apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Ignoring the current weather situation for a moment, I wanted to ask: has anyone added central AC to a vintage building (steam radiators) without ductwork , without doing a total rehab? We got an estimate from spacepak, which uses mini ducts that can be retrofit better than convential ducts, and the cost was prohibitive. We are on the 2nd floor, which means there is limited ceiling space for ducts up there.
Just wondering if anyone has had luck with this or any recommendations for contractors in the Chicago area. Thanks
CT

I have a request, I have been looking to make a bulliten board out of magnetic stainless steel panels, does anyone know where i can get some large (48"x36") panels?

thanks

sorry....bulletin

CT-

Look on this old house website for a few articles about retrofitting... I'll save you some reading- it won't make you happy- the small micro ducts are essentially worthless as they cannot carry the necessary volume of air to properly cool the apt.

If you're on the top floor perhaps having a roof-top compressor would work...