West Seattle’s only continuing care retirement community started more than a century ago with a dream. The estate of Seattle pioneers Samuel and Jessie Kenney called for creation of what they deemed “a home for the aged” providing “shelter, care and comforts of home.” A dedicated Board of Trustees spent the next decade carrying out the couple’s plans. Incorporated on June 20, 1901, the Samuel and Jessie Kenney Presbyterian Retirement Home housed its first residents in various locations owned by the Kenney estate, primarily in what is now downtown Seattle.
The West Seattle Kenney started with the Seaview Building, which opened its doors to residents in 1909. The 1950s and 1960s saw the addition of the Sunrise Building and the Calvin Health Center. The Ballymena, named after Samuel’s birthplace in Ireland, opened in 1985. Then, in 2003, the Lincoln Vista Assisted Living Building opened, complete with a fitness center and community rooms.
Today, we continually evaluate the needs and desires of our residents and our community to ensure that we are well positioned for future stability and growth. We’re proud to say that what started out as one couple’s dream is now one of most respected not-for-profit retirement communities in the region, if not the nation. Our mission – and Samuel and Jessie Kenney’s vision – of “life enhancement for the senior community” lives on.
