The historic Mark Twain Tower celebrates its centennial in 2023 with the official opening of The Mark Tower in downtown Kansas City on July 27 at an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony from 6-9 p.m. The opening will showcase the adaptive reuse restoration that now sports 222 affordable-luxury apartment units versus its 22 floors formerly devoted to fitness in 1923 when it opened as the Kansas City Athletic Club and later became the luxurious Continental Hotel.
In addition to apartment living, bookings are available for the restored opulent ballroom and leases for the ground-floor retail space. The grand opening will beckon visitors to the grand ballroom, where entertainment resumes once again within this space, still reflecting the timeless grandeur of the 1920s, with soaring ceilings, balcony, original chandeliers, and stone wall and floor tiles.
The ribbon cutting will take place at 6 p.m. from the Juliet Balcony on the fifth floor. Craft cocktails and treats will be positioned throughout the building for the opening event. Tours will be conducted throughout the evening within apartments available for rent where many dignitaries graced, including President Harry Truman – his haberdashery had been across the street; Kansas University’s Phog Allen who had played on the national winning club (even beating universities including KU and MU) that opened this tower as their practice facility; and Hugh Hefner who operated and often visited The Playboy Club Kansas City from the 1960s and 70s above the floors of the Continental Hotel.
Developers, The Bernstein Companies and Aria Residential, spent over $60 million toward historic preservation and building restoration. They have a reputation for saving historic buildings and transforming them into aspirational yet attainable living spaces within the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. The Mark is their first venture into Kansas City, a market where their strengths feel ‘right at home’ with the residential rental needs of the city.
The mix of a contemporary-modern aesthetic with the golden-era of the athletic club blends the best of both worlds. The restoration retained the impeccable craftsmanship, quality finishes and timeless elements including terrazzo, tile, and wood flooring from the Athletic Clubs foyers, gyms, and basketball courtsto proudly fuse history and modernity in each step.
“Preserving a majestic building with historical ties to many notable people and the mind-blowing scale of the athletic club from the 1920s is a perfect fit within our restoration mission. Despite others unable to do the job, we knew our experience aligned perfectly to save it by creating an aspirational place to live,” said Phil Aftuck with The Bernstein Cos. “Residents will feel inspired by the preserved historical features embellished with the comforts of modern living. Each unit has quartz counters, spacious closets, and washers and dryers.”
The Mark is a short walk to the P&L District and the streetcar line, while biking and parking are easily accessible given the ground floor bike storage and use of a connected garage. The Mark amenities address physical health, just as the building’s original charter, but now fashioned for popular workouts performed today – including a variety of workout spaces, a gym, a yoga studio, and meditation spaces. Other popular amenities include a social lounge, extra storage spaces, secure package delivery lockers, and a pet spa.
“This place pulsed with activity through much of its history, and residents and guests will again feel the energy yet appreciate its location is also relaxing outside the chaos with proximity to anything the heart desires,” said Josh Beniam with Aria Development.
About The Mark Tower
The Markoffers affordable-stylish apartments located at 11th and Baltimore in Downtown Kansas City (106 W. 11th Street, Kansas City, Missouri, 64105). The The Bernstein Cos and Aria Residentialdeveloped the 22-story Mark Twain Tower and are leasing various units ranging from 3-bedroom 2-story lofts to one and two-bedrooms and studio options. themark-kc.com
About Aria Development Group
Aria Development Group is an award-winning real estate company with multifamily investments in New York, Washington, DC, Miami, Nashville, Charlotte, and Kansas City. Aria was founded in 2009 by Joshua Benaim with partners David Arditi and Timothy Gordon to “think different” and generate outsized risk-adjusted returns through a hands-on, vertically integrated approach to value creation. Focused on building and acquiring premier residential properties in great neighborhoods, Aria currently has over $1 billion and 4,000 units under development across the United States. Notable Aria projects include the innovative YOTELPAD Miami and 501 First Miami, the classic ground-up and value-add developments of The Clifton, The Bond, and The Alden in Washington, DC, the record-breaking 321 Ocean in Miami Beach, the creative reimagining of a 400,000-square-foot vacant office building into the 338-unit rental apartment building The Highline in Hyattsville, MD, and the timeless 1 Boerum Place and 465 Pacific in Brooklyn.
For more information, visit www.ariadevelopmentgroup.com.
About Aria Residential
Aria Residential aspires to be the world’s first high-performance, technologically-savvy, ethically empowered management company. Aria seeks to maximize the NOI of a property while acting as stewards of the physical asset and of the resident experience. Aria incorporates innovative technology into the choreography of the leasing process to make finding an apartment seamless. We also believe that a touch of human kindness combined with technology makes residents happy and property performance sing. Aria’s innovative programming ranges from a rooftop potter’s wheel to covid-friendly concerts, community service projects, and more. Our growth trajectory began in Washington, DC, and our pipeline now has distinctive properties in dynamic neighborhoods of New York, Charlotte, Kansas City, Nashville, and beyond. Learn more at www.arialiving.com.
