Way of Living

For these Twin Citians, the loft and condominium lifestyle is a perfect fit

Shelly Engelsma and her husband Daniel had been dreaming about downsizing for a while.

Residents of a single-family home in Edina, they began looking for a way to simplify their lives with a move to a condominium or townhome. They searched for several years, but nothing felt quite right. Until, that is, they found 5000 France, a new condominium development perched on the corner of 50th Street and France Avenue in one
of Edina’s most vibrant neighborhoods.
 

Home at 50th and France

“When we saw the 50th and France project, it was perfect,” says Shelly, 66, owner of Spalon Montage. “It was a whole new way of living—you felt like you were in a little city. It wasn’t trying to be our house; it became a new lifestyle.”

They were impressed by the quality of the construction at 5000 France, and became the first residents to move in. They have now lived there just over a year.
“Maybe we were just the right age, maybe it’s just the right time of life, but this has been absolutely the best decision we could have made,” Shelly says.

They have found their new home comfortable for hosting family gatherings and parties, but also conducive to intimate dinners on the patio, where they can watch the bustle of the neighborhood below. They also appreciate the convenience of their address: a grocery store, retail shops, and restaurants are all within walking distance of their front door.

“I can’t tell you how many nights we come home and say, ‘Let’s not cook, let’s go downstairs and eat,” Shelly says. “My favorite thing is…the convenience of this living. It’s very uncomplicated.”

Jim and JoAnne Nasby had lived all over the greater metro area—Northfield, Edina, in a downtown Minneapolis high-rise, and in a home along Lake of the Isles. They came to 5000 France because it was closer to Jim’s place of business—he works as an orthodontist in Burnsville—and because it was not far from their children’s homes. They, too, have reveled in their new lifestyle.

“Everything is here,” says Jim, 71. “We have two coffee places within less than a block; we have numerous restaurants.”

Jim Paddon was thinking ahead when he purchased his home at 5000 France. Paddon, 52, owns a retail consulting company. He came from a single-family home in Wayzata and was attracted to the 50th and France neighborhood for its European charm. But he also liked the concept of future years in a one-level home with elevator access, and bought the penthouse at 5000 France.

“I thought it was very well made…although it’s a condo, it felt very nontraditional,” he says. Paddon, too, appreciates the convenience of the neighborhood, and the fact that the Edina Grill, one of his favorite restaurants, is now a just a quick trip downstairs.
 

Living on the shore of the Mississippi

Over on the east side of the metro area, Walt and Joan Musolf awake each day to a view of St. Paul’s Harriet Island across the Mississippi River.

The Musolfs, who are both in their mid-70s, lived in a home on Robbinsdale’s Crystal Lake for 43 years. They made a pact to be out of the house by Walt’s 75th birthday, and found Upper Landing’s environs along the shore of the Mississippi just west of downtown St. Paul perfect. “It gave us that beautiful view with the sky in front of us and all the busy traffic on the river,” Walt says. And the opportunity for one-level living was a plus. “It just fit us,” Joan recalls. “We looked at each other and said, ‘Well, OK, we’re going to make it work.’ ”

Now the Musolfs walk from their doorstep along the river to downtown St. Paul’s parks and restaurants.

“I love to walk, and here, the access to the city is just super,” Walt says. St. Paul’s Grand Avenue has become their Main Street, and they enjoy the dining and shops, including Garrison Keillor’s bookstore, in the Cathedral Hill neighborhood.

Sometimes it’s more fun for the Musolfs to stay at home: When there are events at Harriet Island, they can listen to the music and watch fireworks from their balcony.
 

Minneapolis address: The Chicago

Back across the river in Minneapolis, Steven Warren has embraced loft living.

Warren, 57, a flight attendant for Northwest Airlines, is another former single-family homeowner who made the switch—home is now The Chicago Lofts in the old Sears Roebuck building at Chicago Avenue and Lake Street.

“I decided I was at a point in my life where I wanted to be less tied down to the responsibilities of a house, like yard work, maintenance, and snow removal,” Warren says. “I liked the fact that The Chicago was a historic building and I liked the fact that it was in an ethnic, diverse neighborhood.” His home is in true loft tradition, with an open floor plan and the historic architectural elements of brick and concrete pillars that were part of the original building.
When he’s not jetting around the globe, Warren enjoys biking on the Midtown Greenway or exploring the latest cuisine at the Midtown Global Market—both are right downstairs. You may find him checking out the neighborhoods restaurants and festivals, or hosting a gathering of friends in The Chicago’s “spectacular” rooftop party room.

Moving to a new neighborhood and a new style of living was a bit of an adjustment at first, but Warren has no regrets.

“Because of my busy lifestyle, it has freed up a lot of my time,” he says. “This is the smartest thing I have ever done.”
 

 

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