Lanier Village Estates Acts CCRC (2/22-23/2018)

Thursday, February 22, 2018

The Peachoid (1981, painted by Peter Freudenburg) is a water tower in
Gaffney, SC to remind people where the most peaches are really grown

We were up very early this morning, but made good time to get from Springfield, VA to Gainesville, GA for a 15:00 tour of Lanier Village Estates, another ACTS retirement community. They like to call themselves an active adult community, and the buzz is that they are the best of the ACTS communities. Situated on 107 acres, consisting of steep ridges and gullies, they have 31 carriage homes, 302 apartments, 11 assisted living suites, and 15 skilled care beds. It is also a gated community.

The Lanier Village Estates apartments are in 4-6 floor buildings

Daffodils are in bloom in the well-landscaped grounds

Lanier Village Estates lobby

We first checked into the guest apartment.

One of two bedrooms in the guest apartment

Guest apartment master bath with walk-in shower

Very large walk-in closet

Guest apartment kitchen with the laundry room beyond

Guest apartment living area

All the balconies and patios are screened

View from the balcony shows the covered parking

The Life Care Consultant Susan H handed us into the care of resident Karen C, who gave us a thorough tour of Lanier Village Estates.

One of three dining rooms, open for dinner only;
the room through the arch is the formal dining room that
an individual resident may use only once a month

The bistro is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner;
coffee, tea, and soft drinks are available 24/7

The West Village mail room

Lanier Village Estates apartments are divided between the West Village and East Village, and I believe Oak Bridge Terrace Assisted Living and Willow Brooke Court Skilled Care are on the lowest floors.

So there are also two libraries

Each library has a computer and magnifying readers

Auditorium

Chapel, where the back wall can be moved to open it up to the
auditorium to increase the number of seats for larger services

Beauty salon

We stepped outside to see the koi pond and view

Below us were the tennis courts and putting green.

Pool

Fitness room, which was actually being used

We also passed a billiards room, where four men were playing.

Gift shop

We were taken to the wood workshop, but it was locked up. There was a crafts room and card room, and a model train room!

Karen also showed us their two bedroom with den apartment, and we met her husband, Bob. They were a couple who brought much of their own furniture. They also had a great view, where on a clear day you can see the mountains of north Georgia. Later they took us to dinner and offered advice on getting through Atlanta traffic the next day. They assumed we had food in the refrigerator for breakfast, but we did not see any. However, after dinner, a staff member stopped by with a basket of goodies and milk that he put in the refrigerator.

Friday, February 23, 2018

Lake Sidney Lanier is actually a reservoir created by Buford Dam in 1956

After our breakfast, we got back on I-85 and per the advice we were given, took I-285 around to the east rather than the west. We arrived in Pensacola, FL at Azalea Trace by 16:30, which was 15:30 local time. We found Dad and Mike in Willow Brooke Court. Caught up on the latest, and soon headed to dinner in the main dining room.

Azalea Trace has added a memorial to veterans

The POW-MIA saved seat in the dining room

We were to spend a week in Pensacola, five days at the Comfort Inn and two days in the Midrise 4th floor guest apartment. Our initial task was to help Dad go through his files and shred whatever was no longer needed. Thankfully Azalea Trace has a couple large shredders, which made the job much easier. We did several other tasks to organize the apartment and make things easier if Dad returns to independent living. We were able to take him to lunch every day in the main dining room.

Granite Farms Estates Acts CCRC (2/20-21/2018)

Tuesday, February 20, 2018
We visited the second ACTS retirement community in Media, PA, Granite Farms Estates. There is friendly competition between the two ACTS communities, and this week they are competing against each other in water volleyball! Built in 1984, Granite Farms Estates is situated on 55 acres with about 300 apartments, 60 assisted living units, and 60 skilled care beds. They have completed a $300 million renovation, which includes a wing of assisted living apartments topped by The Preserve, two floors of luxury independent living in contemporary style.

Granite Farms Estates is a gated community,
and the "driveway" exits at a traffic light

View of the front of Granite Farms Estates, including the main entrance

Again, there are no protected parking areas, even though this is Pennsylvania!

Hearth in the "living room" section of the lobby

Life Care Consultant Stacie S gave us a tour of the facilities.

Part of the main dining room, open only for dinner

The bistro, Crossroads Café, is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner

Mail room

Library

Auditorium

Chapel/Prayer Room

Pool

There is also a fitness room, billiards/game room, and art and crafts room. Most interesting was the lapidary room, where we saw two residents polishing their rocks! Outside there is a walking trail that goes around three-quarters of the property, and then you have to resort to making your own path across the front.

