Churchill Estates

Completed in the spring of 2008, this luxury-class 40-suite building boasts that it offers "Premier residences at Eau Claire". With 11 tiered stories, several levels have only four or fewer suites per floor, so virtually everyone has a corner, and balconies wrap around those corners so there's lots of outdoor space, including walled patios for ground-floor suites. Exterior and interior finishings here are very high end with two quick elevators, overheight ceilings, central A/C, central vacuums, fireplaces, natural gas barbecue outlets, and in-floor heating.

The main floor houses four suites with some nice patio spaces while the second floor has six suites and the third and fourth floors each have five. Floors five through seven host only four suites each and the suite plans begin to offer very large areas. By the eighth and ninth floors there are only three suites per level and suites are extending to 2,530 square feet. Finally, the tenth and eleventh floors are each a single suite of an amazing 3,391 square feet each.

Ceiling heights vary throughout the building. The main-floor suites share the lobby's 14-foot-high ceilings and then floors two through seven have ceilings of about 9' 10" height. At the eighth floor they rise to 10' 5", and on the ninth and tenth go to 11' and finally the topmost suite has its ceilings at 11' 6". I guess when you have 3,300 square feet a lower ceiling would look confining. 'Nothing confining about these suites or their ceilings!

Parking is in three levels under the building, with up to four titled stalls for each of the entire-floor penthouse homes, although any owner could also buy a second or a third stall from the builder. The driveway ramp is heated to prevent winter icing and if you come in via the lobby you'll be greeted by the doorman, other than at late-night hours. There are six stalls of indoor visitor parking and security systems watch and restrict all common areas. The elevators are secured, so open only as permitted, and directly onto in-suite foyiers of the penthouse suites. The basement also houses a titled extra-large locker for every suite. Of course the lockers are in a secured separate area away from parkade dust. With 87 indoor parking spaces and only 40 suites, there's plenty of parking for everyone.

Construction was by a partnership of builders more commonly involved in office tower building: Homberg-Centron Teamworks, which also built the Beltline's luxury Castello Condos. Exterior windows and doors are common property at Churchill Estates. I have the Condo Plan on file.