October 15, 2019 —On Tuesday, July 30th, 2019, Barclay Friends celebrated the ongoing construction of their new building with a beam signing ceremony. Employees, resident family members and local politicians came to Barclay Friends’ community to sign a beam that will be installed at the highest point of their new building.
Named Preston, after 19th-century Quaker physician Ann Preston, this state-of-the-art building will offer residents spacious apartments. It will also offer a wide range of activities and quality health care services in a modern setting. Preston will host 60 new rooms, housing Memory Support, Residential Living and Personal Care programs.
Preston will be constructed from steel and concrete. The exterior will feature brick, stone and siding known for its attractiveness, as well as durability and flame-retardant properties. Warfel Construction is building the 61,000 square-foot project, designed in collaboration by Bernardon and SFCS. Plans currently call for completion of construction early in 2020.
Among the ceremony attendees were community members who have shown goodwill to Barclay Friends over the years. Dr. Rohini Bhatia of Chester County Prosthodontics offered services for residents in need of dentures. Danielle Gendler, honors student at West Chester University of Pennsylvania, helped coordinate a “Winter Puppyland” fundraiser in Sykes Student Union that saw students pay to play with SPCA puppies.
The Preston building will open in late Spring 2020. For more information about the project or interest lists, please click here.