Many of us have heard the phrase “home is where you hang your hat.” And if home is in one of the two buildings of luxury condominiums on Thunder Bay’s waterfront Marina Park (also called Prince Arthur’s Landing), you’ve got a front row unhindered view of the marina, beautiful Lake Superior and the famous Sleeping Giant land formation.
The first building of The Vue on the Water Condominiums was started in late October 2013 and welcomed its first resident a year later in late November. The two 51-unit seven-storey buildings were developed by the Re Solve Group and are located on Sleeping Giant Parkway in the heart of the waterfront on the shores of Lake Superior near the downtown north core. The state-of-the-art structural design includes non-combustible concrete, masonry and steel construction.
According to the Vue website, the Vue sets “the bar for luxury condo living not only for its lifestyle and immaculate views, but also defines creative thinking and embodies cutting edge design.” There’s also a SkyVue Lounge with a fireplace and kitchen created for “an ambiance of energy, liveliness, and relaxation,” a fitness facility known as the “Beach” and an outdoor rooftop patio/terrace.
The word “condominium” comes from Latin and has been commonly shortened to “condo” in North America. Condos are private residences owned by a homeowner or family in a building with multiple units. Cambridge dictionary defines it as “an apartment building in which each apartment is owned separately by the people living in it, but also containing shared spaces.”
The concept started in Belgium in 1924, spread across Europe and in 1958, Puerto Rico passed the first condominium law in the U.S. However, it was two years later (1960) in Salt Lake City, Utah that the first modern condo in continental U.S. was built—the 120-unit Graystone Manor marketed under the slogan “No More Yardwork.”
Canada’s first registered condo development was Brentwood Village, built in 1967 in Edmonton, Alberta, while Ontario’s first registered high-rise condo was in Ottawa in 1969. And currently, a Toronto-based Canadian developer is building the world’s first fully-accessible condominium in Pickering, Ontario for people with disabilities including blindness; the 336-unit Axess Condos with a rooftop restaurant overlooking Lake Ontario will be ready for occupancy in 2021.
Wondering what a luxury waterfront condo might cost in Thunder Bay? Well, the ultimate in condo living might well be a waterfront penthouse—and recently there was one available at the waterfront condominiums for about $1.15 million (CDN). Advertised as “Thunder Bay’s largest waterfront luxury penthouse,” it was 2,168 square feet with four bedrooms, three balconies and an amazing view. However, if you just need two bedrooms and can do with about 1,400 square feet, you can become a waterfront luxury condo owner for about $510,000 Canadian.
