The five-story Ellington, an $11.9-million job for Birmingham-based Sachse, will house 55 luxury loft condos on four floors above approximately 13,000 sf of street-level retail, including a new Starbucks. The project is scheduled for completion in February 2006. The Ellington's one- and two-bedroom loft units will range from approximately 860 sf to nearly 1,500 sf, with projected prices from the $190,000 range to just over $300,000.

The lofts feature hardwood floors, exposed spiral ductwork and 10-foot concrete ceilings in a variety of free-flowing floor plans. Residents will also have access to a private fitness center in the building. It is one of Sachse's seven luxury loft and condominium construction projects currently underway or recently finished in Detroit, Royal Oak, Plymouth,Birmingham and Ann Arbor, says John Hamburger, Sachse vice president.

In late 2004, Sachse also built the Ellington's sales office and four model lofts, renovating approximately 4,000 sf in a former bank.