New owner turns B & B into home for seniors
Photos by Tom Rivers – The former Erie Canal Schoolhouse Bed and Breakfast at 43 Brown St. will soon be open as an assisted living site with an adult daycare. There will be open houses from Aug. 29-31 before the site opens in early September.
ALBION – A former Catholic school that found new life as a bed and breakfast now has been changed into an assisted living home for senior citizens.
The former Erie Canal Schoolhouse Bed and Breakfast also will provide an adult daycare. The site, “Canal View,” will open in early September.
“This is not an institutional-type setting,” said Gail Kendig, marketing and community liaison for Tender Loving Family Care.
Canal View will keep rooms that celebrate local heritage, including “The Albion Room.”
Jeri and Lou Becker sold the former school to Annika D’Andrea. She has refinished some of the hardwood floors and is adding an elevator. For the most part, the building will remain as the Beckers had it with rooms decorated to highlight local history. There are bigger rooms for group activities, including the upstairs auditorium.
D’Andrea has taken down some small trees to better showcase the property next to the Erie Canal. She believes residents will benefit from the peaceful location by the canal.
“It’s so much better to have this kind of atmosphere for them,” Kendig said. “People can see the natural beauty that’s around here.”
Tender Loving also owns an assisted living site in Le Roy. The business has offices in Brockport and Rochester. Tender Loving also provides home health care services in the Rochester region. The business has about 100 employees.
Kendig said it will add five or six employees who will provide a 24-hour presence at the site in Albion.
The Erie Canal Room includes a border celebrating the song, “Fifteen Miles on the Erie Canal.”
D’Andrea and Tender Loving will have opens houses at Canal View on Aug. 29 from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. and Aug. 30-31 from 2 to 4 p.m.
The site was a school before being turned into an apartment house. The Beckers bought it in 2004 and made many upgrades while preserving and celebrating the building’s heritage.
“This is a true landmark,” D’Andrea said. “From a school where children played and learned, a B&B that beautifully restored the rich history of the school, now the perfect place for our loved ones. Our seniors will live a well dignified life in a comfortable, safe and professional home environment. Our residents and adult day care visitors will enjoy maximum independence, freedom and comfort while receiving the quality assistance they need.”
Canal View isn’t a nursing home, although some medical services are provided for wound care, medication administration, glucose monitoring and other services. The adult daycare allows some seniors to spend part of the day in structured activities, including social programs, fitness and wellness, and meals.
For more on Tender Loving, click here.
