Cathedral Lofts

4/1/2019

[Downtown Fargo's Newest Dwelling]

Story by Tracy Nicholson
Photography by Dan Francis Photography, Renderings courtesy of Alliance Management Group

Cathedral Lofts, Alliance Management Group, Fargo, Midwest Nest Magazine

For the last few months, designer Trever Hill has stayed busy working on a brand new project in Downtown Fargo; the Cathedral Lofts by Alliance Management Group. Located just west of the downtown Sanford Campus and a stone's throw north of St. Mary's Cathedral, the outstanding amenities are not to be outdone by the spectacular view. Hill worked closely with the team at Alliance and Great States Construction to select the high-end finishes for all 35 units, ranging from alcove to two-bedroom floorplans. To give prospective tenants a glimpse inside life in the lofts, he staged two of the upscale, modern abodes; one with a Mid-century modern vibe, the other with a fresh take on cottage-boho. Although you may want to take your time pondering the exterior's sweeping views, these lofts have an interior that deserves your full attention.

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Downtown, Distinguished Living

Demoing an older, multi-family rental home just west of Sanford, Alliance Management Group worked with T.L. Stroh Architects and Great States Construction to design a new building on the property that would offer 35 price-friendly units with an upscale feel. With a significantly larger building on the site, the teams got creative and drew up an array of unique floorplans made for every type of tenant.

The Cathedral Lofts offers tenants spectacular views of Downtown Fargo in multiple variations: efficiencies, alcoves, one-bedroom and two-bedroom units. Each tenant has full access to heated parking, elevator, fitness room, pet spa, community rooftop patio, rooftop pet courtyard and in-unit washer/dryers.

Cathedral Lofts, Floor Plans, Downtown Fargo Dwelling, Alliance Management Group, Midwest Nest Magazine

Savvy Selections: Trever Hill Design

“When Great States Construction contacted me to do the design work on the Cathedral Lofts, I was honored for a few reasons; the project was a few blocks from where I live, I loved what they were envisioning for a finished project, and doing a space so many people would get to enjoy is always exciting in itself," said Trever Hill.

"My role was to choose the lighting, faucets, flooring, countertops, cabinetry and hardware that would go into the 35 units."

"I sourced materials from vendors that either they or I have used in the past. There were some amazing things we were able to put into the space like the Calacutta North quartz that is exclusive to Northern Stone," said Hill. "They wanted a warm space that would have a hint of an industrial feel, but also be timeless. I didn’t select anything that was too trendy or that would quickly go out of style."

Styled & Staged

After choosing the finishes, Hill was asked to stage two of the units, offering potential tenants a more stylized walk-through. "I've done a lot of staging in the past, but this time I thought it would be fun to pull my friend and designer, Julie Alin out of retirement for the day, to help add the finishing touches. I also recruited the help of my design assistant Chase Nishek and my husband Jesse Masterson to get each of the units fully furnished and ready for tours."

Cathedral Lofts, Floor Plan, Downtown Fargo, Alliance Management Group, Midwest Nest Magazine

Take a Tour!

[Fourth Floor: Two Bedroom/Two Bath]

If capturing the view is at the top of your wish list, the fourth floor of Cathedral Lofts is where you need to be. With spectacular scenes of Downtown Fargo and the historic St. Mary's Cathedral, tenants will be thrilled to find oversized windows in every spacious unit extending from the main living area into the master bedroom.

“Working together with the Alliance team and Great States Construction, I was asked to design a space that would offer a really high-end look that would feel more like what you would find in a condo or a house," said Hill. "Because they specifically wanted to be priced at least $100 to $200 below competitive rentals, it challenged me to work harder to find selections that would give us the right look and high quality, but still allow for savings to be passed on to the tenants."

The fourth floor is home to six units with easy access to the building’s rooftop patio and workout room. In this two-bedroom, two-bath unit with exposed ducts, Hill has chosen soothing neutral tones, custom-stained maple cabinetry, upgraded Black Steel appliances, Calacutta North quartz and luxury vinyl plank flooring.