It seems each floor has a lounge, and each lounge has a computer room

A typical hallway

After the tour, we checked into the guest apartment.

Guest apartment bedroom

Tiled shower

Nifty set up opposite the kitchen

We walked around the property, then drove back to complete the Media, PA tour. Returning to Granite Farms Estates, we showered and dressed to have dinner with residents, Shing-Mei and Bruce H. The Life Care consultant figured they would be a good match, because we had lived in China. But Shing-Mei and Bruce are from Taiwan, and have lived in the United States since after their college graduation. There is not much in common between Taiwan and the People's Republic of China. However, they were a very interesting and delightful couple. They even took us to see the wood workshop, and to The Preserve to see the vast contemporary common areas, and to note that there were no people in them, even though at least one floor is at full occupancy.

Wood workshop

There is also a beauty salon and gift shop.
Granite Farms Estates is about one mile from Riddle Hospital, and two miles from Penn State Brandywine. There are other colleges in a radius of five miles.
The closest major airport is Philadelphia International/PHL, about 14 miles away.

Wednesday, February 21, 2018
We had a voucher for a full breakfast, then left Granite Farms Estate to drive to Washington, DC. We just made it in time for our noon timed tickets to be admitted to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. Kent was up at 6:30 to reserve these free tickets.

National Museum of African-American History and Culture

The bronze-colored openwork cast aluminum panels

A peek at the fountain in the Contemplative Court

We ran out of time before we could see the Contemplative Court from the inside. We had two hours on the parking meter, and that gave us time for two of the three lower level floors, and none of the upper three galleries!
We continued to Springfield, VA, where Kent had dinner with Mark VW, and I was picked up by Diane W to have dinner at the Red Hot and Blue Fairfax, in order to have a Virginia comfort food: Brunswick stew. Thick, rich and tasty! I still have to research when I last saw Diane, it was definitely not as long as with Sue M! Maybe 15 years!

Media, PA II (2/20/2018)

Tuesday, February 20, 2018 (continued)
From Providence Great Road, we back-tracked along E Front Street to S Monroe Street.

Media School (1914 as the Media High School, now it is the
elementary school); on the site of the county poor farm
and the famous Shortlidge Academy for Boys

#104 E State Street is the Media Theater (1927, restored 1994),
designed by Louis Magaziner as a Beaux-Arts
movie palace with Art Deco design elements

The Art Deco elements of the Media Theater?

Hmm, was the lower building formerly the separate kitchen house?

#30 E Franklin Street is the Nativity Blessed
Virgin Mary Church (1882, designed by
Philadelphia ecclesiastical architect, Edwin Durang)

The Nativity Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM) rectory

The Brick Church (1862) Nativity BVM's original church; used as a school
(1882–c 1950) after the main church was built, and currently used as a hall

Presbyterian Church (1855, designed by John McArthur,
architect of the Philadelphia City Hall) (KSS)

The Presbyterian Church was the first church built in Media,
and it is well known for its classic Greek Revival style

The Armory (1908, designed by Will Price and M H. McClanahan) as
headquarters for the Cooper Rifles, a military unit which was organized in
1877; it later housed Company M, 111th Infantry, Pennsylvania National
Guard that left Media as a body in 1917 to serve in the 1st World War

The Armory was also where Media men departed for the Mexican
expedition in 1916 and World War II, and now houses
the Pennsylvania Veterans Museum and Trader Joe's

#110 S Jackson Street, the Ledger Building (1895) built for John B
Robinson, a Congressman and local political figure, who was editor of the
Media Ledger, a well known weekly newspaper at the turn of the century

There seemed to be so many historic newspaper offices in Media, we at first wondered if the name came from having all these "media" sources!

Old Borough Hall (1918 as a post office on the site of Way Homestead,
one of the original farms in 1850), became the municipal offices in
1969, and since 2011 is the Spasso Italian Grill

Media War Memorial

#104-106 W State Street (1879) was the Burdsall & Adams
Cigar Factory, the leading industry in Media in 1900;
the best selling cigar cost 5 cents

Provident Bank (1899-1900, designed by Albert Dilk) in French
Renaissance Revival style as the permanent home of the First
National Bank of Media; known for its Victorian design features

The Beatty Building (1849) was the first commercial
structure erected in Media and continues in business use

#212 W State was the home of the Delaware
County American, a famous weekly newspaper
established in in 1855 by Thomas V Cooper,
a leading political figure of his day;
two presidential platforms were written here

#611 W Baltimore Avenue was the Briggs Farmhouse (1800s);
this structure served as a residence and later an inn called Brigg's Tavern;
the property was one of the original farms composing
what is now Media, specifically the original portion purchased in 1848

We stopped to have lunch at the Sterling Pig Brewery, as the sun came out. We then headed to Granite Farms Estates for a tour.

