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This week’s hotel spotlight features the Eugene Hotel Retirement Community located on East Broadway in Eugene, Oregon. I would have never thought to stay in this hotel but a good friend of mine was also visiting her wicked grandmother Violet in Eugene and in exchange for a ride down, I was put up for the night.
The room is intended for people who are visiting relatives within the retirement community and is very similar to the actual renters units. It came with a small kitchen, living room, bathroom and bedroom enough to fit 1 to 2 people very comfortably with a fold out couch just in case company does come to town for a night or two. All residents have the option for their spaces to be professionally cleaned but from what I can tell, the community is a vibrant place to live (though I am told that the cooking could use some work).
During my teen years, I worked at an assisted living center that does not even hold a candle to the experience I had at the Eugene Hotel. Although the spaces and furnishings in Eugene were a bit architecturally dated, the place was clean and, in my opinion, very charming. The service was great and I would happily recommend this hotel to anybody passing through the area but I am unsure if it is truly open to the public. Even still, the experience got me thinking about how spaces age and how the places of today will look and feel in 50 years. Is there a way to design around aging? How do you plan for aging architecture at a local, city and regional level? Will the spaces I design look and feel dated? All questions with few answers but as I said, the experience will sit with me as I design for the future. After all, there is something to be said about how we design for an aging society and it makes me happy that in this little slice of Eugene, Oregon, a respectful piece of humble pie was served.
