Dunwoody Village facts for kids

Dunwoody Village is a special place for older adults, located in Newtown Square, near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It's a non-profit community, meaning it focuses on helping people rather than making money. The village sits on a large, beautiful campus of about 83 acres. This land has a long history, going all the way back to the American Revolution!

Who Was William Hood Dunwoody?

Dunwoody Village is named after William Hood Dunwoody. The land it sits on was bought by his father, James Dunwoody, from William Hood, who was James's father-in-law. Both the Hood and Dunwoody families moved to America from England in the late 1600s.

William's Early Life and Career

As a boy in the 1840s, William Dunwoody went to school at the Hood Octagonal School. This old school building is still on the property today! After school, William learned how to trade grain from his uncle. By the time he was 23, he started his own flour company called Dunwoody & Robertson.

When he was 28, William was often sick. His doctor told him to move to Minnesota, where he could still work in the grain business. He joined a big milling company in Minneapolis called Washburn-Crosby Co.. This company made the very popular Gold Medal Flour. William was a pioneer in selling spring wheat overseas and became a quiet partner in the company. After William Dunwoody passed away, the company changed its name to General Mills.

William's Dream for the Land

William Dunwoody lived the rest of his life in Minnesota. But he came back to Pennsylvania every year to visit his family. After his parents died, their farm was divided up. However, William used some of his great wealth to buy the land back together. He wanted to create a special home there to honor his parents.

William died in 1914. He left $1 million in his will to build a home. This home was meant for sick or injured workers to get better until they could go back to work. In 1924, the Dunwoody Home opened its doors to men who needed help. It was supported by a special fund that still helps people today.

From Home to Village

By the late 1960s, the way people recovered from illness had changed a lot. Visiting nurses, hospital care, and homes with medical facilities became common. Because of this, the Dunwoody Home was no longer as needed, and its buildings became old-fashioned. At the same time, the idea of non-profit retirement communities was growing.

The people in charge of the Dunwoody Home asked for and received permission from the court. They wanted to create a retirement village with continuing care. The same people would manage both the Home and the Village, but they would be separate in their money and daily operations.

Dunwoody Village Retirement Community

And so, Dunwoody Village began! Its first residents arrived in late 1974. This was quite early for retirement villages as we know them today. Because of this, Dunwoody Village has some unique building features that you don't often see in newer retirement communities.

Unique Features of the Village

• Warm Hallways: All parts of the village are connected by 12-foot-wide heated hallways. This means residents can move around comfortably, no matter the weather.
• Bright Atria: There are open areas called atria throughout the complex. They have natural light and growing plants, making the inside feel like the outdoors.
• Quiet Walls: The walls are made of cinder block. This helps to block out noise and stop fires from spreading.
• Mail Delivery: Each apartment door even gets its own mail delivery, just like a regular house!

Living Spaces

The way Dunwoody Village planned its living spaces was also ahead of its time. They offered different sizes of apartments: studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom. They also had special apartment suites on the ground level called "country houses." Many communities built later offered villas, but these were separate buildings. Dunwoody's design meant residents didn't have to go outside to reach the main facilities.

Care and Improvements

Dunwoody Village opened with facilities for skilled nursing and personal care. Over the years, they have made many important improvements. These include adding a long-term nursing pavilion. They also changed all double nursing rooms to single rooms. Plus, they added special care for patients with dementia.

Historic Landmarks on Campus

The headwaters of Hunter Run, a small stream, start on the grounds of Dunwoody Village. A large barn, built in 1924 for farm animals, still stands. It's unusual because it has a glazed brick silo for storing animal food. This landmark connects the village to its long history.

The Hood Octagonal School building is also a very important part of the grounds. For a long time, people thought it was built in 1798. But careful research showed it was actually built in 1842. The schoolhouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006. An image of the schoolhouse is even used as the logo for Dunwoody Village and the local town!

The original Dunwoody Home eventually became too old and expensive to keep running as a charity. It closed in 1991 and was taken down in May 1992. The few people still living there were kindly moved to Dunwoody Village.