Leafy views, art bring Grant Park condo to life

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Developer Gene Kansas worked for nearly two years with designers, city officials and neighborhood advocates to get the right look for his neo-Victorian condos at One Grant Park in Atlanta. The New Orleans native lives in the unit with the memorable turret.

Developer Gene Kansas worked for nearly two years with designers, city officials and neighborhood advocates to get just the right look for his neo-Victorian condos at One Grant Park. When he conceived the building on the site of a former tire shop, he wasn't just creating a product. Kansas kept the prime condo at the third-floor turret for his own home. "It just feels like home," said the New Orleans native.

Kansas filled the two-bedroom unit with his beloved art collection, some from local artists and some from the Big Easy. The large sculpture at the right was fashioned from a single piece of metal by New Orleans artist A. Bert Greenwalt. "It used to hang in my father's office and when I got my first office, he gave it to me," Kansas said.

Kansas commissioned the Billie Holliday portrait from local artist Jon Bader in 2002. Bader kept a studio in a building that Kansas owns and bartered some artwork for rent.

"I'm a big fan of jazz," said Kansas, a real estate developer and broker who moved to Atlanta 13 years ago. "I'm from New Orleans, and it goes back to my roots."

The open kitchen flows into the dining room set up in the graceful curve of the turret. "It offers a nice, panoramic view," Kansas said. "I have breakfast there and do a lot of entertaining."

Overlooking Grant Park, the condo offers a leafy treetop vista that changes with the seasons. With a view like that to surround diners, Kansas opted to keep the dining arrangement spare.

The folky bird house on the right offers a funky counterpoint to the sleek lines of the modern kitchen. The little house is a favorite art object for Kansas because the sometime artist bought it with money he got from selling a painting at his first art exhibition. "It's a happy memory," Kansas said.

Kansas bought this eye-catching canvas at Wertz Contemporary Gallery. It was created by Lovemore Kambudzi, an artist from Zimbabwe, using a technique he calls "patchilism." The method takes its inspiration from pointillism, but expands the splashes of color to large swathes. The painting depicts an abandoned bus yard, where idled vehicles are being used for homes.

This view of the kitchen from the living room shows the Craftsman detailing on the windows.

A Malaysian Buddha statue blesses the living room. Kansas bought this item at an Inman Park auction. "The way they hold their hands tells a story of what they represent," Kansas said. "This one was knowledge and peace."

This hyper-real painting was a gift from a friend, Kansas said. "I happily inherited that from a friend who was getting married and his wife wanted it out of the house," he said with a chuckle.

The curve of the balcony doors in the master suite is among a number of surprising architectural flourishes at One Grant Park. "In creating the project, I wanted something that was different than the tradition," Kansas said. All the windows and doors in the building are custom made.

The painting over the bed, entitled "Multidirectional," was created by artist Colton Brown, another of Kansas's artist tenants who bartered paintings for studio space. Kansas kept the color scheme for his furnishings neutral so his art collection could provide the condo's visual punch.

This cheery bench resides between two roomy walk-in closets. Kansas said it makes a handy stop for putting on his shoes.

Kansas spent days in New Orleans photographing that city's famed artisan ironwork to come up with his design for this stair rail and other wrought-iron flourishes at One Grant Park. Local artisans at Metzger Moore forged the rails from Kansas's design.

On low-traffic days, Kansas can hear the Zoo Atlanta lions roar from the front balcony that runs the length of his living room.

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Developer Gene Kansas worked for nearly two years with designers, city officials and neighborhood advocates to get just the right look for his neo-Victorian condos at One Grant Park. When he conceived the building on the site of a former tire shop, he wasn't just creating a product. Kansas kept the prime condo at the third-floor turret for his own home. "It just feels like home," said the New Orleans native.

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