Today's rents can provoke fear and disillusion among the general renting population. The market keeps pushing rents up as wages flatten or fall off. But there's a sector that's pretty darn close to impervious when it comes to expense— those whom we've been referring to as whales all week long (generally not members of The Rent Is Too Damn High Party). It's assumed that these discerning big spenders are only in the game of racing to the pinnacle of homeownership, flipping, flipping some more, and sometimes flopping. That is what a connoisseur of real estate does, after all. But, like everyone from time to time, whales end up in a hasty migratory pattern where they may have to take what comes from the rental market for a short span. While that doesn't necessarily entail spending a small fortune, we're all about the lush life at the moment. Here then, the 10 priciest city rentals currently available.
·Whale Week 2013 [Curbed Chicago]
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Mapping the 10 Priciest City Rentals For The Migrating Whale
130 North Garland Court Ph5702
Numero uno is the penthouse at 130 N Garland Court. The 57th-floor four-bed has 5,000+ square feet dangling above Millennium Park. Our commenters put it through the wringer for tastelessness and inhumane pricing when it was exclusively listed for sale at $5.25M. Go on, we dare you to rent this sucker for $25,000/month.
1244 North Stone Street
Listed for rent for quite some time now, this astronomically priced vintage Gold Coast duplex has a pervasive English Country Cottage decor and includes cathedral ceilings, billiards room, wet bar, gym, music room, marble master bath, and a very large and picturesque roof terrace w/ outdoor kitchen. The 6,000-square-foot 3-bed is asking asking $19,500, down from $21K.
140 East Walton Street #952
This unlikely unit is the 4,000-square-foot penthouse at The Drake Hotel, boasting conventional rentals in its upper floors. "Princes and ambassadors" turn up from time to time. You whales are pretty social as we understand it, so go on, join the pod. Cost of entry is a cool $18,000/month.
336 West Wisconsin Street
Enough has been written on this listing to fill a guide book. It's the Lincoln Park house where The Fugitive's central murder scene was filmed. The modern space has been worked over considerably since those days, but you can still capture an eerie essence around those floating stairs and catwalks. The ask? $17,000/month.
63 West Schiller Street
This "extraordinary European row home" banks on looking much older than it is. "Imported mahogany French windows" that open to an English garden help the cause. As do the marble floors. Marble, marble, everywhere. The bedrooms fall in line too, for the most part, but the kitchen and bathrooms are unconcerned with antique-- and that's a good thing. On the rental market for seven months, the ask is $15,000.
1815 South Prairie Avenue
Finally, a detour to the South Side! This newer Prairie Avenue townhome has awesome finishes (even if the master bath gets a little gaudy), high ceilings, parquet floors, custom built-ins, fireplaces, a large terrace, and about 5,000 square feet of living space. Designed by "award winning John Robert Wiltgen", it's yours to enjoy for $14,500/month.
401 North Wabash Avenue #83D
The co-priciest of the three Trump Tower units currently priced above $10,000/month, this 83rd-floor 3/4 brings 3,100 square feet and far and away the best views of any of the market-topping rentals. Unfurnished, it awaits your rechristening. The ask? $13,000/month.
401 North Wabash Avenue #32A
Presumably, this 32nd-floor Trump unit is a carbon copy of the high-floor one but we've no pics to confirm. The rent is the same--$13,000--but the square footage is a slightly larger 3,400. That balances things out, we suppose, but sensible whales will go for the high floor in a second.
401 North Wabash Avenue #60E
The cheapest Trump unit (only $12,000) with the goods to make our list is a 60th-floor 2/3 with a mere 2,700 square feet of living space. But it gets the panoramas with no obstructions from every room. And, of course, all the building's five-star hotel amenities.
1420 North Lake Shore Drive #15B
This would be our pick for the most livable and comfortable high-end rental. The 3/3 belongs to a very fine vintage building on the Gold Coast's stretch of LSD, so it obviously sports lake views. It has herringbone floors, marble baths, and paneled library, fireplaces, and walk-in closets. "Perfect for entertaining!" The ask? $10,000/month. Short term.
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