After suffering a serious medical emergency, Scottsdale’s Tom Halverstadt made a Landmark decision. Forgoing house-ownership and all that it required, Halverstadt bought into Kierland Commons’ conveniently located and luxuriously appointed condo building.
Businessman and father of two, Halverstadt just moved into a magnificently finished three- bedroom penthouse at The Landmark, the north Scottsdale condominium community in Kierland developed by Scottsdale’s Butte Companies. The sixth-floor, 3,604-sq.-ft. home looks out over the undulating Westin Kierland Golf Course and west toward the Estrella and White Tank mountains. This was a move the 52-year-old wanted to make - and had to. A little more than a year ago, he passed out in his car while leaving a local dealership; fortunately, staff noticed the idling car and summoned help. The doctors at Mayo Arizona Clinic diagnosed a brainstem stroke caused by basilar artery occlusion. Because it affects the part of the brain that controls attention and consciousness, this kind of stroke entails an 80 percent fatality rate.
Halverstadt survived the stroke, prayed for by daughters Kaitlin and Alexandra, other family members, friends and associates, and assiduously administered to by his Mayo Arizona Clinic team of neuroradiologist Joseph Hoxworth, endovascular surgical neuroradiologist Brian Chong and neurologist Bart Demaerschalk.
In recovering, Halverstadt had to make life changes, including finding a home that required less maintenance. “I was done with home ownership and everything associated with that: pool, yard work, etc.,” Halverstadt notes. He placed his Sedona and Scottsdale houses on the market in favor of something less time-consuming.
Determined to make a new life, Halverstadt looked at a variety of other mid-rise luxury communities throughout Scottsdale and Phoenix. None, however, offered the proximity to 730-acre Kierland Commons, with its mix of restaurants and shops, and a location adjacent to the 27-hole golf course. What’s more, The Landmark offers residents a “distinguished lifestyle:” the finest interior finishes, large floor plans, outstanding common amenities and take-your-breath-away vistas.
“This particular unit offered, in my opinion, the best floor plan of any condo I saw on the market,” says Halverstadt, president of a family foundation that capitalizes worthy causes nationwide. He also contracts services at the Mayo Hospital and Clinic and hopes to volunteer soon with the Boys and Girls Club of Scottsdale. “I don’t do a lot of cooking living by myself, so the kitchen area is perfect for me,” he adds, praising its compactness and Wolf and SubZero appliances. “My new home has one of the largest living areas I have seen, and the three-bedroom-suites layout is perfect for my two daughters and I. It even has a media room—which I intend to utilize to its fullest.”
Featuring 11-foot ceilings, Halverstadt’s $2 million penthouse also has dual master bedrooms and a wrap-round balcony that, paradoxically, has become his favorite room. “I spend quite a bit of time outside, and my balcony affords me a place I can take in the beautiful view, relax or entertain if I desire, and the dual-master setup is ideal for my daughter Alexandra and I,” he adds. “Because Kaitlin is away at college, my youngest will be with me for another year. We are both able to shut our respective doors and realize total privacy, when we desire.”
The slick interior design begins with great finishes by Scottsdale’s Est Est and its president and owner Tony Sutton. In addition, Halverstadt has incorporated some of his own furniture and artwork to complement the firm’s work.
“The idea was to create a space that had a modern twist on sophisticated elegance,” explains Kristin Fredstrom, the Est Est interior designer who coordinated the design for Halverstandt’s home.
Fredstrom married warm dark tones of walnut and cherry on the floors and cabinets with the pure neutrals found on the walls, carpets and countertops. In the master bath, for example, creamy neutral materials combined with the rich, dark color of the cabinets create a natural gender balance, Fredstrom says.
Success is in the combination. For example, the Est Est team selected rough, split-face stones and placed them next to a glazed creamy tile and a glass tile for an unexpected juxtaposition of textures. “Light reflection is important,” Fredstrom explains, “and the sparkle that is given off by glass or, in this case, a mother-of pearl decorative tile, helps with that somewhat simple task.”
The decorative crushed-glass tiles surrounding the simple box opening of the fireplace in the living room accomplish this: “They create such a beautiful, yet minute, detail with the glow of the fire bouncing off the crackles in the glass tile,” Fredstrom says. It doesn’t necessarily take a lot of color or busy patterns and details to make a space come alive. Using a unique blend of textures and finishes can make a space warm, inviting and elegant—even if it is with a neutral palette.”
Just outside their door, Halverstadt and his daughters have resort-style amenities and lock-and-leave convenience, explains Kirsten Brown, vice president and designated broker for Butte Companies. Developer Ed Lewis, well known for a variety of other developments including Scottsdale’s Kierland Corporate Center, has constructed two adjacent energy-efficient towers at The Landmark—one six floors, the other, seven—with homes from 960 to 4,400 square feet. They are united through exterior finishes of contemporary Southwestern styling and shared amenities, while each home has a unique design style, from New York penthouse to contemporary to Tuscan.
Halverstadt and his family and guests are greeted at the gated entry before they proceed to reserved and guest parking places or to a private garage he purchased with his condo. The 5,800-sq.-ft. ASID award-winning community clubhouse features a baby grand piano, catering kitchen, spacious outdoor veranda with fireplaces and a wet bar, and a ramada featuring barbeques for everyday use or for private parties. Also outside is a heated pool and spa with water features. Halverstadt’s condo overlooks this area, so he loves to leave his master bedroom door open and listen to the somnolent splashing below.
The Landmark also offers a 24-hour business center and conference room, a climate-controlled wine cellar with private lockers and two fitness pavilions with steam and massage rooms. In addition, two full-time concierge staff members arrange professional services, including absentee housekeeping, catering, appliance repair, dry cleaning and car service as well as recreational activities such as community parties, travel, personal training and tee times at the adjacent courses or those nearby.
Because of the recession, Butte Companies even made it simpler for Halverstadt and his daughters to move in. His Sedona home was on the market for almost a year when The Landmark offered to assume it as credit toward the purchase price of the condo, Halverstadt explains. “It was win-win. Not only did it help me to rid myself of my Sedona home, but it provided a way for The Landmark to sell me a unit.”
It was a therapeutic victory, too, as Halverstadt changed not just his address but his life. “Bottom line: I love the area and I plan to stay for quite a while,” he says, with a very healthy smile.
