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A nearly 14-month process to transform a former office building suite into a $1.2 million luxury penthouse culminates with a special unveiling next weekend.

Wolfe Homes is opening its newly completed 16th-floor luxury penthouse at Center Pointe in downtown Greensboro to the public for an Uptown Living Expo. The builder has an ulterior motive beyond showing off the project — the company wants to give back to the community, specifically Hospice and Palliative Care of Greensboro.

The $5-per-person admission fee for the open house will benefit HPCG programs, many of which are funded primarily through community support.

“I can’t think of a better organization,” said builder Jim Wolfe, who chose HPCG because of its community work and impact.

And Paul J. Russ, director of resource development at Hospice and Palliative Care of Greensboro, is happy to be part of the event. The nearly 30-year-old organization relies on support from community donations and volunteers. According to Russ, HPCG has served 16,000 patients since 1980, and cares for an average of 330 patients daily.

In this economic climate, every bit helps, Russ said. “This past year financially the public contribution landscape has been quite challenging.”

HPCG offers hospice care in patients’ homes, as well as in assisted-living residences and long-term-care facilities. While hospice care is generally covered by insurance, the nonprofit raises $1 million a year to provide many services, including grief counseling, to children and adults dealing with life-threatening illnesses. And “no one is denied services if they are unable to pay,” Russ stated.

Expo organizers hope the event brings in visitors who will enjoy the view and help HPCG.

There’s a lot to see. The more than 3,000-square-foot penthouse has a master bedroom with his-and-hers closets and a luxury bathroom featuring a soaking tub, shower and separate vanities (one with a TV); a soundproof media room; a guest room; a study; living and dining rooms separated by a see-through fireplace; and a state-of-the-art kitchen complete with a wall of appliances that includes a refrigerator, full-size freezer and wine chiller, as well as a gas-top stove, leathered granite countertops, custom tile backsplash and a nifty drawer-access microwave.

“You can just imagine that will be a room that is central to that home,” Russ said of the kitchen.

The details in the kitchen and master bathroom are only part of the thoughtfully developed design, which also includes faux painting throughout the home in patterns such as “Sueded Linen,” “Golden Firefly” and “Shimmering Sunset.”

But the home’s dominant feature is the view, which is amplified with floor-to-ceiling windows.

The penthouse is part of the larger Center Pointe project helmed by developer Roy E. Carroll II. Homeowners started moving in to the 17-story high-rise this past spring, but the $40 million project to transform the former Wachovia building at North Elm Street and Friendly Avenue continues. The condominiums are being built by Carroll, founder and of the Carroll Cos. and Park View Development Corp. Floors three through 14 have a total of 94 units, and the 15th and 16th levels are dedicated to custom-built penthouses by Wolfe Homes.

The company’s recently completed penthouse will be sold furnished, with furniture and accessories to complement the urban sophistication Wolfe and designer Patra Wansley of Gilded Lily by Patra intended. Wolfe and Wansley say the project allowed them to do something different from the “Old World elegance” homes on which they typically collaborate. The sleek urban look “is a whole different twist on what we do,” Wansley said.

They achieved the look with cleaner styles, straighter lines and less intricate detailing than that associated with their traditional designs. Serenity was the goal. “People’s lives are so busy, so cluttered. We want to show them something where they can come home, just sit back and exhale,” Wolfe said.

But that doesn’t mean there won’t be details worth the $5 admission. “Each room will have some kind of surprise,” he said.

Expo parking note

In addition to street parking, there is a public parking garage at the corner of Elm and Bellemeade streets. This is at the north end of the block shared by the Center Pointe property. Parking in the garage is free after 5 p.m. and on weekends.