Owning a little piece of downtown Lawrence to call home now has a price tag — and it’s from $220,000 to $580,000.

That’s how much officials with Harris Construction are asking for the one- and two-bedroom condominiums the company is building at the northeast corner of Eighth and New Hampshire streets, an executive with the Lawrence-based company said Thursday.

At the low end is a one-bedroom unit that measures 1,000 square feet, or about the size of a small bungalow in Old West Lawrence, for just less than a quarter-million dollars. On the upper end is a fifth floor, two bedroom, 2,500-square-foot penthouse for nearly $600,000.

“We’re ready to see if Lawrence is ready for a unique living style,” said Hunter Harris, vice president of project development for the company. “One where you don’t have a back yard, where you walk to get groceries, walk to dinner, maybe utilize more public transportation.”

So far, two people have signed letters of intent to purchase two of the 32 units planned for the five-story building.

The project, expected to be ready for occupancy by September 2004, will be a first for downtown. While there are many apartments in the area, condominiums are different in that residents own the space, rather than rent it, and belong to a condo association.

Harris said the company thought the project, called Hobbs Taylor Lofts, would attract older couples who no longer have children at home, or empty nesters, as the real estate industry sometimes calls them.

Officials with Harris Construction have set prices for their 32-unit downtown condo project. The project will offer three decorating styles: contemporary, traditional and industrial. This is an industrial-style bathroom.

“We think it will appeal to people who want the convenience of not having to maintain a large home,” he said. “Maybe people who have their kids out of the house and instead of mowing the lawn would rather sit on their balcony overlooking New Hampshire Street and have a beer.”

Harris said the project also was drawing interest from Kansas University alumni who would use the condos as a second or third home.

Hobbs Taylor Lofts has drawn attention from several out-of-state residents, Harris said, after they learned about the project from national news stories that focused on protesters who unsuccessfully tried to stop a large elm tree from being cut down at the site.

“We had some people who said they followed the tree story and became curious about how this type of living would work,” Harris said.

The condo units will range in size from 1,000 square feet to 2,500 square feet. All will have upscale finishes such as granite counter tops, Jacuzzi tubs and colored concrete floors. Owners also will be able to select from three decorating styles — contemporary, traditional and industrial. Each will have a balcony.

Each owner also gets a parking spot in a gated underground garage, and owners will have to agree to covenants that would prohibit them from buying the condos to rent them out as apartments.

Linda Boyd, a Stephens Real Estate agent who is marketing the project, said she thought the downtown upscale idea would be well-received.

“I think we’re definitely ready for it,” Boyd said. “I think part of it is because we have grown as a city. We have gotten to the point where it could take you a half hour to get across town. I think people like the idea of being in the center of it all.”

The 100,000-square-foot building also will house retail space and a bank, which hasn’t been named yet, on its ground floor and office space on its second floor.

This is a traditional-style kitchen. Prices start at 20,000 for a one-bedroom unit.