Design Center

Sumner on Ridgewood
COPLEY, OHIO
PROJECT SUMMARY

Type of Facility/Setting: Certified Retirement Resort

Owner: The Sumner Organization, a not-for-profit, nondenominational organization

Chief Administrator: Ted Pappas, Jr., President and CEO, (330) 664-1000

Architecture & Interiors: Dorsky Hodgson + Partners, Cleveland, Ohio, (216) 464-8600

Photography: ¬2004 Tom Abel, Abel Photographers

Resident Capacity: 79 Independent Living apartments, 22 villas, 88 Catered Living residents within 4 Greenhouses

Total Project Area (Sq. Ft.): 64-acre campus/284,650 sq. ft.

Construction Costs: $36 million

Cost/Sq. Ft.: $126

“The joys of Sumner”
BY ROBERT VOLZER, CID, IIDA, VOLZER DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

From the 19th-century dreams of Louise Sumner and the gracious mansions bequeathed by early philanthropists to today’s impressive 64-acre campus, Sumner on Ridgewood has been celebrated as “Ohio’s First Certified Retirement Resort,” as signified by Senior Hospitality Institute certification and national recognition by the National Association of Home Builders. The Sumner Organization’s most recent achievement is adding independent living to its attractive lifestyle options, reflecting Miss Sumner’s original vision of providing state-of-the-art care by which residents may attain their full potential physically, socially, and emotionally.

Leading the project’s planning and architectural effort, Dorsky Hodgson + Partners’ Vice-President Cornelia C. Hodgson describes Ridgewood’s design as “a unique blend of traditional stately design elements and forward-thinking senior living philosophy. While Sumner on Ridgewood was rooted in the mission and values for which Sumner Home has stood for all these years, it is a new and progressive community that is not a retirement community, but a Living Community.” This “Living Community” lifestyle is translated into the site planning and architecture of Sumner on Ridgewood, and is clearly embodied in the entry drive, which frames a formal garden and leads to the gracious Manor House. Building exteriors include multidimensional fatades, richly textured with steep pitched roofs, tall chimneys, cut stone, and stucco with half-timber details. Inviting landscapes offer verandas, gardens, and water features. The interior design reflects the traditional theme, while the plans support Ridgewood’s operational philosophies by integrating the most comprehensive recent research on aging and the environment. The result is to empower residents, de-emphasize clinical components, convey dignity and privacy, and promote each resident’s health, wellness, personal growth, and independence within a vibrant homelike setting.

The Manor House anchors the campus, while serving as the heart of Ridgewood’s new community with its array of services and amenities. With implementation of Eden AlternativeÖ practices, four bungalow-style “Greenhouses” support Sumner’s Catered Living Program serving 88 residents with levels of care ranging from assisted living to skilled nursing and memory care. Adjoining the Manor House is a 79-unit Garden Apartment complex for independent living, as well as 22 private villa homes clustered on cul-de-sacs filling out the site. Within the Manor House, residents enjoy multiple choices in dining, a formal parlor and an informal Great Room, concierge services, the conservatory tea room, and the cafT bistro-and everywhere the architecture connects you to nature and the many gardens of Sumner on Ridgewood.

With the mantra “enjoy each day,” Sumner Home Care introduces the organization’s ideals, and Ridgewood’s Life-Continuing Community sustains the opportunities to realize them.


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