Leaders at Brewster Place in Topeka, Kansas, knew they would need to embark on an expansive revitalization effort to bring a building at the senior living community into the 21st century.
Virtually unchanged since 1968, the five-story concrete building, known as the Redwood building, was practically “stuck in a time capsule.”. In the 1990s, the community added a covered canopy, which had a post-modern feel. But the designs were dated and didn’t meet the needs of the surrounding community as of the 2020s.
“Redwood was our oldest building on campus,” Brewster Place CEO Mary Blubaugh told Senior Housing News. “We knew we wanted to help bring this community into the future.”
The community underwent a sweeping renovation plan that added new apartments, updated amenities and upgraded common spaces with emphasis on making the community more roomy, upscale and comfortable.
Thanks to that process, the once-dated community has reclaimed its former glory – and it has taken the top spot in the Renovation and Repositioning (Building) category as part of the 2024 Senior Housing News Architecture and Design awards.
The concept
Initial planning for the renovation started in the spring of 2021 following a feasibility study to determine next steps that should be taken. Brewster Place chose to work with architecture firm RDG Planning & Design and got to work on designs. Chicago-based investment bank Zeigler provided financing for the project.
The project team sought to renovate the community in multiple phases, allowing for residents to move in and therefore pay rent to help cover the cost of construction.
The project team envisioned adding independent living units and a sixth floor with penthouse units to the Redwood building on campus as part of the $18 million renovation project to update the building.
“We gutted the first and fifth floors and that was the genesis of how we got to what we envisioned,” said. “There was a clear vision and it paid off.”
The project team also envisioned renovating existing units on the building’s first and fifth floors with new amenities, finishes, ensuite bathrooms and open-concept floor plans.
Designs called for upgrades to the building’s main kitchen and nearby dining space to include multiple seating options in styles ranging from sit-down to grab-and-go.
The plan also called for a new game room and lounge space. Designers also sought to relocate the community’s arts and crafts studio to a more prominent location.
The project team added a second elevator in the Redwood building to serve the sixth floor units after input from marketing staff, Blubaugh noted. Additionally, the design team added balconies to the building’s exterior to match interior renovations and provide more space for residents..
The construction
Construction started in the fall of 2022 and was completed in multiple phases.
The project’s biggest test would come during construction, which was handled by general contractor Simpson Construction Service.
With residents still living on the second, third and fourth floors, the project risked causing disruptions to daily life. So, Brewster Place staff did their best to work around any ongoing construction. The community also relocated some residents into different units to limit the distractions caused by the construction disruption.
“Sometimes it felt like a war zone with all the hammering and banging and everything that was going on,” Blubaugh said. “The main challenge was minimizing the effect on our residents.”
Still, maintaining a sense of normalcy during construction was a unique challenge, particularly with the first-floor dining space under renovation. The work necessitated the creation of a temporary basement-level dining area, where staff brought in food from other kitchens on campus to serve to residents.
“It was a major undertaking and it was not a pleasant time for our residents who lived here during construction, but they all enjoy what we have now and it’s a beautiful place for them,” Blubaugh said.
After a couple opening phases spread over two years – residents moved in to the first floor in 2023 and construction crews finished the fifth and sixth floors last year –
The dust finally settled in May 2024.
“Every floor in Redwood had some construction work” in the end, Blubaugh said.
In a nod to its history, Brewster started renovations on Dec. 2, 2021 on the same day the community first broke ground on Dec. 2, 1962 when it was initially built.
“Our marketing team did a fantastic job of looking at those dates and planning for it, and we had an open house on the anniversary,” Blubaugh said.
The completion
Today, the project stands transformed from its initial 1960s design.
Residents have access to renovated dining and kitchen spaces, an updated game room and lounge space and a relocated arts and crafts studio.
Several of the spaces were designed to evoke comfort and feelings of home with warm lighting, comfortable furniture and intimate nooks for gathering.
In all, 23 new apartments were added along with six penthouse units. The resident apartments, once dated, now resemble high-end condos equipped with stainless steel appliances, open floor plans featuring high ceilings and transom windows and extended balconies.
The project remained largely on-budget outside of the addition of the extra elevator to service the sixth floor residences, according to Blubaugh. The resulting renovated community is “more than what we planned,” she added.
“Our residents love it and it’s a beautiful place,” Blubaugh said. “The common area is absolutely gorgeous.”
SHN Architecture and Design Judge Ben Seager called the Brewster Place renovation a “great design, both interior and exterior.”
Residents have taken a liking to the new pizza oven in the kitchen and dining area, while visitors are impressed during tours of the renovated building, Blubaugh said.
The community’s success is also measured through occupancy. Brewster Place has already filled all but two of the new units, and independent living occupancy currently sits at 96%.
In fact, the project was so successful and appealing that Brewster Place plans to feature the newly renovated building in future marketing materials and on social media.
“This is a great transformation from an old, dated building to one that residents can be proud to call home,” Seager said.
