Mary Virginia Davis, who turns 90 in February, enjoys the amenities provided at the Lenbrook senior residential complex in Buckhead.
“I don’t have to cook anymore,” she said with a chuckle. “When a lightbulb goes out, I make a call and someone comes to replace it. When my dishwasher broke down, the staff was here quickly to fix it.”
Davis moved into Lenbrook with her husband, Jarrett L. Davis III, in 2009, after selling their longtime Buckhead home. The choice to move to Lenbrook was an easy one, she said, after she spent years watching the care her parents, two aunts and her husband’s parents received while they lived there in the 1980s.
“I was there two to three times a week and I saw what it meant to them, and particularly what it meant to me, to know that my folks had a safe place to be and they would be taken care of if I couldn’t do it,” she said.
“And so I decided that’s what I want to do.”
Credit: Lenbrook
Credit: Lenbrook
Her husband died four years ago. Davis said that the community at Lenbrook is so crucial as people age and what she loves most about living there.
“People say they don’t want to move into Lenbrook because people are dying there,” she said. “That’s true, but you’ve got someone to grieve with, and you’ve got someone to go on with.”
Founded by Atlanta businessman Jack Clark, Lenbrook was established 40 years ago to offer seniors a new concept in retirement living by providing options for independent living, assisted living, and healthcare.
Lenbrook opened the 17-story Brookhaven Tower in 1983 at 3747 Peachtree Road in Buckhead, straddling the Brookhaven border. It is Atlanta’s first not-for-profit life plan community, also known as a continuing care retirement community.
The Brookhaven Tower included 200 apartments and offered a range of amenities, including healthcare, a fitness center, a library, a salon, a main and private dining room, and a billiard room.
Forty years later, Lenbrook’s campus spans 10 acres and includes a 25-story Lenox Tower and the Kingsboro at Lenbrook with about 550 residents.
Amenities now include a variety of indoor and outdoor dining options ranging from casual to elegant; a 9,000-square-foot resort-style fitness center; walkable gardens with areas for gardening flowers and herbs; a regulation-size croquet lawn; valet parking; and concierge services. Health services are available campus wide, including a clinic, assisted living center; and a Medicare-certified skilled nursing health care center offering rehabilitation services, memory support, and long-term care.
Lenbrook was founded as a not-for-profit, independent facility and is governed by an independent board of directors and a management team.
The 40th anniversary is a time to celebrate, but also a time to reflect on the value of the original vision of Lenbrook, said Lenbrook CEO Chris Keysor.
“In order to have an enduring legacy for the community, Lenbrook remains a nonprofit, has an independent board of directors that oversees the governance of the organization,” he said.
“The board focuses on really always putting mission first, values first, and the desire never to never to sell out, to always be there for that next generation of people.” he said.
Keysor said occupancy at Lenbrook is back up to 97.5% after a significant decline during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are about 400 people on a waitlist. The cost to live at Lenbrook includes an entrance fee of just under $300,000 and roughly $3,500 in monthly fees.
The fees cover housekeeping, dining, about 3,000 enrichment programs a year, and fitness and wellness programs, he said. Health care opportunities and services offered to residents were once private pay, but Lenbrook now provides a rehabilitative health care facility that’s certified by Medicare.
Credit: Rough Draft Atlanta
Credit: Rough Draft Atlanta
Today’s story comes from our partner, Rough Draft Atlanta. Rough Draft publishes Reporter Newspapers, community newspapers in Brookhaven, Buckhead, Dunwoody, and Sandy Springs. Visit them online at RoughDraftAtlanta.com or on Instagram @RoughDraftATL.
If you have any feedback or questions about our partnerships, you can contact Senior Manager of Partnerships Nicole Williams via email at nicole.williams@ajc.com.
About the Author
