With finishing touches freshly completed at the 121,400-square-foot The Gallery at Spokane senior community, more than 200 visitors attended its Nov. 15 open house event, says Becky Monday, executive director at the facility. 

Attendees were greeted by a decked-out entrance and lobby area that showcases a mix of sophisticated décor and furnishings designed to impress guests and elevate expectations of what a senior community can offer.

Experience Senior Living is a Denver-based development company behind the construction of the building. The company has partnered with Midvale, Utah-based Stellar Senior Living to operate the new 137-unit senior complex at 5415 S. Regal, in the Moran Prairie neighborhood. The companies co-own the facility, officially known as The Gallery at Spokane, a Stellar Senior Living Community.

Walker Construction Inc., of Spokane, was the contractor on the $25 million project, and Denver-based OZ Architecture Inc. designed it.

Phil Barklow, president of Experience Senior Living, says the building was designed to fit in with the architecture of the surrounding neighborhood.

“Residents can feel like, ‘I’m not downgrading’ from moving from my house to a community like this,” Barklow says.

The Gallery is the first of Experience’s brands in the Spokane market. Depending on the success of the Gallery, the company expects to introduce the remaining brands here eventually.

Experience Senior Living provides four brands of senior communities, Barklow explains.

“This is our first of hopefully many communities in this market, but we wanted to start with the Gallery collection,” Barklow says of the Spokane facility, which is the company’s eighth overall. “We thought it made the most sense as the Gallery collection is a blend of the arts, music, and culture.”

The Gallery at Spokane is the fourth iteration of the design, Barklow says, adding that over time Experience Senior Living has become more involved in the design than previous versions of the brand.

“We want people that think outside of the box for the next generation,” he says. “The greatest generation and the silent generation are who we grew up taking care of, but that’s not really our customer so much anymore. It’s really transitioned to the baby boomers, and we’re getting a younger population that’s moving in.”

Monday says, “We’re getting a different type of generation. The expectations are different, and we like that.”

Heather Bopp, family adviser at the Gallery, says many prospective tenants she works with are highly active and are looking for a senior community that can support their independence.

Barklow adds that the Gallery will meet their needs by offering a way for residents to age in place.

“If you move in completely independent and then all of a sudden your needs start to change, you can stay in your apartment, with the exception of progressive dementia that needs more specialized care, and we’d have you moved to our memory care section,” says Barklow.

Monday says the Gallery offers washers and dryers and full kitchens in many of the apartments, which is abnormal in assisted-living units. She says having full appliances helps maintain independence and helps the transition process from someone’s home to a senior community.

“They don’t have to downgrade their life to move in here,” she says.

The Gallery at Spokane houses 137 living units.and will employ 70 full-time-equivalent employees at its campus on Spokane’s South Hill

Before residents can move in, however, the building must be approved by Washington state for assistedliving and memory care use. Approval is expected by year-end, says Monday.
Experience Senior Living and Stellar Senior Living executives say the design of the Gallery has impressed most prospective tenants who have toured the property so far.

Incorporating local materials and artists was another priority in the design that’s expected to appeal to residents, she says.

The building features a custom wall in the first-floor dining room made of wine barrels from Barrister Winery. On the second floor, a gym showcases a mural of an early men’s Gonzaga basketball team. There’s another mural of lilacs in bloom in the Gallery’s salon, in addition to a second-floor lounge with vibrant tiles and color schemes.

Other amenities include outdoor courtyards, a café, an activity room, and an activities director to plan excursions for both independent and assisted-living residents to enjoy. It also will have an onsite medical clinic and physical therapists, and eye doctors will visit patients at the facility.

The Gallery will employ 70 full-time-equivalent employees.

Hiring ahead of the Gallery’s opening is going well with plenty of applications to allow Stellar to be choosy of potential employees, says Monday, adding that Stellar Senior Living continues to search for customer service-oriented people who will enhance and elevate residents’ living experience at The Gallery.

Experience Senior Living designed employee spaces that will help Stellar attract and retain workers, Barklow says. 

Monday adds that she’s cultivating a culture of positivity.

“There can be staffing challenges, but I’m seeing joyful interest and people coming in who cannot wait for us to open the doors,” says Monday.

The break room for Stellar’s staff incorporates large windows, a TV, massage chairs, and lockers, she adds.

With about 10,000 people turning 65 years old in the U.S. every day, Barklow says staff at the Gallery will be working at more than “just” a job.

“This is a career in an industry that’s not going anywhere,” he says.

Monday and Barklow both say their goal for the Gallery after 12 months of operation is 100% occupancy.

Currently, the Gallery has over 50% of its 137 units pre-leased, says Barklow.

“All the large units have been pre-leased for over a year,” says Monday.

Two-bedroom apartments have been popular with younger seniors, she says.

Many people are discovering that the transition from living at home to a senior community is made a little easier with the additional space a two-bedroom apartment provides.

Both the two-bedroom units and the larger one-bedroom units have waitlists, she says.

The Gallery’s smaller one-bedroom units and studios received less initial demand, but as opening draws closer, those units are being sought by people who many need additional care or those with smaller budgets, she says.

Studios start at about $4,300 per month. One-bedroom units cost about $5,000 a month, and two-bed units start at $5,600 a month. Memory care units start at $6,600 a month. All pricing includes dining, utilities, and care.

Additionally, the Gallery offers a secure building, 24/7 staff, housekeeping, and socialization opportunities.

In the coming months, as more residents move in and provide feedback, Monday says she’ll be flexible to meet the changing needs regarding activities, dining options, and pet amenities.

“Being able to provide to our residents the choices that they want will make a big difference,” Monday says.