From one community serving nine residents in 1949, ABHOW has expanded to 33 communities in four Western states, with a professional, caring staff of over 1,600 serving more than 4,700 residents.

 

ABHOW communities offer a variety of services and programs for residents. The company was one of the first organizations in the U.S. to provide continuing care. Each of ABHOW’s 11 continuing care retirement communities (CCRCs) provide at least three levels of care and services: residential living, assisted living and skilled nursing care. Four CCRCs offer a memory support program. All residents receive at least one meal a day, housekeeping and laundry services, social events and activities, transportation, and other supportive services as needed, such as occupational, speech and physical therapies. Residents pay an entrance fee upon admission to the community for the continuing care contract of services, and they pay a monthly fee that is based on the services they receive.

 

 

The Rev. Harold E. Bottemiller was ABHOW’s first executive director. He brought sound management and building experience to the company, laying the foundation for its future growth. In 1965, American Baptist Homes and Hospitals of Northern California was formed to meet the increasing demand for the continuing care services developed by the former Pilgrim Haven Home Corporation. The company completed construction of San Joaquin Gardens in Fresno, Calif., and Grand Lake Gardens in Oakland, Calif., in 1966.

 

Beginning that same year, the company extended its ministry to Southern California, Arizona and Washington and built a corporate office in Oakland. In 1968, the company changed its name to American Baptist Homes of the West. Also that year, ABHOW leaders established the American Baptist Homes Foundation of the West as a separate entity to receive gifts and bequests to provide financial assistance to ABHOW residents. ABHOW built a second community in Oakland in 1969 – Piedmont Gardens.

 

A decision to enter the field of affordable senior housing led to co-sponsorship with local churches for three California retirement communities: Judson Terrace in San Luis Obispo opened in 1970; Mount Rubidoux Manor opened in Riverside in 1971; and Bellflower Friendship Manor opened in Bellflower in 1973.

 

 

During the 1970s, ABHOW completed major expansions at Pilgrim Haven (the Wisteria building in 1971), San Joaquin Gardens (Health Center in 1973), Piedmont Gardens (Crestmont in 1975), Valle Verde (Health Center in 1977), and Rosewood (Health Center in 1979).

 

Plymouth Village of Redlands, Calif., merged with ABHOW in 1981. Also that year, ABHOW assumed management of Allen Temple Arms, an Oakland affordable housing community owned by Allen Temple Development Corporation. Between 1980 and 1986, ABHOW expanded the campuses at Valle Verde, Rosewood, Plymouth Village, San Joaquin Gardens and Grand Lake Gardens and renovated the corporate office in Oakland.

 

A fifty-one-apartment expansion of Allen Temple Arms opened in 1987. That same year, Oak Knolls Haven, an affordable housing retirement community in Santa Maria, Calif., joined ABHOW. Groundbreaking took place in April 1989 for Casa de la Vista, an affordable housing community in Redlands that opened in 1990.

 

As part of an overall plan to stabilize debt service costs, ABHOW completed a major refinancing in 1988. The company committed $14 million of the refinancing to upgrades of its California CCRCs. Significant expansions at Plymouth Village and San Joaquin Gardens occurred in 1989.

 

 

Refinancing the debt for Judson Park in Des Moines, Wash., made it possible to complete extensive construction and expansion of this CCRC. ABHOW became sole member of American Baptist Homes of Washington in April 1995.

 

ABHOW entered into a contract in August 1996 to manage Harbor View Manor, a 170-apartment affordable housing community in Tacoma, Wash. The first stand-alone memory support program opened in July 1996 at Plymouth Village. Called The Grove, the program provides assisted living-level services for those with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia.

 

In 1997, ABHOW created two subsidiaries to implement a corporate reorganization plan: American Baptist Properties, Inc., a holding company formed to hold title to all ABHOW property; and Seniority, Inc., a for-profit entity to manage all ABHOW sales programs and provide these and other services to communities outside ABHOW.

 

Moving into the state of New Mexico, ABHOW signed a management agreement in 1997 with La Vida Llena, a 399-apartment life care community in Albuquerque. ABHOW obtained a management contract in 1998 with Baptist Senior Adult Ministries of Washington, D.C., and in 1999 ABHOW became the sole member of this organization, which operated a CCRC, Thomas House, plus senior adult day care centers in the wider community.

 

ABHOW moved its corporate office from Oakland to Pleasanton, Calif., in March 1999.

 

The company’s affordable housing communities grew significantly during the next several years. In 1999, ABHOW assumed management of Bellflower Oak Street Manor in Bellflower, Calif., and completed construction of Tahoe Senior Plaza in South Lake Tahoe, Calif. Fern Lodge in Redlands opened in 2000. Also that year, ABHOW took on management contracts for Casa de Redwood in Redwood City, Calif., and E. E. Cleveland Manor in Oakland. In 2001, Allen Temple Manor opened in Oakland. This community is ABHOW’s first non-senior community, providing affordable housing for disabled persons with a preference for individuals disabled by HIV or AIDS. Allen Temple Gardens, an affordable senior housing community, also opened in 2001 in Oakland.

 

In response to growth challenges and opportunities, ABHOW created Cornerstone Affiliates in 2003. Cornerstone provides an organizational structure that facilitates acquisition, development and affiliation of communities while protecting ABHOW’s core credit position and furthering the company’s mission.

