Rockwood’s History of Service
The Strong Roots of Our Vibrant Communities
Our story starts in the mid-1950s, when members of Spokane’s Central United Methodist Church guided by the initiative of Mr. O.W. Young to begin planning for a new kind of faith-based retirement community, unlike the other nursing homes known at that time. In 1957, Spokane United Methodist Homes was formed as a non-profit corporation doing business as Rockwood Retirement Communities. Today, the organization includes Rockwood South Hill, Rockwood at Whitworth, and Appleway Court.
Rockwood South Hill and Rockwood at Whitworth are Life Plan Communities. This means that Rockwood provides seniors with individualized care based on their needs. Since 1960, we've provided the finest senior living environments, so we're experts in the pursuit of the carefree lifestyle you want and deserve.
In 1987, construction began on Rockwood South Hill’s private homes in Rockwood Forest Estates. With this exclusive neighborhood of custom homes, Rockwood expanded the continuum to include an option for highly independent living in a secure residential setting with access to services and programs, another innovative approach to retirement.
Then, in 1999, a new Wellness Center and 30 specialized dementia care assisted living apartments were added, and the second floor of the tower was converted into assisted living apartments, adding breadth and depth to the continuum. In 2016, we opened The Summit at Rockwood South Hill—an 11-story apartment tower with a focus on amenities and ease of access to services and a view of Spokane, WA you won't find anywhere else.
In 1999, Spokane United Methodist Homes acquired its second campus, Hawthorne Retirement Community in north Spokane. In 2019, a transformation of Rockwood Hawthorne began with construction of a new perspective on senior living. Partnering with Whitworth University, Rockwood is developing the 1st university-affiliated retirement community in Spokane: Rockwood at Whitworth.
In 2011, Rockwood opened Appleway Court—a senior affordable housing residence in Spokane Valley. Since its opening in 2011, Appleway Court has stayed consistently full; and in 2014 Rockwood completed a second phase almost doubling the size of the community.
Today, we continue to improve the quality of life for all of our residents by using technology, on-going training for staff, and our holistic health and wellness programs. We make sure we keep asking residents and their families their preferences and revisiting the optimum use of our resources. We have residents on our Board-of-Trustees to make their voices heard.