Asbury Methodist Village Celebrates 85 Years

It was the year "Winnie the Pooh" was first published.

Henry Ford introduced the 40-hour work week, NBC was formed, Pontiac cars were introduced and NBC was founded.

These things all happened in 1926, when in a small suburb of Washington, DC, a group of Methodists founded a retirement home for five seniors.

The original property was on Magruder farm only a few miles from where the sprawling 130-acre campus now sits in Gaithersburg.

Now, 85 years later, Asbury Methodist Village is the 12th largest not-for-profit senior living organization in the Country, serving more than 2,400 individuals.

Donors, elected officials, dignitaries and a few residents gathered in the Hefner building yesterday to mark the milestone, which was followed by lunch and a presentation by former National Geographic photographer David McLain.

Speakers included Lt. Governor Anthony Brown, who said residents enjoy a "tremendous quality of life" at AMV.

"Strong communities are built, not born," he said.

State Senator Jennie Forehand, a former director of AMV, also spoke at the gathering. She provided a list of notable things that happened in 1926 when Asbury was formed, and added a few stories about the people she'd met over the years at and around Asbury.

County Executive Isiah Leggett was on hand, and recounted a story of his first impressions of Asbury.

After returning from serving in Vietnam, his friends took him on a tour of San Francisco, he said, including an area called Ashbury Heights just to the south of famed hippie-hangout Haight-Ashbury.

"It was a very hip area," he explained. Eventually he was stationed in the Washington, DC area, and upon hearing of Asbury Methodist Village, "I assumed this was where all those hip people retired to."

He added that AMV is "really an asset to Montgomery County."

Mayor Sidney Katz was also on hand, and said Asbury has been a good neighbor to the City, noting that only a few weeks ago Asbury hosted Gaithersburg's State of the City dinner.

And Asbury continues to grow.

On the northwest corner of the property new buildings are going up, and on the southwest corner, three specialized alzheimer's patient buildings are slated for construction.

The luncheon was part of several events this week celebrating the 85th anniversary.

There was dedication of some of the newly constructed buildings before the luncheon, and tomorrow will be a garden dedication.

Asbury offiers 74 villas, more than 700 spacious apartments, 133 assisted living suites and 285 licensed nursing care accommodations.