Charlestown Celebrates its 30-Year Anniversary with a Focus on the Future

A Thursday, June 6, Ribbon Cutting/Dedication Ceremony to mark the 30^th Anniversary of Charlestown retirement community will be held on the community's Catonsville, MD, campus. 

Charlestown set the nation’s senior industry standard of excellence with its introduction of an on-site Medical Center supported by an integrated health care system, climate-controlled walkways connecting residential buildings and an array of resident-run clubs and activities that foster socialization and wellness. It continues to do so today with a year's worth of campus-wide renovation/modernization and the use of emerging technology in areas of fitness, dining and nutrition, health services, and apartment home design.

Hundreds of Charlestown residents will join Founder John Erickson, Charlestown Executive Director Clara Parker, state elected officials, Charlestown staff, former Charlestown executive directors, and officials from Erickson Living, the management company of Charlestown, for the 30th Anniversary event.

Charlestown, which is the site of the historic Our Lady of the Angels Chapel, has 2,300 residents and sits on 110 acres. Charlestown offers extensive wellness and prevention programs, balance assessment and fall prevention programs, and Fitness and Aquatics Centers.

Also, there are more than 200 resident-inspired and resident-led clubs, committees and interest groups in these categories: art; cards; computers and technology; dance; faith-based and interfaith; fitness and sports; games; gardening; lifelong learning; music; literature, and philanthropy.

Interestingly, a total of three people moved into Charlestown when it first opened in 1983. Charlestown today is one of the world’s largest continuing care retirement communities with 2,300 residents.

Some more interesting trivia: a handful of employees worked at Charlestown in its first year of operation. Charlestown today employs 1,136 people.

Charlestown's renovation/modernization includes the following:

-- The Edgewood residential building has 55 new apartments and a newly-renovated auditorium. Edgewood offers twelve new floor plans with a variety of custom interior options from which to choose.  Many of the apartment homes include screened-in porches or balconies as well as walk in closets.  The floor plans create the following apartment types: 5 one-bedroom apartments, 12 one-bedroom apartments with den and 38 two-bedroom apartments

-- The Charlestown Square neighborhood renovation includes a newly-renovated state-of-the-art fitness center, computer lab, salon, craft room, classrooms and cards rooms and meeting spaces.  The new entrance and lobby leads to a Marketplace. Residents enjoy a new and enlarged swimming pool.  The newly-renovated Fireside restaurant has an upstairs area facing a courtyard that opens as a games area with outdoor roof terrace.