The Business Monthly, September 2004

Vantage House Completes $11 Million Renovation

By Jacqueline Burrell

Nineteen months and $11 million later, Vantage House Life Care Retirement Community’s first major renovation is complete. But in looking at the final work in the Columbia Town Center facility, residents and board members alike are almost speechless.

“It is absolutely beautiful. I am so happy with it,” says 79-year old resident Adro Puma.

“It’s so much better than even I could’ve conceived,” notes Richard G. McCauley, President of Vantage House’s Board of Directors, who guided the renovation work.

Architectural renderings are difficult to conceptualize as it relates to colors, fabrics, finishes and the like, says McCauley. Now that it is all-together, “Overall, the effect is quite stunning.”

Initial Plans
McCauley worked with the architectural firm of Cochran, Stephenson & Donkervoet; Harkins Builders handled construction.

Before the facelift, Puma called Vantage House “homey.” Now, she says, “It’s more elegant,” but has still maintained that comfortable quality.

All of the retirement community’s common spaces have been reconfigured. A new color palette, plush furnishings, carpets, wall coverings, and plants are the most visible changes.

An expanded and spacious reception area makes the first impression on visitors. While the public spaces are separate, they open to one another, providing an easy meld from lobby to living room to library to the newly landscaped Wintergarden.

“The ultimate purpose of any renovation is to improve the lives of people living there now and those in the future,” says McCauley, adding that the number of residents using the living room has doubled and those enjoying the Wintergarden has more than quadrupled.

A table covered with pieces of a jigsaw puzzle has turned one of several seating areas in the light-filled Wintergarden into a regular communal gathering place, he notes.

The Wintergarden is a good example of the design process that went into Vantage House’s transformation.

With its high skylight, lush, natural plants and grand water fountain, “We wanted it to be a quite intentional space, light and airy but quiet and contemplative where residents could sit, talk and play games,” explains McCauley.

Details, Details
Thousands of details were involved in each decision, which meant that sometimes things required tweaking after the fact. At first, water gushed through the beautiful fountain with too much velocity, making it too loud. It didn’t add to the contemplative feeling. Ratcheting down the pressure was all it took to provide a soothing backdrop, particularly at nighttime, when all is quiet.

Overhead lights were added with a dimmer switch so the appropriate lighting could be achieved, depending upon the function.

Since all of the spaces open up to one another, large gatherings can be accommodated. State of the art audio systems allows music, such as someone playing the piano in the living room, to be heard throughout all of the public spaces. That includes a large, second floor seating area, which is open to the space below.

“One of the priorities of good interior design is to have an objective in mind,” says McCauley. “In a facility like Vantage House, the idea was to promote even more interaction between residents,” and that has been the case. Still, the renovation process moved at a deliberately slow pace, because change can become a serious emotional challenge, particularly for seniors. The average age of residents at Vantage House is 83.

“At that age, many are already dealing with traumatic changes, perhaps the loss of a spouse or having to sell the house they’ve lived in for years or both,” notes McCauley.

So the renovation was conducted with lots of input from residents over a slower period of time.

“It was difficult going through it,” agrees Puma. But she calls the result, “well worth it.”

This is Vantage House’s first major renovation since it opened its doors back in 1990. At that time little was known about the concept of a life care retirement facility, also known as continuing care retirement communities (CCRC). All housing options, from apartments to assisted living units and nursing home care, are together under one roof.

The Numbers
Vantage House’s 13-story building and adjacent five-story health center contain 224 apartment units. It was among Columbia’s first high-rise buildings in the Town Center area.

Today the not for profit retirement community is one of 32 such life care facilities in the state and the only one in Howard County, according to the Maryland Department on Aging.

Life care is the main selling point for many residents, such as Rufus Wilson, former Deputy Administrator of Veterans Affairs. “I watched them build this place,” recalls the 25-year Columbia resident.

Wilson, who moved after losing his wife to a heart condition several years ago, liked the fact that Vantage House was a small community, one where he could continue to live in Columbia near his family. But it was the continuing care component that sealed his decision.

It was what also sold resident Ethel Ward, a former Johns Hopkins nurse and member of the resident renovation committee, who likes the many on-site conveniences such as a mini market, bank, and beauty salon, but especially a library. Books are one of her passions. With the renovation, the library space was enlarged.

At every point in the renovation process, residents’ concerns were kept at the forefront, notes McCauley. For example, care was given to the height of chairs and sofas as well as the depth and firmness of the cushions, so residents would have no difficulty sitting down or getting back up, he adds.

The café has doubled in size and with its tiled floor, overhead fans and Matisse art prints, provides a relaxed, informal setting. Simple, yet elegant, the dining room looks like a high-end restaurant with its white linen tablecloths and Audubon bird and botanical art prints.

An Artful Approach
McCauley, an art history aficionado, personally logged hundreds and hundreds of hours selecting each of the more than 300 pieces of art that now adorn Vantage House. He did it using the Internet.

“I believe art is one of the most overlooked aspects of living facilities in general, and has the equal potential for being among the largest missed opportunities in public spaces,” he says.

From the fitness center, computer room and newly configured auditorium, everything has been made new again.

Vantage House’s transformation is more than cosmetic. Ten enhanced living suites have been added to the health center building’s top floor. They offer residents a level of care one step below an assisted living unit. Enhanced Living is a new concept in the continuum of care: residential apartment living with more services provided within the monthly fee.

A refinancing of the retirement complex two years ago, when interest rates were extremely low, provided the funding for Vantage House’s renovation without increasing its mortgage payments.

“What that means,” says McCauley, “is that people in Vantage House, after an $11 million renovation, do not have to pay any more in monthly costs as a result of the renovation.”