It's hard to believe that just ten years ago we celebrated the grand opening of Merrill Gardens at The University! This photo was taken at the groundbreaking - The University was part of our first intergenerational project that includes sister property The Cordyon apartments.
What started as a big pile of dirt turned into an amazing and successful community and it was winning accolades before it even opened - in 2008 the community won a Gold Award for Best Proposed Retirement Community from the National Active Retirement Association. Another big honor came in 2010 with a Finalist Award from the prestigious Urban Land Institute (ULI) Awards for Excellence. The community was recognized for offering an intergenerational living experience, the only senior housing project in North and South America to be recognized as a finalist.
As much as we appreciate the awards, what has always mattered most at The University is our residents. Lois (above) was one of the first residents to move in, she was a member of our Charter Club and we are thrilled that she has been here ever since.
To celebrate our ten year anniversary, we threw a big party for residents and team members.
Mary and Joe (seen above) are also long time residents, they moved to the community in 2010.
The photo booth at the party was a big hit!
Love those hats!
It's so nice to celebrate together and see the big smiles on everyone's faces and those glasses are marvelous!
The anniversary bash featured some great food from our dining team and a casino night too.
Here's to ten more great years!