Property Profiles
The Middle of Everywhere
Kirkwood resides in "the heart of the city." When complete, Kirkwood will have approximately 200 residences ranging from high- and mid-rise condos to freestanding, million-dollar-plus, single-family villas.
BY
Carrie Kent
PHOTOGRAPHY
Renderings courtesy Kirkwood

On an icy January afternoon, Steve Johnston, Kirkwood’s Director of Sales, escorts a visitor up the elevator at Kirkwood Circle to witness the view from an empty eighth-floor condominium. From that high post, one has a bird’s-eye view of Central Park, the rectangular green space at the center of DST Realty’s 10-acre, upscale, south Plaza residential development.

Gazing up and beyond Central Park, Johnston points out the city landscape to the east, where one can see various buildings comprising the UMKC campus, and, north of that, Stowers Institute and the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Immediately north of Kirkwood, the Country Club Plaza maintains a majestic presence, while Loose Park and the Kansas City Board of Trade beckon from the south and west.

Neighbors such as these explain why Johnston refers to the land on which The Residences of Kirkwood is built as “the social, civic, commercial and cultural heart of the city.”

And that is just the first reason why Kirkwood is considered a desirable place to call home.

In the lobby of Kirkwood Circle, Richelle Castro sits behind the reception desk. Castro serves as the concierge for all of Kirkwood’s residents. Her job description is both simple and vast: to assist residents with any request they might have. And when Castro isn’t working, someone else is — an attendant is on duty there 24 hours a day.

When complete, Kirkwood will have approximately 200 residences. These homes range from high- and mid-rise condos to freestanding, million-dollar-plus, single-family villas. Three-story row houses, two-story townhomes and a dozen coach homes (attached three to a building) are also on the grounds. While the style of homes varies, the architecture does not. All structures are built to complement the surrounding architecture of the Country Club Plaza. Buildings at Kirkwood have exteriors that combine elegant shades of red brick with cast stone trim, accented with wrought-iron gates and fencing.

In addition to the beauty of the place and its proximity to several of Kansas City’s finest attractions, Kirkwood appeals because it offers new construction with modern amenities near the traditional old-monied neighborhoods.

“It’s all about the neighborhood,” confirms Tom McGee, vice president of DST Realty, Inc., the developer of Kirkwood. “We were able to carve out 10 acres in this incredible location. And we knew it was the city’s only opportunity to tuck a true, new neighborhood within walking distance of the Plaza.”

You might say that Kirkwood and the Plaza share a common heritage. Miller Nichols, son of Plaza-developer J.C. Nichols, acquired the 10-acre parcel one lot at a time over a period of 30 years. Nichols sold the property to Highwoods Properties, the current owner of the Plaza. DST then purchased the land from Highwoods to develop Kirkwood. The inspiration for the development’s name comes from Kirkwood Hall, the residence of William Rockhill Nelson.

Located at 4950 Central, Kirkwood Circle is a 12-story building with 64 condominiums and a three-level parking garage underground. Each resident owns at least two assigned parking spaces, which they can sell or lease to other residents. The ground floor contains community amenities for use by all of Kirkwood’s residents. These include a fully equipped, 24-hour fitness center, an outdoor terrace with lap pool and a swimming pool that connects to an infinity waterfall over the side of the building. Indoors, there are three meeting areas, including the Kirkwood Room, a large lounge area for parties or meetings with adjacent kitchen for cooking or caterers.  A small conference room or large conference room with audio-visual capabilities and a “smart table” wired for high-speed internet and video conferencing are also available.

The lobby at Kirkwood Circle was recently refurbished with new furnishings and original artwork on the solid cherry-paneled walls.

Fewer than a dozen condos remain available at Kirkwood Circle, priced from $401,000 to $906,000, according to Johnston.

More condos are available down the road at Kirkwood Grove, a five-story building at 4900 Central with 26 residences and an underground parking garage. Available units there are priced from $500,000 to $915,000.

Eight row houses stand between Kirkwood Circle and the community’s Central Park green space. Standing four stories tall, each has its own elevator that transports residents and guests from the ground level, two-car garage up to the kitchen with large eating area on the main floor to the bedrooms and bathrooms on the third level and up to the fourth floor, which offers a peaceful terrace with optional library or multi-purpose room. Four of the row homes are still available and are priced from $839,000 to $886,000.

Eight freestanding villas adorn the perimeter of Central Park. Four are already sold, two are spec villas and two are lots available for custom building. The spec homes are priced at $1.9 million and more than $2 million, and the lots are $440,000 each.

The Townhomes on 50th Street are located south of the Park Villas. The nine two-story units — one is still on the market for $894,000 — have gated entries with rear-entrance attached garages.

J.E. Dunn Construction is now at work completing Kirkwood’s second phase of construction, another 30 residences comprised of a dozen coach homes, two four-story buildings of condos and two attached townhomes.

The Coach homes are built three to a building and are priced from $930,000 to $998,000. The two-story homes are built in a Georgian-Colonial style with finished daylight lower levels, private courtyards and detached two-car garages connected to the homes by a covered breezeway. The garages are also two-story, offering additional living space in the form of a mother-in-law suite, office or hobby room with kitchenette.

The Kirkwood Park condos offer two units per floor: a two-bedroom floor plan with more than 2,100 square feet of living space and a three-bedroom floor plan with more than 3,000 square feet of living space. The buildings have secured entries and underground parking with elevators that take the residents or the guests directly to their dwellings through the use of secure card keys. “Access is entirely controlled by the residents,” Johnston says.

Two townhomes on the north end of the property complete the second phase. Although attached, their entrances are on separate roads. One faces 49th Street and has a walk-out lower level to a courtyard. The one facing Wyandotte Street has a daylight lower level. Both feature main-floor master suites and each offers about 3,000 square feet of living space, not counting the finished lower levels. They are priced at $1,181,500.

A third phase will be built in the future. No date has been set yet and the design will be market-driven, according to Johnston.

The Kirkwood sales office is located at Kirkwood Circle and is open daily from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.  Contact an agent at 816/531-9444 or visit the website at kirkwoodkc.com.