Chicago designers list sprawling live-work loft in Printer’s Row for $1M

This three-bedroom, three-bathroom isn’t your typical Printer’s Row loft. Its owners—Chicago designers Cindy Coleman and Neil Frankel—crafted the minimalist, almost gallery-like space by gutting a full floor in the historic Donohue Building along Dearborn Street.

Once home to the largest printing facility in the area, the formerly industrial complex includes the landmarked 1883 Romanesque building designed by architect Julius Speyer. Coleman and Frankel’s spacious loft is found on the fourth floor of the annex building, added by Alfred S. Alschuler in 1913.

The couple envisioned the loft in the mid-1990s as a flexible live-work space that can both be used for artistic experimentation and as a showcase for their modern furniture. “We collect modern classics,” Frankel told the Chicago Tribune in 1999. “We constantly rotate them in and out to try new things or remind ourselves of other design ideas.”

The sprawling 3,500-square-foot floorplan features high ceilings, concrete floors, and 48-feet of windows lining two walls. The recently renovated kitchen has a glass-topped breakfast bar, and there’s a raised family room bordered by floating floor-to-ceiling bookshelves. The bedrooms, bathrooms, and in-unit storage areas are pushed to edges to allow unobstructed sightlines in the home’s gallery and entertaining areas.

If you’re seeking for a minimalist pad with room to spread out, the unique Printer’s Row residence is listed for $999,000 by agent Kathleen Malone of @properties. Monthly HOA fees for the unit run an additional $2,156.