May 03, 2018

Inside Two Light Luxury Apartments in the Power & Light District

Step out on the sprawling private terrace of the most expensive penthouse at Two Light, downtown Kansas City's new luxury high-rise apartment building, and you'll see 180 degrees of skyscrapers and city streets.

From 22 floors up, trucks look like toys and the Sprint Center looks almost like a spaceship. The view is priceless, with a price tag: The penthouse costs $6,000 a month — and sorry, it's already rented.

After two years of construction, Two Light opens Friday at 1444 Grand Blvd. The Cordish Companies' $120 million, 25-story glass tower has 296 apartments, ranging from $1,200, 590-square-foot one-bedroom units to the $6,000, 1,558-square-foot two-bedroom penthouse with a private terrace.

All apartments come with floor-to-ceiling windows, showers surrounded by marble tile, open kitchens with stainless steel GE appliances, sleek Thermofoil cabinets and oversized islands with quartz countertops.

Around 55 percent of Two Light's units are already leased. Nick Benjamin, executive director of the Power & Light District, says demand has been right in line with One Light, the other Cordish residential high rise, which opened in 2015 at 50 E. 13th St. Benjamin says he expects Two Light to be fully leased by midfall.

From the outside, Two Light looks a lot like One Light — they're both rectangular glass towers that reflect the sky and cityscape.

But inside, Two Light has its own personality.

"There's a real aesthetic difference between the two buildings," Benjamin says, explaining that One Light has a polished "Manhattan"-like vibe and that Two Light is more like "Brooklyn," with rustic textures — leather, wood, metal — and art everywhere.

Many pieces pay tribute to famous Missourians and Kansans.

A black-and-white print of Ernest Hemingway, who once worked for The Star, broods in a nook next to the lobby.

A colorful collage with a photo of Kansan Amelia Earhart decorates the mail room, and an image of Satchel Paige, who played for the Monarchs, hangs out on the wall next to the gym.

Two Light's exterior features a mural of former KU basketball player Mario Chalmers' famous buzzer-beating three-point shot in the 2008 national championship.

One Light and Two Light also have different amenities.

One Light tenants get easy access to the Cosentino's Market grocery store on the ground floor and Onelife Fitness KC, a gym inside the building.

At Two Light, the amenity level spreads over 15,000 square feet on the eighth floor.

The first thing you see when you step off the elevator is a club room with a 130-inch TV mounted above a glittering gas fireplace. The tufted sectional leather couch faces the screen; behind it are winged leather chairs facing a wall of artfully arranged bookshelves and banquette seating.

The cocktail lounge-like space designed by Rebecca Jones of Baltimore-based interior design firm RD Jones is separated by a wooden room divider that resembles an abacus; the carpeted floor spells out a poem by Thomas Moore.

Keep walking and you'll see a co-working area with a quiet room, conference room and terrace. Beyond that is a gym with free weights, TRX stations and cardio machines overlooking the Crossroads Arts District. There's also an indoor heated pool with spa loungers and a view of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.

Also on Two Light's amenity level: an entertainment kitchen for wine tastings and chef demonstrations and a party room with a bar and glass garage-style doors that open to a deck with grilling stations and an infinity pool.

Two Light's pool isn't as large as One Light's, but it overlooks 14th Street and the KC Live block.

The deck also features what Benjamin calls "The Belvedere," a multilevel terrace where residents can sip drinks while listening to the outdoor concerts eight floors below.

In a few years, the Belvedere will also have a direct view of Three Light.

View article online here

Join the Newsletter

Sign up to receive the latest updates and news from The Cordish Companies.