The crown of downtown living, an ear-popping penthouse 32 stories above Walnut Street, has been purchased by a Leawood couple with an appetite for the “wow factor.”

Alan Antin and his wife, Terry Cracraft-Antin, plan to spend $3.5 million to create a bit of suburban Johnson County in the sky — a luxury nest done in “Old World European” style with a touch of Asia.

It’s located atop the historic Fidelity National Bank & Trust building, which reopened in 2005 as the 909 Walnut apartments.

The 6,100-square-foot, four-level penthouse takes up the 32nd and 33rd floors and the north turret above them. At 360 feet above street level, it’s being described as the tallest residence in a five-state region: Missouri, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska and Oklahoma.

“We’re looking for the distinctive at this point in our life, and it’s got a lot of wow factor, no doubt about it,” Cracraft-Antin said.

“It’s nice to do something that’s unique and special,” Antin said.

Their planned layout includes three bedrooms, 4½ bathrooms, a gourmet kitchen, a living room with a stone fireplace, a rooftop terrace, an eight-seat home theater and a recreation room at the tip-top of the turret with spectacular views out of three 14-by-14-foot windows formerly occupied by clock faces.

On a clear day, the couple can see the glistening spire of the Community of Christ Temple in Independence 10 miles away.

“I’m actually afraid of heights,” Cracraft-Antin said. “But the more I go up there, the more I get used to it.”

The layout, being created by Joann Romano of Architectural Elements and to be built by Bryant-Ratliff Construction Inc., is in the early stages. Right now, the space is raw concrete and brick walls, with a rickety spiral staircase — which Antin likes to shake to scare visitors — providing access to the turret.

The Fidelity National Bank building opened in 1931 and was done in the Art Deco style of the period. That’s not the couple’s taste, however, and by the time the penthouse is completed, all that will remain from the original interior will be the terrazzo floor at the main elevator entrance.

The new owners prefer rich, traditional styling to what they described as the more spartan, contemporary look of most urban lofts.

“This project, when it’s done, won’t be anything like the normal downtown apartment,” Antin said. “It’ll look more like a luxury home.”

In fact, they met Romano and contractor Ron Ratliff while touring model luxury homes in southern Johnson County. They liked the quality of their work and asked them to do their penthouse. Neither has worked downtown before.

“Alan and Terry are such visionary people,” Romano said. “They can verbalize their vision, and I can realize it.”

Upon entering the penthouse on the 32nd-floor level from one of the elevators serving 909 Walnut, guests will pass a powder room furnished with hand-crafted iron and clay fixtures and then enter a living room with wraparound panoramic views. It is a 50-foot-long space, 18 feet wide, flanked by 10-foot-tall windows, six on each side. A stone fireplace is at one end, and a gourmet kitchen is at the other.

Antin’s office will be on the north side, behind the kitchen, with views overlooking the Missouri River. He owned Antin House of Video during the 1980s and is now a private investor who works from his home.

“I think about this office and how I’ll be able to daydream and look at a half-dozen windows with all kinds of things to see,” Antin said.

He’s already had an eyeful. One day, while an air show was being held, an old biplane flew right by the turret.

A grand staircase done in wood and custom fixtures will lead from the living room to the 33rd-floor level. That space has no windows, and the couple decided it was perfect for a home theater space. With Antin’s background in entertainment systems, this is no ordinary setup. It will feature a 9-foot-wide screen.

On the north side, at the base of the turret, will be the 800-square-foot master bedroom that includes a 290-square-foot closet. Between the theater and the bedroom will be a glass-enclosed spiral staircase leading up to an outdoor terrace.

The 800-square-foot terrace is between the two turrets, and the two plan to plant trees, plants and shrubs there. For windy days — there are plenty at that 34-story height — a 6-foot glass windscreen is being installed. The terrace is where the building’s Art Deco style dominates, with terra cotta friezes and decorated pediments framing the space.

The turret itself will be divided into two levels, one for a pair of guest bedrooms, the top for the recreation room. That 800-square-foot aerie, which rivals downtown’s tallest buildings in height, will include a pool table, a bar, a fireplace, plasma televisions and an exercise area.

Staircases will link all four levels of the penthouse, as will a private elevator.

Building all this will not be easy, and the contractor is in the process of applying for a city permit.

“It’s been the challenge of applying the commercial codes to a residential project,” Ratliff said.

All the materials will have to be hauled up the passenger elevator at 909 Walnut. The drywall alone needed to cover the raw concrete walls is expected to weigh 16 tons.

The couple had weighed the idea of using a helicopter to haul up materials, but that would have cost at least $50,000 and required the closing of downtown streets around the building.

Before Antin became a solo investor, he and his wife were partners in a company that bought and renovated houses. While nothing they did was as big as their new home, Antin said that experience gave them the confidence to take on the challenge.

“This space was available a long time, and I think it scared people,” he said. “Once you understand construction and what it takes, it’s not as scary.”

The Antin penthouse is one of only two condos at 909 Walnut. The remainder of the commercial and residential building includes 159 upscale apartments, all but eight of which are rented.

Developer Glenn Solomon said he was delighted about having the couple in the building.

“It shows people are still making big investments in downtown Kansas City,” Solomon said.

John Anderson, a broker-manager for Prudential Kansas City Realty’s downtown office, said the penthouse investment had set a record for downtown housing.

“To my knowledge, it’s probably the most expensive unit that’s been purchased downtown including the finish,” he said. “It’s a wonderful endorsement of what’s happening downtown.”

While grand in vision, the couple’s decision to move downtown mirrors the motivation of many of the area’s new residents.

“Part of the story is we’re typical suburbanites who had never set foot downtown,” Cracraft-Antin said. “My son got us to come down and look at lofts, and we thought, maybe we should get out of the ’burbs.”

Antin said there’s a nice symmetry involved with their decision.

“As empty-nesters, we wanted a more active and urban lifestyle,” he said. “The timing … with Kansas City coming into its own and redeveloping downtown came together nicely.”

Now, they are looking forward to the day when they’ll be able to walk out the door of 909 Walnut for entertainment at the Sprint Center and Power & Light District, or something simpler.

“We love the City Market,” Antin said. “Living in the suburbs, it’s a treat to come down. We envision walking down every Saturday morning with our cart and picking up fresh produce.”

Mansion in the sky

Alan Antin and Terry Cracraft-Antin of Leawood plan to move into the highest-profile condo in the downtown area — a penthouse atop the 909 Walnut building. The details:

Total cost: $3.5 million

Size: 6,100 square feet, over four levels

Height: About 360 feet above Walnut, thought to be the highest residence in a five-state region

Features: Three bedrooms, 4 1/2 baths, 50-foot-long living room with a stone fireplace, gourmet kitchen, office, eight-seat home theater and a recreation room with 18-foot ceilings

Outdoor access: 800-square-foot terrace

Amount of drywall to be hauled up: 16 tons

Reproduced with permission of The Kansas City Star © Copyright 2006 The Kansas City Star. All rights reserved. Format differs from original publication. Not an endorsement.

© Kansas City Area Development Council