How three voices from our January 26 ceremony captured the moment concept crossed into reality
On January 26, we broke ground on the West Tower—a beautiful 33-story tower that will add 198 new senior living apartment homes to our urban retirement community in Seattle’s First Hill neighborhood. Several hundred people joined us, including Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson. There were speeches from our CEO, City Council members, current residents, and future residents. There was champagne and tasty hors d’oeuvres, hard hats and ceremonial shovels, and even a photo booth to capture the fun.
But the real story wasn’t the ceremony itself. It was what happened for people who’d been investing—financially and emotionally—in a future that won’t arrive until 2029. Three years is a long time to hold faith in blueprints. The groundbreaking marked the moment when abstract commitment became tangible.
Three voices from that day capture what this transformation felt like for future West Tower residents, current residents, and those of us carrying forward Horizon House’s 65-year legacy.
The Future Resident: When Numbers Become Neighbors
Al Bender and his wife Jane had been living comfortably in a Redmond retirement community when friends told them about the West Tower. After learning more, they made plans to move in.
They were number 133 on the waitlist, but were able to secure their preferred floor plan, the Juniper.
Still, the West Tower existed in the gray area between promise and reality. Expansion projects at all senior living communities have to clear many financial hurdles before construction can even start, and there are no guarantees for early depositors. “Everything was presented as uncertainty,” Al said.
For Al and Jane, it was more than just the ceremony that made life at West Tower real. It was the connection they felt to others who’d made the same bet on the same future. “What reaffirmed that we made the right decision has been the other committed residents we’ve met,” Al observed. “We consistently find individuals who plan for the future, live actively, and choose communities deliberately.”
The groundbreaking transformed the depositors into a visible community, proving to each other that their collective act of faith was actually going to pay off. Al spoke for many excited future residents—and likely all in attendance—when he said, “It wasn’t real until today.”
The Current Resident: Choosing Uncertainty on Purpose
Marcia Almquist moved into our West Wing in January 2022—the day after our Board of Trustees announced our plan to demolish it to build the West Tower.
“In all fairness, I was given the option to bow out, and my money would be refunded,” Marcia told the crowd. “I was offered many other apartments, but I said, ‘No, I want to live in the West Wing, at least as long as I can.’“
She enjoyed three and a half years there before relocating to make way for construction. During that time, residents from other buildings spoke up: West Wingers shouldn’t have to move off campus. That’s Seattle—when something doesn’t feel right, you say something. It was no small ask for a project this large.
“They re-looked at the plan,” Marcia said, “and told us, we’ll readjust the plans, readjust the budget, and keep the West Wingers on campus.”
That decision meant prioritizing keeping neighbors together over construction logistics.
Marcia now lives on the 17th floor of our main tower with “a perfect view of the construction.” As incoming president of our Board of Trustees, she’s watching the future take shape outside her window while helping guide us through what’s ahead.
The Granddaughter: Legacy as Living Process
Linda Purdy closed the groundbreaking ceremony by reading Norman Hirsch’s poem about Bach’s unfinished “The Art of Fugue”—a piece that grows in complexity and beauty, then stops without ending.
Linda is no stranger to Horizon House. She’s our Director of Inner Wellbeing and Spirituality, and the granddaughter of Myrtle Edwards, who founded Horizon House more than 65 years ago. “They didn’t know that when they hired me,” she noted wryly.
The poem captured something essential about what the groundbreaking represented: continuing, not concluding. The West Tower doesn’t finish our story—it strengthens our infrastructure for longevity, extending the work Linda’s grandmother began.
What Actually Changed on January 26
During her remarks, our CEO Erica Thrash-Sall framed the expansion in terms that connected directly to what makes this Life Plan Community distinct. “Our identity is clear and we know who we are,” she said. “This is a community that’s defined by independent thinking and intentional choice.” Later in her speech, she reinforced it: “Horizon House has always, always been a place shaped by independent thinkers.”
The groundbreaking validated three years of faith for future West Tower residents like Al and Jane. It demonstrated to residents like Marsha that difficult transitions were worth it. And it honored the legacy Linda’s grandmother established. That decision—prioritizing neighbors over logistics—showed what “independent thinking” means in practice. When it matters most, residents come first. For anyone considering independent living in Seattle, this is what commitment looks like from both sides.
The new Seattle senior living tower opens in 2029. But for everyone gathered on January 26, 2026, that future stopped being theoretical the moment ground broke.
Ready to explore what life at Horizon House looks like? Visit HorizonHouse.org or call 206-382-3100 to learn more about the Seattle retirement community where independent thinking never retires.
