We are proud to celebrate our 80th year as an independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to senior care. See below a few notes about our history, and pictures of our 80th Black and Gold Celebration to commemorate the occasion.
Jennings Terrace – Making a Difference Over 150 Years
1834 – Aurora Settled
1845 – Aurora Village Incorporated
1857 – City of Aurora Incorporated
1855 – Rev. John Clark envisions a school for the Midwest in Aurora
1859 – Clark Seminary opens to students
1861 – The Civil War begins
1864 – Eliza Wallace Jennings donates $15,000 and school is renamed Jennings Seminary
1898 - Jennings becomes an all-girls school
1941 – USA enters into World War II
1942 – School closes and interest and need for a senior residence grows
March 16, 1943 – Jennings Terrace receives charter as a not-for-profit organization
July 5, 1943 – 64 senior residents move into refurbished Jennings Terrace
Mach 26, 1949 – Open House celebrates 6th Anniversary of Jennings Terrace and 90th Anniversary of the building.
March 13th 1959 – A disastrous fire destroys the 100 year old building. Four residents die in the fire: Alfred Franzen, Jasper Davis, Charles Bartholomew, and Ernest State. The organization received and outpouring by community of support in housing and donations.
1961 – Newly completed one story building opens, expanded and updated to accommodate over one hundred residents.
June 18, 1961 – Formal dedication includes the placement of a cornerstone and time capsule.
1980 – Certificate of Need filed for the addition of Nursing Center expansion.
1985 – The Kemmerer Annex, a 60-bed Nursing Center, is completed.
March 11, 2020 – Jennings Terrace goes under first lockdown for COVID-19 pandemic.
April 2021 – Families welcomed back into the building after lock-down ends.
March 16, 2023 – Celebration of 80 years of Jennings Terrace!
1834 – Aurora Settled
1845 – Aurora Village Incorporated
1857 – City of Aurora Incorporated
1855 – Rev. John Clark envisions a school for the Midwest in Aurora
1859 – Clark Seminary opens to students
1861 – The Civil War begins
1864 – Eliza Wallace Jennings donates $15,000 and school is renamed Jennings Seminary
1898 - Jennings becomes an all-girls school
1941 – USA enters into World War II
1942 – School closes and interest and need for a senior residence grows
March 16, 1943 – Jennings Terrace receives charter as a not-for-profit organization
July 5, 1943 – 64 senior residents move into refurbished Jennings Terrace
Mach 26, 1949 – Open House celebrates 6th Anniversary of Jennings Terrace and 90th Anniversary of the building.
March 13th 1959 – A disastrous fire destroys the 100 year old building. Four residents die in the fire: Alfred Franzen, Jasper Davis, Charles Bartholomew, and Ernest State. The organization received and outpouring by community of support in housing and donations.
1961 – Newly completed one story building opens, expanded and updated to accommodate over one hundred residents.
June 18, 1961 – Formal dedication includes the placement of a cornerstone and time capsule.
1980 – Certificate of Need filed for the addition of Nursing Center expansion.
1985 – The Kemmerer Annex, a 60-bed Nursing Center, is completed.
March 11, 2020 – Jennings Terrace goes under first lockdown for COVID-19 pandemic.
April 2021 – Families welcomed back into the building after lock-down ends.
March 16, 2023 – Celebration of 80 years of Jennings Terrace!
