From HUD to ALF
KKE Architects Convert a Minnesota HUH 202 Building to an
Assisted Living Facility
By Robin M. Smothers, APR
 Replicating
the comforts of home while meeting the needs of an aging community was the
result of a successful partnership between Minneapolis-based KKE Architects and
Presbyterian Homes and Services(PHS). KKE and PHS worked together to convert
Newton Manor to a facility approved for assisted living services. Located on the
Presbyterian Homes of Bloomington’s Minnesota campus, Newton Manor was
originally designed as a HUD 202 building.
“In looking at the changing needs of an aging population, we knew Newton
Manor would at some point need to address those changes,” explains Jim
Bettendorf, Presbyterian Homes of Bloomington housing administrator. “Part of
our 1999 strategic plan called for the transition of Newton Manor to a community
offering assisted living services. When we became aware of HUD funding that
would cover the cost of the construction project, we applied and were one of 13
nationwide recipients of an assisted living conversion program grant.”
Built in 1985, Newton Manor was the first building on PHS’ Gideon Pond
campus. It features 45 one bedroom apartments available to low-income residents.
Two other buildings were subsequently added to the campus in 1987 and again in
1994.
“We’ve always approached the Bloomington campus with a ‘down-the-road’
philosophy,” says Bettendorf. “Even as we were adding new structures, we
kept an eye toward the future, knowing that ultimately we would want these
buildings to be part of a larger, senior community.”
In order to offer assisted living services at Newton Manor, a community
dining room had to be added, along with space for a personnel and health care
service professional. Having worked with KKE Architects’ Designs for Aging
team in the past, Bettendorf says that PHS didn’t hesitate to call on their
expertise once again.
 “Our
design philosophy has always been based on a design from the ‘inside out’
approach,” notes John Gould, KKE architect principal and head of the Designs
for Aging studio. “That is, we begin by looking at the resident profile, their
capabilities and needs, as well as the efficiencies of caregiving and service
delivery. Only after we have a clear understanding of all these issues do we
begin the design process.”
Knowing Newton Manor residents would spend much of their time together in the
community dining room, Gould and his team carefully designed it with the same
homey feel that might be found in the residents’ own dining rooms. Multiple
windows permit generous amounts of natural sunlight to stream into the dining
area and offer views of the landscaped grounds. Other details include a working
fireplace and French doors that open to a trellis-covered patio. Since the new
addition also replaced some existing community space enjoyed by the building’s
residents, the KKE teams incorporated a large loft/library above the dining area
where residents relax and converse or simply enjoy a good book.
Work on the 4,375-square-foot addition began in January 2002 and was
completed in August 2002. The total project cost was $1,164,700. In addition to
the dining room and loft area, the building houses a service coordinator’s
office, home health care office and laundry area, a serving kitchen, and
beverage center.
Another important design component was the building’s style and exterior.
Not only would the building need to physically connect with the existing
structure, its facade would also need to blend with the style of the campus’s
two other buildings and compliment a future care center and community “town
square.” In Gould’s words, “The addition’s design needed to fit into the
greater community vision and campus context.”
 Presbyterian
Homes’ Bettendorf feels that the market-specific experience of KKE’s Design
for Aging studio was vital to the project’s success. “KKE’s knowledge and
understanding of how to create effective, comfortable environments for an aging
population really helped shape this addition and make it a success,”
emphasizes Bettendorf.
Newton Manor residents and their families also agree that the project is a
success. Bettendorf reports that after one resident finished eating her first
meal in the new dining room, she said that she was planning to call her family
and tell them she had just eaten at the “nicest restaurant in town.”
Another resident’s daughter summed up the project’s success in a recent
e-mail: “I just wanted to thank you for your extraordinary efforts in
achieving the completion of the new dining room addition in Newton Manor. It is
absolutely beautiful and a total delight! I was able to tour the dining area as
well as the new reading nook above it on the second floor and was stunned with
the quality, design and beauty that it brought to Newton. My mother’s morale
has sky-rocketed since the opening of the dining room, and I’m sure the effect
on other residents is similar. She now looks forward to her daily dining in the
new room and raves about her experiences there.
“Please extend our thanks to all who were involved with this effort—from
those who worked on the grant and paperwork, to the architects and interior
designers. Everyone should be very proud, not only of the end result, which is a
magnificent facelift and terrific addition to a tired old building, but perhaps
more importantly for the unseen message you have sent to these residents: That
their happiness, comfort and satisfaction are still important, and that they
deserve this.”
Presbyterian Homes of Bloomington is a division of Roseville, Minn.-based
Presbyterian Homes & Services. Presbyterian Homes & Services owns,
operates and manages senior communities in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa. KKE
Architects, Inc. has been in business for 35 years and has grown to become one
of the top 30 architectural firms in the country as ranked by Building Design
& Construction, July 2002. With a staff of 160 people, the company currently
has offices in Minneapolis and Newport Beach, Calif.
Robin M. Smothers, APR, is principal of Minneapolis-based RMS Public
Relations. She can be reached at robin@rmspr.com.
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