 

The year 2004 was one of looking back to build on the experiences of the past. It was also a time of looking ahead to see things as they might be in the decades to come. Under Cornerstone, comprehensive redevelopment of The Terraces of Phoenix (formerly Orangewood Retirement Community) began with a $62 million bond offering. The redevelopment consisted of reconstruction of the majority of the 22-acre campus.

 

Two new affordable housing communities opened in 2004: Judson Terrace Lodge in San Luis Obispo, Calif., and Broadmoor Plaza in San Leandro, Calif.

 

Under Seniority’s direction, Holly Creek, a new CCRC outside Denver, Colo., achieved its pre-sales goals and obtained financing for 180 residential and 54 assisted living apartments. Seniority opened two new communities during 2004: Kokoro Assisted Living in San Francisco and Pacific Gardens, an assisted living and memory support community in Santa Clara, Calif.

 

Rosewood, Grand Lake Gardens, Piedmont Gardens and Judson Park began developing repositioning plans. Campus planning continued at Valle Verde, San Joaquin Gardens, and Pilgrim Haven as these communities seek to meet market needs well beyond current capacity.

 

ABHOW opened The Grove memory support program at La Vida Llena, San Joaquin Gardens, Thomas House and Valle Verde in 2003-2004. During 2005, a beautiful new memory support program opened as part of the redevelopment at The Terraces of Phoenix. In 2006, at the 10^th anniversary of the first Grove at Plymouth Village, ABHOW recommitted itself to developing new memory support programs at its other communities.

 

ABHOW made a difficult decision to sell Thomas House in 2005 after expending considerable resources to strengthen the financially troubled community. After eight years, the management contract for La Vida Llena was not renewed.

 

Two beautiful communities rose in the West under Cornerstone Affiliates: Las Ventanas at Summerlin, the only life care community in Las Vegas, and The Terraces of Phoenix, the newest CCRC in one of the nation’s most popular retirement destinations. Las Ventanas offers spacious apartments and villa homes, lush gardens and courtyards on 17 acres. The Terraces of Phoenix development added 124 new apartment homes plus 49 assisted living, 64 skilled nursing, and 25 memory support suites. Major renovations were also completed for existing common areas, and the way was paved for further redevelopment of the remaining casitas at the former Orangewood Retirement Community.

 

ABHOW continued its tradition of excellence in affordable housing. During 2005, project planning and partnership development raised more than $6 million in local government funding for two new communities. ABHOW partnered with the city of South Lake Tahoe and the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency to develop an additional 33 apartments. In Daly City, Calif., the company partnered with the city, San Mateo County, and Broadmoor Presbyterian Church to build a 40-apartment community. ABHOW obtained a new management contract with Manila Terrace in Los Angeles’ historic Filipino Town.

 

Recognizing that new growth must be balanced with reinvestment in existing communities, ABHOW embarked upon an ambitious multi-year plan to begin redevelopment activities at a majority of ABHOW’s California campuses. At the close of fiscal year 2006, $50 million was borrowed for these efforts – the first “new money” for redevelopment since 1988.

 

In 2007, Judson Park refinanced its existing debt and borrowed an additional $28 million to finance a 64-apartment expansion. Known as The Sound View Apartment Homes, the Judson Park expansion enjoyed broad support, and the community welcomed its newest residents in 2008.

 

Affordable housing continued to enjoy new opportunities with the 2008 opening of Hillcrest Gardens in Daly City, Calif., and the acquisition of land for affordable housing communities in South Lake Tahoe, Calif., San Ramon, Calif., and Lynnwood, Wash.

 

Today, ABHOW’s annual revenue exceeds $140 million, and the company manages assets of over $400 million. The ABHOW Foundation has grown to more than $40 million in assets. 

 

And growth continues. Under the umbrella of Cornerstone Affiliates, the company is developing The Terraces at Harris Ranch in Boise, Idaho. The new community extends the branding started by ABHOW in 1992 with The Terraces of Los Gatos and continued by Cornerstone with The Terraces of Phoenix and The Terraces at San Joaquin Gardens in Fresno, Calif., where the first phase of redevelopment opened in Summer 2009.

 

Kelly Ridge, ABHOW’s second South Lake Tahoe affordable housing community, opened in August 2009. Shepherd's Garden, the company's second affordable housing community in Washington state, opened in March 2010.

 

Seniority continues to expand its contracts in management, sales, and development consulting. By serving clients in more than 25 states, Seniority plays an important role in sharing ABHOW’s mission with other organizations and consumers. Seniority helps senior living providers succeed while generating revenue for ABHOW to capitalize new retirement communities.

 

In line with the company’s dual mission to serve its own residents and seniors everywhere, ABHOW leaders regularly share their expertise with regional, state and national trade associations engaged in senior housing and health care. ABHOW is a founding member of the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging and is actively involved in professional associations in California, Arizona, and Washington. On the national level, ABHOW leaders advocate on issues that affect seniors, including reforming the financing of health care and long-term care.

 

All of these efforts spring from ABHOW’s heritage. The same spirit that inspired a group of leaders in 1949 continues to guide ABHOW today. The company’s growth can be traced through its acquisition of property, construction of new communities, and expansion of programs for residents, employees and neighbors. ABHOW’s character is in its caring for persons and its commitment to excellence in management and services.