The two bedrooms feature massive walk-in closets with full bathrooms, large vanities and a full-size washer/dryer. To complete the unit's cottage-boho style, Hill and Alin staged the space with a selection of furnishings and accessories from Eco Chic Home, McNeal & Friends, Wayfair, Target and HomeGoods.

[Second Floor: One Bedroom/One Bath]

Whether you're on the fourth floor or the second floor like this one, the view is everything we want to come home to. This one-bed/one-bath, 646 square foot unit features finishes with a more industrial feel and the same exposed ducts and massive windows, which easily make the unit feel twice its size. This smaller unit comes with stackable washer/dryer, large walk-in closet, full bath with tub, walk-through and linen closet.

"This second-floor unit has a more Mid-century modern look with the gold and brass mixed metal tones, polished concrete flooring and modern lighting choices," said Hill. Whatever the person's style may be, it's going to work well in this beautiful neutral backdrop with stained maple cabinetry and white trim. The six-foot island has the same upscale quartz and I've added some great, overhead pendants in a concrete finish, which really add to the industrial vibe. For this space, all of the furnishings and decor were found at Furniture Mart and HomeGoods."

Lofty Amenities

While some Downtown Fargo tenants struggle daily to find on-street parking or pay a monthly parking fee, Cathedral Lofts tenants are guaranteed a heated parking spot at no additional fee; some of the larger units even have a private garage. Each unit comes equipped with an in-unit washer and dryer, walk-in closets, impressive windows overlooking Downtown Fargo, and beautiful upgrades like quartz countertops and high-end appliances.

Embrace the Outdoors & Pamper your Pets!

Every tenant has access to the building's exclusive roof-top patio, fully furnished with grill stations and a side courtyard designated solely for pets. Yes, not only are cats and dogs welcomed, the fourth floor even offers a pet spa. Tenants will also find a large workout room on this level, complete with the coveted Peloton indoor cycling system.

"The amenities at Cathedral Lofts really stand out; with the workout room, elevator, the pet grooming area, pet courtyard, rooftop patio, indoor parking, the unit with the private garage...it's just a great place to live in a prime location," said Luther Holm, Project Manager at Great States Construction.

Architectural Endeavors

"It's really impressive how a 35-unit structure can reside on a lot that was once occupying one home," said James Marcy, Director of Operations at Alliance Management Group. "Because the building is tucked in so well to the lot, we've designed it so that each unit has ground-level, private garage parking. I think Jon (Casper) did a really good job working with T.L. Stroh Architects to really make the most of the space we have here. The location is prime with it being a quick walk to the Downtown Fargo scene and we've already had a lot of interest from young professionals and people who work at the nearby Sanford campus; for them, living here is a quick and easy walk to work."

Teaming up to build and finance the Cathedral Lofts is the Alliance Property Management team, Great States Construction, Berg Group and Choice Bank.

Front, from left; Lisa Kinker, Anrea Thomas, Rachel Fitzsimmons, Carly Madsen
Middle two, from left; Charlie Cobb, Luther Holm
Back, from left; James Marcy, Scott Houle, Jonathon Casper, Rick Berg, Jon Christenson, Michael Casper, Dustin Olson, Jordan Cook.

Leasing the Lofts

As of this month, all three of the two-bedroom units are spoken for, but luckily there are a few one-bedroom and alcoves remaining and ready to tour. Efficiency alcove units start at $890, one-bedrooms start at $925. Since there are a variety of unique layouts, the building also offers a few larger units like the 794 square-foot one-bedroom on the fourth floor with heated, private, tuck-under garage for $1,350.

In the Works: Airbnb

Know someone who loves to Airbnb? Check out the furnishings in the second-floor unit; all of this will be moved to the first floor where Alliance Management Group has designated one of its spectacular units to be eventually rented as a Downtown Fargo Airbnb!

Find the Finishes: