Future residents get sneak peek at rising Mansion
By JULIE B. HAIRSTON
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 09/15/07
To City Centre developers John Williams and Clark Butler, the "topping" Friday of the 580-foot Mansion on Peachtree marked the $165 million project's halfway mark to completion.
But Shirley Glass — standing on the 38th floor where her two-bedroom, dual-level home will enjoy a panoramic view of the Atlanta skyline — was feeling halfway to heaven.
"I'm really excited about it," Glass said as the developers, managers and a herd of media and guests milled about the unfinished space. Barely beating the afternoon storms, they took in the views from what will ultimately become one of the city's tallest buildings and one of its most exclusive enclaves.
One of several ultra-luxury condo-hotel projects now under construction in the city, the Mansion appears to be on track to welcome its first occupants next spring. Selling its condos for an average of $1,000 per square foot and planning to command rates starting at $400 per night in the adjoining hotel, the Mansion will ultimately be joined by the St. Regis, the W and Sovereign in efforts to attract multimillionaires to a pampered urban lifestyle only a privileged few ever experience.
"What we were looking for was to be in the premier building in Atlanta that had all the best services," said Glass, who will be moving from another Atlanta highrise.
Williams said the Robert A.M. Stern design, which broke ground in May 2006, is about 50 percent sold.
"What has astonished me is the number of people who are buying whole floors," Williams said.
The largest unit sold so far is about 8,900 square feet and another under contract also will encompass more than 8,000 square feet, according to City Centre president Butler. Of an available 45 units, Butler said the company now expects the residences, which include three 5,000 square foot "villas" in the back flanking the English garden, to house about 35 owners at full occupancy.
In addition to homes featuring 12 1/2-foot ceilings, "huge" windows and a private entrance separate from the hotel, the Mansion's residents will have access to two signature restaurants, a 4,500-square-foot fitness center and 29 Spa, the latest creation of international spa consultant Lydia Mondavi.
"Most people are pretty well convinced that they will not only have a beautiful place but they also will be making a great investment," Williams said.
Buyers so far include both current Atlanta residents and newcomers from the United States and abroad. Many of the buyers own a number of homes in choice locations, Williams said.
"Atlanta has become a much more sophisticated market than it was even ten or 15 years ago, more accommodating of an urban lifestyle," Williams said.
The 127-room hotel will cater to executive travelers on business or pleasure with personalized butler service, twice-a-day housekeeping and luxury accommodations. Rosewood, which includes New York City's famed Carlyle Hotel and Dallas' Mansion at Turtle Creek among its properties, plans to bring a worldly standard to its services and amenities.
Craft, a 225-seat restaurant by award-winning chef Tom Colicchio, will face Peachtree Street in front of the Mansion.
And inside, the hotel will feature NEO, a contemporary Italian restaurant featuring seasonal cuisine.
Liugi Romaniello, managing director of the hotel, brought his pastry team from Rosewood Crescent Court in Dallas to provide a three-foot replica of the Mansion in cake for the occasion. Even among the construction dust and debris of the ongoing project, globes brimming with exotic calla lilies adorned the tabletops and displays.
"I want to bring in the right mix of city hotel and resort," Romaniello said.
Before Butler whacked the champagne bottle on the "topping-out" cement bucket to be hauled to the roof for pouring, Williams said he isn't concerned about the competition emerging in Atlanta for a rarified collection of buyers in an uncertain economy.
The Mansion, he said, will attract the right buyers for the right reasons.
"This is truly an iconic building. It will look as good in 50 years as it does the day we finish it," he said.
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