Movin On Up - Pearl Multimedia

THE
RADAR
REALTY!
BY TRAVIS NEIGHBOR WARD
W Atlanta-Buckhead has designs on Thom Filicia.
Descante in Buckhead’s Tuxedo Park subdivision
MOVIN’ ON UP
While the rest of the real estate market slumps, Atlanta is still thinking big.
LIVING LARGE
Housing slump? Who cares when you’re selling your home for $19 million! That’s the price tag on
Descante, a seven-bedroom mansion built in 1997 with 10 full and three half baths on 3650 Tuxedo
Road—the most expensive single-family house in Atlanta at presstime. On the market since April and
designed by architect Norman Askins, Descante sits on more than 4 acres, and is a poster child for
custom detailing and European imports. On the exterior, the tone is set by a 16th-century baptismal
courtyard fountain, 400-year-old roof tiles from Burgundy and a grand porte-cochere shipped straight
from Barcelona. There’s also a golf path, heated pool made of quartz and pool/guest house with a gym.
Inside, you can ride the elevator up four floors and gaze upon murals by Carlos Nadal, a pupil of
Picasso, cozy up in front of the 14-foot limestone fireplace constructed at Cambridge University,
then follow a secret, paneled passageway to the living room where you can ruminate on last year’s
annual taxes: $109,428. Listing agent: Glennis Beacham, Beacham & Company, 404.261.6300 or www.beacham.com.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts just can’t get
enough of Atlanta. They recently announced
plans for yet another W Hotel here, this time
in Buckhead where the Crowne Plaza hotel is
currently located at 3377 Peachtree Road.
And Starwood’s not giving much lead time for
local developers Noble Investment Group to
head up the 11-story project: Doors should be
open on this $100-million redevelopment
next summer, just a few months after the
W Atlanta-Midtown opens. Aside from the
luxury amenities typical of the brand (such as
the Whatever/Whenever concierge service
that will hunt down anything guests want 24
hours a day), the hotel’s interior design will be
the brainchild of Thom Filicia of Queer Eye for
the Straight Guy fame. Even if you don’t plan
to camp out at the W Atlanta-Buckhead
overnight, you can always ride the exterior
glass elevator to the rooftop bar for a cool
cocktail, eat at the yet-unnamed two-story
restaurant or kick back at the on-site Bliss Spa.
www.starwoodhotels.com/whotels.
BLOWN AWAY
The dawning of the
age of Aquarius Tower
64
> JULY / AUGUST 2007
Here’s a new project with an eye toward the environment: the Aquarius Tower, currently
under construction at the corner of Ivan Allen Jr. Boulevard and Luckie Street, right across
from the Georgia Aquarium. What makes this 38-story condo building from Lily
Development LLC one of a kind in Georgia are the solar panels on the roof and the wind
turbines that will convert raw resources into usable energy—in addition to the recycled
building materials used throughout. PFVS Architects’ plan for this nearly round design
incorporates ultra-modern features like sliding walls to partition off rooms in the loft-like
spaces, curved islands and freestanding cabinetry in kitchens, pre-wired surround sound
systems and an automated, underground valet parking service where you can drop off your
car with the touch of a button. The building will also include a two-story sundeck, pool
overlooking a park and a 700-square-foot café on the ground level. The 112 units range from the
$300s to $900s; the four penthouses start at $1 million. 770.623.8282 or www.aquariustower.com. A
DESCANTE PHOTOS BY THOMAS WARFIELD HILL PHOTOGRAPHY. THOM FILICIA PHOTO COURTESY OF THE STYLE NETWORK.
NOBLE ENDEAVOR