Skyscrapers take center stage in this penthouse at the top of Skyscape Condominiums.
It was the view of the downtown Minneapolis skyline and the spacious unit that first enticed owner Paula Billingham during an open house.
"I loved the high ceilings, the light and all the outdoor space," she recalled. The floor plan was open, yet the kitchen "wasn't in the living room like most condos. You can't see the mess when you entertain."
But Billingham really knew the condo was right for her when she stepped inside the master bedroom's huge walk-in closet, which could easily store all her shoes and clothes.
At the time, she was living in Spokane, Wash, but often traveled to Minneapolis for her job, and decided to move here.
In 2011, she became the first owner of the 27th-floor penthouse corner condo boasting walls of glass on two sides.
"It's not an industrial loft-style unit," said listing agent Marissa Skaja of DRG. "It's contemporary and modern."
The high-in-the-sky glass tower, built in 2006 at 9th St. and Portland Avenue, is surrounded by early 1900s brownstones in the Elliot Park Neighborhood.
At 2,768 square feet, the condo has three bedrooms, plus a den, which Billingham uses as a media room.
Two open-air balconies facing southwest span the entire unit with enough room for her container gardens.
Over time, Billingham made interior design improvements to the master bedroom, including installing an electric fireplace and a collage of "pleather" squares on the wall above the bed.
"The room was massive, and it needed something against the wall to make it feel more cozy," she said.
She walks, rather than drives, to downtown destinations from the Mill City Farmer's Market to restaurants on the Nicollet Mall.
Amenities at Skyscape include an enclosed outdoor dog run, a sixth-floor landscaped rooftop terrace for grilling, a fitness center with a hot tub and party room. The unit comes with two parking stalls and storage space.
Billingham plans to downsize and is moving out of Minnesota due to job opportunities. But she'll miss morning coffee and sunsets while sitting on her balcony.
"In the prime of summer, the sun sets right beside the Target building," she said.
Marissa Skaja and Erick Patterson, Patterson Skaja Group at DRG, 612-387-1499, pattersonskaja.com, have the listing.
