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THE WALL STREET JOURNAL.
M6 | Friday, April 25, 2014
VIEWS FROM THE TOP
10 TALLEST SKYSCRAPERS
IN THE U.S. WITH
RESIDENTIAL UNITS:
John Hancock
Center
Height: 1,128 feet
Location: Chicago
3
One57
Height: 1,005 feet
Location: Manhattan
4
900 North
Michigan
Height: 871 feet
Location: Chicago
5
New York by Gehry
at Eight Spruce St.
Height: 870 feet
Location: Manhattan
6
Trump World
Tower
Height: 861 feet
Location: Manhattan
7
Water Tower
Place
Height: 859 feet
Location: Chicago
8
Aqua
Location: Chicago
Height: 859 feet
9
Two Liberty
Place
Height: 848 feet
Location: Philadelphia
CHICAGO
86th floor at Trump International
Hotel & Tower
Paid: $4.5 million, including furnishings
Twice Wilbert Hamstra lost his view to a
taller building. So the third time, he bought
in the tallest residential tower in the U.S.,
with residential units through the 89th
floor. Mr. Hamstra, 75, purchased his four­
bedroom condo in 2009 and says his view
accounts for half of his property value. The
founder of the Hamstra Group, a real­es­
tate development company, says his floor­
to­ceiling windows look out on landmarks
like Navy Pier, Grant Park, Millennium Park
and Willis Tower. There are minimal
shades, but Mr. Hamstra doesn’t worry
about peepers. “No one can see into ours,
except the birds.”
—Sanette Tanaka
Sally Ryan for The Wall Street Journal (2)
2
Trump International
Hotel & Tower
Height: 1,388 feet
Location: Chicago
T-B: Composite photo by Munshi Ahmed for The Wall Street Journal; Munshi Ahmed for The Wall Street Journal (2)
1
SINGAPORE
10 TALLEST SKYSCRAPERS
IN THE WORLD WITH
RESIDENTIAL UNITS:
Burj
Khalifa
Height: 2,717 feet
Location: Dubai
Makkah Clock
Royal Tower
Height: 1,972 feet
Location: Mecca,
Saudi Arabia
3
Trump International
Hotel & Tower
Height: 1,388 feet
Location: Chicago
4
Princess
Tower
Height: 1,356 feet
Location: Dubai
5
23
Marina
Height: 1,289 feet
Location: Dubai
6
Elite
Residence
Height: 1,248 feet
Location: Dubai
7
John Hancock
Center
Height: 1,128 feet
Location: Chicago
8
Mercury
City
Height 1,112 feet
Location: Moscow
9
The
Torch
Height: 1,105 feet
Location: Dubai
10
Al Yaqoub Tower
Height: 1,076 feet
Location: Dubai
Source: Emporis
LAS VEGAS
43rd floor at the Residences at
Mandarin Oriental
Paid: $3 million, including furnishings
Linda Tatum and her partner Wilfred Corri­
gan spend about six months of the year
on The World, a luxury residential ocean
liner. So even when they’re not at sea,
they want similarly impressive views. Last
year they purchased a 3,000­square­foot
penthouse and omitted window treat­
ments to maximize their view. “In Las Ve­
gas, the views are unimaginably beautiful,”
says Ms. Tatum, a 71­year­old interior­de­
sign consultant who owns three additional
investment condos in the same develop­
ment. And because of the fantasy­world
setting, their views span the globe: “We
see Paris from our living room and Holly­
wood from our bedroom. It’s fabulous.”
—Sanette Tanaka
BANGKOK
55th floor of The Pano
Paid: $3.75 million
Sitting between the Chao Phraya River
and the busy central business district,
Panint Jhonlerkieat’s triplex penthouse
offers an almost panoramic view of
Thailand’s capital. “This magnificent
view is very rare … river, canals and
beautiful bridges on one side and the
city skyline on the other,” says Mr.
Jhonlerkieat. The 54­year­old manag­
ing director and co­founder of Aim Star
Network, a marketing company, moved
to the 7,000­square­foot penthouse
with a pool last year. His favorite time
is night, when the moon is big and he
can see the flickering lights of moving
vehicles from his terrace. “I feel like I
own Bangkok.”
—Nopparat Chaichalearmmongkol
Luke Duggleby for The Wall Street Journal
2
THE VIEW FROM THE TOP OF THE WORLD
many developers, the penthouse and
the upper floors are the profit,” Mr.
Miller says.
Last year, two triplex penthouses
in Miami Beach, Fla., sold for a record $34 million, according to news
Composite
Continued from page M1
smog and to get better views, Mr.
Alpern says.
In time, an entire penthouse industry emerged. “By the last boom,
of 2003 to 2007, it was game on. For
reports. In January, a penthouse in
Manhattan’s Walker Tower sold for
$50.9 million.
But as the number of penthouses
on the market proliferates, their
value could decline. Mr. Miller warns
that the penthouse cachet works in
part because they are so exclusive,
and oversaturating a building with
penthouses may dilute the premium.
As it stands, buyers’ desire for penthouses seems to be holding strong.
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YELLOW
Getty Images (5); Associated Press (4); Zuma Press (4); Agence France-Presse/Getty Images (2); Andrew Spear for The Wall Street Journal; Bloomberg News; Corbis; iStock; Shutterstock
1
Isaac Brekken for The Wall Street Journal (2)
10
55th floor of Marina Bay Suites
Paid: $4.73 million
The first thing people see when they enter Wendy Siah’s 55th­floor apartment is the
view. “It’s like a postcard that captures the iconic view of Singapore,” says Ms. Siah,
a private­equities investor who is in her 30s. Her unit has views of Marina Bay Sands
Hotel, the esplanade and Supertree Grove at Gardens by the Bay, an outdoor garden.
Ms. Siah often works from home, and the four­bedroom, 2,000­square­foot condo
that she purchased in November is ideal for business meetings. She also likes to
serve wine and Champagne to friends out on the terrace. “I call it my own Ku De Ta,”
she says, referring to the luxury restaurant atop the Marina Bay Sands Hotel.
—Joyu Wang
Park
Tower
Location: Chicago
Height: 844 feet
“This is the crowd that wants the
best and has the resources to buy
what they want to buy,” Mr. Zilbert
says. “Of all the millionaires and billionaires in the world, it just takes
one” buyer.