Fieldstone, located on site of the former Messenger House, adds Independent and Assisted Living to its Array of Services

Fieldstone keeps on growing. The newly minted senior living complex in Rolling Bay has just completed a new independent and assisted living wing on the grounds of the former Messenger House.

The approximately 60,000-square-foot complex houses 46 apartment units – studios, one-bedrooms and two bedrooms – along with an assortment of creature comfort amenities, such as a movie theater, an art studio, a library, a workout space and a number of lounges, one featuring a grand piano.

The upscale facility also includes two restaurants – Gerald’s and the Sky Lounge – and awesome views of the Puget Sound and downtown Seattle in the distance. Two years ago, the Kennewick, WA based company, which operates 11 similar facilities in Washington and Oregon, including a 200-bed property in Silverdale, opened a Memory Care wing adjacent to the new independent living center.

The memory care section, aimed at serving people with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, includes 35 apartments, and is able to accommodate up to 39 residents. Combined, Cascade Senior Living, the company that operates the Fieldstone brand, is investing about $28 million to build out its Bainbridge operation, said the company’s co-founder Doug Ellison.

Ellison, along with partner Justin Younker, was on hand the other day to greet visitors at the Grand Opening of Fieldstone’s new Rolling Bay independent and assisted living wing. The company, Ellison added, is awaiting a final license from the state to formally operate its assisted living services.

Messenger House was founded in the 1960s, and some of the former buildings on the six-acre property dated back to the early1900s when it was part of a resort/hotel community. It was closed in 2018.

The Moran Building was adjacent to the former nursing home, and at one time was an all-boys school, and later a military academy for young men. It dated back to 1923, and, after unsuccessful attempts to save the historic structure, it was demolished in October 2017.

Historic photos of Messenger House and the Moran School for Boys line the entry way and walls of the buildings, along with beautiful photos of Bainbridge Island and Olympic National Park.

At the recent event, visitors got to sample some tasty treats from Fieldstone’s on-site chef at Gerald’s – which will be open to friends, family and neighbors of the facility only and not to the general public – tour a wide assortment of rooms and lounging areas, and get a feel for the spaciousness of the place.

All the rooms are well appointed and include a small kitchen, a washer-dryer and a large bathroom, with the requisite safety features included. Potential clients pay monthly, with fees ranging from $6,000 to $10,000, depending on the size of room, and each tenant furnishes their own apartment. The price includes meal service from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. “A lot of couples are moving in, so those rooms (occupied by couples) will be double occupied,” says Ellison.

The facility has a bit of a resort feel to it. The movie theater has a genuine popcorn making machine and real, overstuffed comfy-feeling “theater” seating. The artist studio has easels, and cupboards loaded with paints and other supplies.

In another area, the workout room has some typical exercise machines and weights, plus an interactive white screen that includes cutting-edge motion sensors with video games to enhance a user’s experience. The rehabilitation platform includes therapeutic assessments, outcome data tools, and dozens of games that provide users with a diverse range of treatment options.

Not far away is a recreation room with a pool table and a stand-up shuffleboard table. Outside, along the beautifully manicured grounds, is a bocce ball court made with real sand, and, on the other side of the building, a putting green, with three holes. Fore!

Upstairs on the third floor, is the Sky Lounge, which will be open to the public, as well as residents and their friends and relatives, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. It has a small deck and an adjacent lounge, both with amazing views of the Puget Sound and Downtown Seattle. The menu includes reasonably priced cocktails, beer and wine, plus soups, sandwiches, small plates, salads and cookies.

Ellison, whose own family’s struggles with dementia and aging prompted his decision to found Fieldstone, says the new independent and assisted living center in Rolling Bay has been leasing up quickly. “The island has been great to us,” he says. “There’s wonderful people here, great staff and great neighbors.”

For more information on Fieldstone Memory Care and Fieldstone Communities, visit https://fieldstonecommunities.com/communities/rolling-bay

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