Jacqueline King is the undisputed queen of Downtown’s residential real estate market. It was King who went out and found Miami-based Crescent Heights, which last month closed the $97 million purchase of the 320-unit CityFront Terrace. Other than the Meridian, CityFront is the best appointed and most comfortable big-project residence available Downtown. King can vouch for that: In 1995 she was one of the project's first tenants, moving in as a renter with her two children, ages 7 and 9, after the deep recession chased away potential buyers. She now plans to convert to ownership, and can afford it, even if her commission fell short of 6 percent. "Everyone keeps asking me that," she jokes. "I wish I could say I got 6 percent, but it was a very nice payday. I’m not complaining."

It was hustle that put King in the position to pitch a client's offer to CityFront's former owner, Kabuto. "My first offer was in May," she says. "There were two unsolicited offers before I got involved that did not come together. Sandy Shapery wrote the first offer but we didn’t get into escrow. Then I got an offer from the Shidler Group." When that deal failed to close, she brought Miami-based Crescent Heights to the table. "This is what the project needs," King says. "Most of the other offers were from condo developers or investors. This project needed to be a project for condo converters who are the only type of buyers who can understand how to make this work." King expects CityFront to sell out in 18 months and set the pricing benchmark for other Downtown condos, hundreds of units of which should start hitting the market next year.

Among her many projects Downtown is the historic Marin Building on Fifth Avenue, where the old Museum of Death was, which she purchased and is leasing. And she is developing Fourth Avenue Lofts, a new 49-unit project at 1453 Fourth Ave. which should open in fall. And she's in partnership with James Roone on Lofts on 5th, a 24-unit project on Fifth Avenue between Ash and Beech streets. She's also working as an agent to try to lease or sell the closed California Theater building at Fourth Avenue and C Street. King's fearful the economics won’t work and the building will be razed.

— Metro Staff