Chicago muralist Mauricio Ramirez has completed a spectacular mural on the side of the newly opened City Club Apartments Crossroads Kansas City.
“This is an extraordinary installation, and we are pleased to be working with a brilliant artist in Mauricio Ramirez,” said City Club Apartments (CCA) Senior Vice President of Design & Brand Peter Burgoyne. “CCA has long prioritized global wildlife initiatives, public art and community engagement, and this mural will not only be a local landmark, but a source of civic pride and a signature piece of art for all of Kansas City. This mural is part of our continued commitment on creating engaging neighborhood spaces, and to providing access to the arts and design by weaving it into the fabric of our communities.”
City Club Apartments Crossroads Kansas City, a historic 5-story hotel conversion complete with a 7-story new building, retail and restaurant amenities located at the corner of Main and 20th, is a recent addition to the vibrant Crossroads neighborhood. The community has 283 apartments, duplexes, townhouses, penthouses and furnished apartments.
The mural’s subject, a spectacular rendering of a Western Lowland Gorilla, touches on a topic close to the heart of Jonathan Holtzman, CCA Founder & CEO. Holtzman, a longtime advocate for wildlife preservation, founded the Holtzman Wildlife Foundation, an organization that distributed $1 million annually for education, advocacy and the repopulation of endangered species.
Ramirez, along with assistant Antonio Gómez, navigated the challenges of painting through continued construction and cold weather, suspended on a swing stage and applying what to-date has been 80 to 90 gallons of high-end outdoor paints and specialty nitro-acrylic spray. While creating large-scale outdoor art in fall and winter can be challenging, Ramirez has experience painting murals in places like Chicago and Milwaukee.
“Not to be dramatic, but at times it felt a little like climbing Mt. Everest,” says Ramirez. “You put on multiple layers of clothes, and you have all of this specialized equipment. But once I’m on the wall, I just get lost in the work.”
The 60’x70’ finished mural provides a signature image animating a highly visible span of one of the most prominent spaces in this iconic Kansas City neighborhood.
Located along the Kansas City Streetcar mass transit route, City Club Apartments Crossroads includes 283 apartments, duplexes, townhouses, penthouses and furnished apartments with 50 distinct floor plans, balconies, terraces and bay windows, 9 to 20-foot ceilings, a rooftop Sky Park, pool and Terrace Club, outdoor theater, 5G wireless, Green Certified, and nearly 300 underground parking spaces. The building is also Clean Rated, which includes a regular 114-point checklist on social distancing, intensive cleaning methods and medical health reporting.
City Club Apartments Crossroads’ boutique hotel style-lobby library includes an engaging and comfortable lounge, business center and conference room, and 24/7 concierge service. The first floor of City Club Apartments features a DGX, designed to provide residents and members of the surrounding community with an affordable retail option in a modern retail format. James Beard-winning local restaurateur Howard Hanna has announced the opening of two new concepts at City Club Apartments Crossroads in 2021: a 2,000-SF wine bar and a two-story 4,000-SF classic diner with outdoor terrace seating. City Club Apartment’s second floor Club Room includes a theater, gourmet kitchen and lounge seating, and opens up to the community’s outdoor courtyard. The courtyard features an outdoor movie theater, fire pits, bark park, beach, yoga and Zen Garden. On the top of the historic hotel building is the rooftop Sky Park with heated outdoor pool, hot tub, movie theatre, wrap around day beds , cabanas, and a spectacular view looking across the vibrant Crossroads neighborhood towards downtown Kansas City.
