Kennedy-King Smart Home

A smart home near downtown pushes all the right buttons.
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Photo courtesy RC Fine Portraits

Just a few years ago, building a luxury smart home in the dilapidated Kennedy-King neighborhood wouldn’t have seemed smart at all. But an urban pioneer working for Cummins saw promise in the area (along with a rare vacant lot near downtown), and decided to take a chance. The result is a gorgeous house where the locks and lights respond to your smartphone. And the neighborhood? It has responded with microbreweries and renovations.

Built by local homebuilder Alpha Group 1 as its first project, the house makes the most of its tiny footprint by stretching vertically. The three floors accommodate as many bedrooms and baths, and somehow leave plenty of open space for entertaining. The gleaming white kitchen, dining room, and living room form one long conversation hall. Outside, an elevated walkout deck with built-in seating overlooks a fenced patio. The design has proved so popular that Alpha Group 1 currently has nine similar houses underway, most of them near East 16th Street.

In a few places, Latin American accents emerge in the home’s floor tile, a nod to the seller’s Brazilian heritage. Most of the house, however, is ultra-contemporary. In addition to its minimalist design, every inch of the 3,100-square-foot home is wired for modern convenience. Need to turn down the lights? Adjust the humidity? Unlock the front door for your friends? Just ask Alexa to do it. If she could order a growler of carryout beer from Cannon Ball Brewing up the street, all your problems would be solved.

WANT TO BUY IT?

Address: 1964 Park Ave.

List price: $600,000

Agent: Sarah Beth Skidmore, 317-610-9818