Alden B Dow Home And Gardens

Our building does not look like other senior care facilities. People who pass by in cars or on the sidewalk aren't sure what to make of us. "What is that place?" they say. "A huge house? Homey looking office suites? A retreat center? Or something else?"

We are indeed something else. The man who designed our building intended just that!

"Quality in all its forms draws people to it." – Alden B. Dow

King's Daughters Home was designed by the architect, Alden B. Down. His overarching mission in life was simple to describe (but not so easy to achieve) … He sought to create quality of life .

Mr. Dow examined and questioned the world, and focused all of his attention and intention on creating comfort, happiness, deep meaning, and lively health – in his architecture, in his relationships, and in his teachings.

When you visit King's Daughters Home, you will feel something here that you likely won't feel in another senior care homes. At first that feeling will be hard to describe. You might say, "This place feels so good. I feel warm and safe." Then as you spend more time here, you'll realize you feel more positive, hopeful, and content. (Don't believe it? Come visit!)

Studies show that architecture – with its elements of geometry, materials, use of space, openness, and light – can have a powerful effect on our mood and even our health. You know in your heart that the opposite is true too. How do you feel when it's too hot, too cold, or too dry in a building? How about when a window isn't centered on a wall? What if all of the electrical sockets in a room are at different heights and the covers don't match? How about when the furniture is arranged willy-nilly? Or how about when you enter a $350 hotel room with a gorgeous view, but you notice the faintest smell of old cheesy Doritos and a moldy shower curtain? You get the point!

Alden B. Dow uniquely designed our building for its occupants – older people and the staff members who care for those people.

Every single element in our environment – each brick & beam, the width of the hallways, the height of the windows, the lighting, the woodwork and built-in cabinetry, the airflow – was designed to trigger physical, psychological, and physiological wellbeing.

Mr. Dow knew that the people who were going to live at King's Daughters might have some limitations, so he designed our home for safety, social connectedness, ease of movement, and sensory stimulation.

For example, the huge windows in every room allow light to fill our space. Research shows that natural light helps people recover from injury or disease, and it helps people learn and perform better. Research even shows that visible light helps the human body to regulate melatonin, which helps us sleep and digest our food. And get this – visible light stimulates production of serotonin, which reduces depression.

"Gardens never end… buildings never begin." – Alden B. Dow

Buildings have an interior, an exterior, and a landscape around them. Mr. Dow designed all of it to work together for the residents and happy staff of King's Daughters Home. Our building has two interior courtyards and gardens outside every window, so we can see the sunlight, delight in a gentle snow fall, or smile at the mourning doves who are taking a bath. The gardens allow us to feel like we are one with nature.

Our building was designed to make people feel BETTER, feel comforted, feel safe, feel that there are still so many possibilities in life, and feel loved.