Canterbury Court (CC) is nestled within Buckhead, one of Atlanta’s premier communities. The front of the 14-acre community faces Buckhead’s bustling urban energy, and the back overlooks nearly 6-acres of tranquil gardens. As a non-profit, Canterbury aims to provide senior living with less worry, more purpose. The CC campus previously consisted of three existing buildings built in the 1960’s, 1990’s and early 2000’s. The existing buildings housed primarily independent living (IL) apartments with limited skilled nursing (SNF) and assisting living (AL) units, along with common areas for living, dining, exercise, and other activities. To further CC’s continuum-of-care goal, RJTR helped develop a master plan to reposition the SNF and AL component to the new Monarch Pavilion healthcare building. Monarch increased the overall SNF and AL unit counts and included a new memory care (MC) wing, while also supplementing services and amenities. To meet market demands, the plan also included a new IL Garden Tower building adding IL apartments to the campus. RJTR created an à la carte menu of upscale finish options, allowing residents to fully customize their unit to meet personal aesthetic preferences.
CC worked closely with adjacent neighborhood associations, maintaining as much wooded property as possible and adding heavily landscaped buffers along neighboring property lines. Sidewalks and landscaping were upgraded along 1000+ feet of frontage on Peachtree Road as well as working with Georgia Power to replace short-span overhead power lines with a taller long-span system, cleaning up the frontage and enhancing pedestrian experience along this major artery.
Monarch Pavilion is located on newly acquired land at the north end of the campus. Common amenity spaces on the first floor include a lobby/prefunction space, art gallery, flex room, PT/OT and fitness, and a salon. Three upper levels consist of 42 AL units, 21 MC units, and 20 SNF units. An IL wing on the first floor offers 7 IL units with terraces overlooking the gardens.
The existing pool was demolished to make way for the IL Garden Tower. The Garden Tower is 10 stories with 98 IL apartments ranging from 1-bedroom to 3-bedroom sizes. The first floor connects to one of the existing buildings and features The Grille dining venue overlooking a new elevated outdoor amenity deck. A new natatorium houses a new indoor pool, strategically adjacent to the existing fitness and wellness program.
The area surrounding the Monarch Pavilion and Garden Tower increased the existing Legacy Garden with extended walking paths, a new greenhouse, secure MC elevated courtyard, and elevated IL amenity deck. The charming gardens feature gazebos, thoughtfully spaced seating for resting, a dog park, and trellis-covered areas to catch some shade. The gardens are a celebrated green space feature of Canterbury Court amid the urban area of Atlanta. The gardens provided inspiration for interior finishes such as carpet patterns, wayfinding murals, and artwork. The site design is maximized with parking located under each building and also includes designated areas for regular private bus service, encouraging resident connection to local area destinations and community volunteering.