Photos ~ The Mecca Condos

It may seem like I'm a Gintz Group groupie but it's not my fault! In the last two weeks alone they've shown off their 27th Street Station and, just yesterday, the condos in the Mecca [ map ]. I came along to the preview event and saw plenty of opportunity for folks seeking some urban living without needing to ever utter the term "half a million". The residential condos are on the upper two floors of the building and, in total, include 12 units. Similar to my reigning favorite condo project in town the Bridge, the Mecca offers a small community feel with so few units and one never feels too far removed from downtown since you're only max 3 or 4 floors above street level.

Layout of the flats (a.k.a. studio spaces) is pretty generous. The model shown had a wise pull down bed configuration to help maximize the space. The kitchens feel warm and sophisticated with dark stained cabinets showing no hinges or other hardware. Counter tops are a sealed and stained concrete that look fantastic. Having never really seen that style of material used before I probably wouldn't have believed you could make concrete looks so good. There's a wall blocking any kind of vista view from the 4th floor flats and, though plenty of natural light come in from above that, the view from the 5th floor north is stunning. The roof garden atop Sanford & Son makes a nice frame bordered by other beautiful Broadway buildings on the left and Old City Hall on the right with even the Elks building in between.

Wood floors through out nearly all of each unit help open up the space and reflect light coming in from the vintage windows. The one bedroom seems like it would be slightly tight for a couple but would be ample for anyone living alone. And even if you're living single there's plenty of kitchen and other space to entertain friends and family helping make "alone" a moot term.

I was surprised how generous the two bedroom units felt especially after experiencing the open feel of the flats. A hallway leading to the master and other bedroom didn't even feel like it should be there -- and in a good way -- because there's deceptively plenty of room to live. The full master bath is a nice touch as are the nooks for a washer and dryer, water heater, and entry way closet.

Overall the building itself looks in great shape with fresh paint adorning the exterior and with cleaned up vintage windows. Easy access to all kinds of food and the Link help make a need for a car less important. Framed newspaper snapshots from the past help add interest to the hallway walls. Each page was found under floors in the building during renovation and were likely used as insulation but will now help connect residents with the buildings place in history. Though residents live wall-to-wall, having so few units will keep bustle to a minimum. I'm not a fan of the wall mounted heading (and AC?) units in each room but they're of a low profile and likely helped keep costs of renovating the building down. I'd complain about the yellow paint but a) the same warm tone was in one of my rentals and it worked amazingly well with the wood floors and b) you could paint.

There is some great opportunity for affordable urban living in a fascinating historic structure in the Mecca. Prices range from the high $100,000's and up probably not much above $300,000. You can stop by this weekend for an open house between 12 and 6pm each day.

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