Terry Weitgenant and Reiko Tanaka knew right away when house hunting 10 years ago that the condo in the Airye Condominiums in St. Paul's Lowertown was the place for them.
"What sold us immediately walking in were the views. It was incredibly expansive with straight views to the [State] Capitol, and, from the bedroom, we could see the river," said Weitgenant. They were also delighted by the fact that they could see both the St. Paul and Minneapolis skylines from the 42nd-floor unit.
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On top of that, the 1,460-square-foot condo had an open-concept kitchen, living room, dining room and family room. And it had recently gone through a full remodeling. "Everything was modern and had an urban, timeless design," Weitgenant said.
After moving in, they enjoyed the updated spaces that also provided the perfect backdrop for Tanaka, a photography lover and food blogger.
"One of my favorite things is the kitchen. It has a white timeless design and a clean look with French subway tiles that sparkle and reflect light really well," she said. "Then I have this big kitchen island, and it just provides so much storage. I collect dishes for my food photography, and there's enough storage for all of my dishes."
They found that the sunshine beaming in from the floor-to-ceiling windows was also picture perfect. "The sunsets are spectacular here," Weitgenant said. "Golden hour is just incredible. The entire unit just gets flooded with orange light."
"We just about take a picture every night," Tanaka added.
They've also enjoyed two balconies — one on the east side of the unit and another on the west — for taking in their surroundings. That's especially true during fireworks, such as when the St. Paul Saints play a home game on a Friday night or July 4th rolls around. "The Fourth of July is truly amazing. You stand on the balcony and the entire horizon is filled with fireworks" from different shows, Weitgenant said.
The July holiday was one of the occasions when the couple would regularly throw a party. After all, the open floor plan and views made their space great for gatherings. Weitgenant said they also liked that there was the option of hosting large gatherings in the building's community room, which has a kitchen with the latest appliances. The community space was where the couple met with others in their building.
"People would head there to watch the Super Bowl," he said.
As much as they love their place, Weitgenant and Tanaka are trading in the Mississippi for the Mediterranean. They've listed their two-bedroom (plus den) and two-bathroom unit.
"The last four years we started essentially becoming snowbirds and would take winters off and travel," Weitgenant said. "This last year we went to Spain and Portugal. We fell in love with Spain and decided" to live there.
In addition to living in a great condo unit and building, the couple said, the next homeowner will get a place with walkability indoors and out.
"One thing we really like is the skyway access, especially in the winter. There's a 1-mile loop, so if it's the middle of winter and you want to get some exercise, you can do so without going outside," Weitgenant said.
They also have enjoyed being within walking distance of everything from restaurants and museums to the baseball stadium and St. Paul Farmers Market.
"We go to the farmers market every single weekend. It's just a great lifestyle here," Weitgenant said. "It will be hard to give up, especially because of those views. If we could pick this thing up and take it to Spain with us, we would."
Terry Weitgenant (terryw@weitgenant.com; 763-381-5622) is the contact for the $459,900 listing.
