When Louis Sullivan coined the term “form follows function” in 1896 he could not have been thinking of these recently constructed “senior apartments” – though the structure aptly illustrates his observation.
The form of this building makes abundantly clear its function: the warehousing of elderly people. Looking more like monthly storage units than a retirement community, the facade of this complex is dominated by a repetitious series of garage doors facing a sea of concrete. “Senior apartment” wings extend behind the garages; pitched roofs with overhanging eaves and ginormous fascias visually crush them. Lone patches of lawn fill the spaces between sidewalks and parking and are manicured in a manner as utilitarian as that of the storage units “senior apartments”.
Would you like to spend your final days here?
Just in case you might have thought about renting a space to store your excess stuff, a sign is here to remind you that these are “Estates”.
Note the tragic, lone, planter next to the open garage door which is attempting to humanize this landscape. The dumpster also reinforces the “Estate” atmosphere.
Does this fascia make my roof look fat? There’s nothing like a series of numbered, bright white, garage doors to convey the concept of a genuine estate any better…
But, wait… there’s more!
And now, what you have surely been waiting for: some views of the interior:
The nursing-home style handrails and random quotes painted on the walls are nice estate-like touches, don’t you think? The fluorescent lighting doesn’t make this place look like Senior Storage, does it?
Nary a wall hanging to be found; just painted-on inspirational quotations at frequent intervals along the sheetrock-lined spaces.
Are you not inspired?!!?!?!!?
This looks like a good place to sit down for a spell.
Just like home…
…and just as cheerful! Bet you can’t guess where the sheetrock seams are!
In contrast, more thought and care went into these landscaped and brick-clad rental storage units than the “Estates” for seniors!
Dear God.
This is an affront to architecture and humanity.
Dear God. What a travesty.
And this isn’t the only one! Several of these places have been built in other towns and I’m guessing more might be planned…
“Bet you can’t guess where the sheetrock seams are!”
SMACK!
I love it!
If my children ever put me here tell them to just kill me instead…
I’d spring you out of there before allowing them to do that!
Absolutely awful.
And it’s brand new! Can you imagine what this will look like in 20 years?
Well I don’t think I have any grounds to mock the faux-Victorian kitsch where my grandmother used to live now. (Though she is now in a high rise with a weird PoMo facade.)
Kind of puts things into perspective, doesn’t it? Somehow makes both fake Victoriana and Post Modernism almost acceptable!
Plus where she is the interiors are relatively attractive.
In contrast, there’s a nursing home across the street from where she is that I actually want to see inside. I’d probably be disappointed if I saw it: https://goo.gl/images/ZS55kt
Wow, those are depressing. When kids want their ailing parents out of sight and out of mind, I guess this is what happens.
Yeah – it’s hard to imagine seniors willingly choosing this option for themselves.