Western Home Communities Jorgensen Plaza for Well-Being

Location:  Cedar Falls, Iowa
Construction completed: 2018
Project Team: Steve Trost, Mardy Holst, Andrew Bell and Jacob Bauer
Owner: Western Homes Communities
Consultants: Modus, M2B, PoolTech, and Orfield Labs
Contractor: Cardinal Construction Inc.
Photography by ​Howard Doughty & Kate Bell
Awards: 2019 CFU Energy Conservation Award 
The Western Homes Communities has long been an innovator in the field of senior living.

​The Jorgensen Plaza is on paper: "a 56,000 square foot Wellness and Community Building including outpatient clinic, fitness area, swimming pool, dining services and other community amenities."
In reality, it is so much more!
The facility, which is connected to Prairie Wind Independent Living apartments and Deery Suites Skilled Nursing Care, hosts an array of facilities to make senior living something to aspire to!

​Western Homes Communities had the vision for a facility that can be enjoyed by the entire community and AHTS was enlisted to bring this vision to life.

From the lovely exterior and throughout the halls, Jorgensen Plaza conveys elegance and hosts all the facilities desired in a center for Health and Well-being. 

The Diamond Event Center

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The Diamond Event Center is the shining gem of Jorgensen Plaza: a large multipurpose room that can be subdivided into three sections for smaller meetings or can accommodate larger groups, up to 420 guests.

​It's versatile structure can be adjusted for a variety of purposes, including sit-down meals or banquets, seminars, weekly church services, or other gatherings , with audio and video capabilities to support all of these types of activities. 

Dining Options at Jorgensen Plaza
The Jorgensen Plaza features three options for dining.

  • Table 1912 is available for a fine dining experience, featuring a gourmet chef and mood lighting for ambiance .
 
  • The Caraway Cafe offers a topnotch casual restaurant to enjoy sandwiches for lunch or visit with a friend over coffee and a bakery item.
 
  • Or a visitor can have a drink and a limited bar menu while watching a sports game on one of the multiple screens at Gilmore's Pub. 

Jorgensen Plaza Fitness Center
With its commitment to  “community wellness,” Jorgensen Plaza offers some of the finest fitness facilities in the Cedar Valley. 

  • The Grosse Aquatic center has lanes for lap swimming, water aerobics and pool parties. The swimming pool also offers a zero depth entry ramp into a resistance current pond and an 88 degree water soaking pool.
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  •  An Outpatient and Physical Therapy Clinic 
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  •  And a Fitness and Wellness Area with exercise equipment, work out class space and a walking track. High tech touches, such as monitoring bracelets, individualized to the fitness center members, make for a cutting edge exercise facility.

Other Amenities
The single-story building with a partial second floor for the Western Home Communities’ corporate offices is topped off with amenities  such as:
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  • The Salon Iris full service beauty salon with massage therapy rooms,
 
  •  A convenience store,  
 
  • And meeting rooms and offices for all the supportive services offered by the Western Home Communities.  

Jorgensen Plaza is anchored  between Prairie Wind Independent Living Apartments and The Deery Suites for skilled nursing and serves as the community gathering place and social hub for the entire Western Home Communities south Cedar Falls campus.
What is unique about this project?  The design team and The Western Home Communities leaders looked to reshape and redefine what is means to be part of an aging community with this project.  The Jorgensen Plaza for Well Being allows the residents to be engaged in the community as a whole and provides opportunities for intergenerational events for the entire Cedar Valley.