Galerie Living’s leaders are on a mission to create an entirely different experience in senior living, with the operator poised to redevelop a portion of a historic property near the company’s backyard in Atlanta.
Galerie Living is set to enter into a long-term lease agreement to develop and operate a senior living community occupying approximately 32 acres of the 42-acre “Briarcliff” property owned by Emory University.
The community, Corso Druid Hills, is slated to be the operator’s third property under its luxe Corso brand. As currently planned, the project will include 500 units.
The site of the future community is most notably known as housing the historic Candler Mansion, which was built in the ‘20s by Coca-Cola heir Asa “Buddie” G. Candler Jr. During its heyday, the mansion included 40 rooms, spanning several greenhouses, solariums, a ballroom and a zoo. The mansion is on the National Registry of Historic Properties.
Emory purchased the property in 1998, and in the time since the property has “seen better days,” according to the university. In more recent years, the mansion has served as a backdrop for shows including “Stranger Things” and “Vampire Diaries.”
Although the mansion itself is not slated to become a senior living community, Galerie has agreed to restore it. The company’s leaders expect to break ground on the project in the second half of 2023, with construction divided into two phases.
In addition to the historic mansion, Galerie’s future community will have proximity to gardens, greenhouses and surrounding grounds. Residents also will have access to fine-dining venues, salons and a theater.
The Briarcliff is the second community slated to fly the banner of Galerie Living’s burgeoning Corso brand, which has an emphasis on wellness, independence and flexibility for residents, according to Galerie Living Marketing Director Stephen Corder. The operator opened the other Corso community early this year, and the company is planning another such project near Washington, D.C.
“We are uniquely positioned in the senior living industry in terms of our vision, and for the types of communities that we want to build,” Corder added. “It’s going to prevent a new energy for that space.”
Galerie Living has four communities in Georgia.
The two Corso projects also exemplify Galerie’s pursuit of innovative, cutting-edge community design.
The model is heavy on customer service and includes an additional layer of management for residents, including both an executive director and general managers. And with monthly rates closer to $12,000, the communities also exemplify the ultra-luxe senior living community trend.
“We want to take a key part of the history of Atlanta and really show what our vision for senior living can be,” Corder said.
Galerie Living is but the latest senior living operator working in conjunction with a university in some capacity. Other recent examples include Integral Senior Living’s Sooner Station at University North Park community in Norman, Oklahoma and Pacific Retirement Services’ Mirabella at ASU community on the campus of Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona.
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