Heritage Square celebrates 50th anniversary Nov. 3 with open house

DIXON – Heritage Square in Dixon will celebrate its 50th anniversary with an open house from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3.

The open house event invites family, friends and the community to join the retirement facility in celebrating its 50 years of service. The event will feature live entertainment, refreshments and giveaways.

Heritage Square, 620 N. Ottawa Ave., is a nonprofit facility. It employs about 100 people, many of whom are from Dixon. The facility has 47 sheltered care and 25 skilled nursing care beds, as well as independent living duplexes. Residents enjoy activities such as bowling on the patio, Bingo, trivia contests, ice cream socials, dances, luaus and special suppers. Special events also are planned for each holiday. Ecumenical church services welcome people of all faiths each Sunday, and Catholic services are held Tuesday mornings. For those who don’t have computers or internet access, the Ronald Reagan Room study provides both.

Heritage Square’s history

In 1949, Laura Rogers of Grand Detour put together her estate plan with Dixon attorney Robert Warner. Rogers wished to leave part of her estate to establish a retirement home in Dixon. The endeavor would be called the Dixon Old People’s Home Fund, and Rogers and Warner selected a board of directors to establish the home. The board took a big step forward in 1963, when it bought the former North Dixon School property, coincidentally where Rogers graduated from high school in 1893. The old school was razed 10 years later.

Rogers died in 1971 at age 98, and her estate plan was put into motion. With that money, along with funds raised, the board set out make Rogers’ wish a reality.

But first, they needed something new for something Old. The name Dixon Old People’s Home didn’t quite fit in with modern sensibilities so the board decided to find a different name. Two options were considered: Dixon Square or Heritage House. Heritage Square was the compromise the board reached.

Raymond Bowman, who had served as administrator at Pinecrest Manor in Mount Morris, was hired in 1972 by the board of directors to serve as a building and planning consultant. As bids started coming in, it was clear that the project would require more money, so two additional estate plans kicked in more cash and the facility became a reality.

Bowman went on to become the home’s first administrator and served until 1986.

Ground was broken in July 1973, and 16 months later Heritage Square welcomed the community to an open house on Nov. 2 and 3, 1974, that drew about 2,800 people to see the community’s newest retirement home. Among the notable features at the time were resident-controlled heating and air conditioning, and all carpeted floors.

Through the years, Heritage Square has grown, with additions to the complex to the north and east made in the 1990s, including the Warner Campus set of independent living duplexes.

About 1,000 residents have lived at Heritage Square during its 50 years. The oldest resident to have lived there was Mary Crombie, who died in 2003 at age 113; the lifelong Chicago Cubs fan was the oldest verified living resident of Illinois, fourth-oldest in the nation and ninth-oldest in the world at the time.