During free time in the afternoon, we returned to the tour of Media, PA.

#125 W 3rd Street is the Media-Providence Friends School and
Media Monthly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends

#216 S Orange Street is Hillhurst (1890, designed by Addison Hutton,
a famous Quaker architect of the Victorian period), built for John Biddle
as a summer home on the site that was once part of the John Hill farm,
one of the original properties composing what is now Media

#100 E Lincoln Street (1925 in Federalist style), was the home of
Dr Philip Jaisohn, the famous Korean patriot and founding father
of Korean independence from Japan

Dr Philip Jaisohn, born Seo Jae-pil in Korea, was a political activist advocating reform in his country. After the failed Gapsin Coup in 1884, he took refuge in the United States. A patron sponsored his attendance at the Harry Hillman Academy in Wilkes-Barre, PA. In 1890 he became the first Korean to acquire United States citizenship, and in 1892 he became the first Korean to receive an American medical degree. Jaisohn married Muriel Armstrong, and they had two daughters.

In 1894, the treason of the Gapsin Coup was pardoned and by 1896 Jaisohn had returned to Korea to politically educate the people by publishing a newspaper entirely in Hangul for the benefit of the lower classes and women. He refused any titled positions but worked to promote national independence as the principal political ideal and emphasized neutral diplomatic approaches to protect Korea from China, Russia and Japan. He also stressed the importance of public education, modernized industry, and public hygiene. In 1898 he returned to the United States and as a medical officer accompanied the army in the Spanish-American War. He established his own printing shop in Philadelphia in 1915, and conducted medical research at the University of Pennsylvania. When he heard about a nationwide protest against Japanese rule in Korea (the March 1st Movement of 1919), Jaisohn convened the "First Korean Congress", which was held in Philadelphia. After the Congress, he devoted his energies and private property to the freedom of Korea. He urged the United States to support freedom for the Koreans, and tried to disseminate information around the world regarding the Korean fight for independence. This led to his bankruptcy, and he returned to his medical career and research. At age 62 he went back to medical school to renew his medical knowledge, and continued writing articles for academic journals. Jaisohn settled in Media in 1925, and had a medical practice.

In World War II, Jaisohn volunteered as a medical officer for the United States army with the belief that the victory of the U.S. would bring freedom to Korea. After the war, the U.S. Army Military Government in control of the southern part of Korea invited him to serve as chief adviser, so he returned to Korea once again. In December 1946, he was elected to the Interim Legislative Assembly, but refused subsequent requests to run for president of Korea.

Jaisohn died in Media in 1951, and his remains have since been repatriated to South Korea. After service as a medical officer in at least two U.S. wars, he was commended by Congress in 1946.

Door to the Philip Jaisohn Memorial House (KSS)

Interesting sidewalk design at front steps (KSS)

Korea Garden, dedicated in memory of Dr Guy Kyungi Park,
founder and 1st president of the Philip Jaisohn Memorial Foundation

The caretaker's children were playing outside the Jaisohn House, and they alerted their mother who came out to unlock the house for our perusal.

Living room of the Jaisohn House/Museum

Medical practice sign and instruments

7/18/2021: NB: Nearby:

Idlewild (1888-1890, by Frank Furness in Queen Anne/
Shingle style) was the summer cottage of the architect who
was given the house in payment for designing the Idlewild
Hotel (1871, now gone), on whose grounds it was located

We continued driving to finish the tour of Media.

#430 N Monroe Street is the Dr Samuel D Risley House (1877),
in Gothic revival style with a veranda and conservatory

Old Rose Tree Tavern (1809), moved about 100 yards
from its original site when PA-252 was widened in 2004

John Calvert was granted the land that the tavern stands on, in 1682 by William Penn. Daniel Calvert, likely John's grandson, built a frame building along the Providence Great Road and was licensed to run a tavern there in 1739, the first Rose Tree Tavern.

Clock in Rose Tree Park

We returned to Granite Farms Estates for dinner and overnight.