Plymouth Place Wins National GOLD Award for Senior Living Design
Plymouth Place is proud to announce that our recent development, The Arboretum Villas, has received a Gold Award for Best Development & Design: Senior Living at the Multi-Housing News 2025 Excellence Awards, presented on December 4 in New York City.
This national honor recognizes the most innovative and impactful real estate developments in the country – placing The Arboretum Villas, and our design partners at AG Architecture, among the very best in senior living.
“At Plymouth Place, excellence isn’t a project goal – it’s our everyday mindset,” said Plymouth Place CEO Jay Biere. “This award reflects our commitment to redefining the senior living experience to help residents lead fuller, healthier, more connected lives.”
This year’s Excellence Awards included 101 winners across 33 categories. In the Senior Living category, Plymouth Place earned the top honor, followed by:
- Silver: Citrus Villa (Chula Vista, CA)
- Bronze: Mount Hermon Apartments (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
A Continuing Pattern of National Recognition.
This award builds on a year of significant accolades for Plymouth Place and The Arboretum Villas, including:
- EFA Design Showcase Finalist
- NAHB Silver Award – 55+ Apartment or Independent Living Community
- Senior Housing News Architecture & Design Awards – 1st Place in Renovation/Repositioning
- Illinois Real Estate Journal Awards – Senior Housing Winner
Together, these honors highlight the project’s thoughtful planning, contemporary design, and strong focus on wellness and community connection.
A Roadmap for the Future
“Jurors look for innovation, user experience, aesthetics, and real impact,” said Laura Weyrauch, former Plymouth Place Board Member with a background in architecture, design, and construction. “It’s about what great design can achieve for residents and communities.”
“Plymouth Place stands out not just for our beautiful design but for the strong commitment and collaboration of our team, partners and generous donors that shaped this project from day one,” said Jay Biere, CEO of Plymouth Place. “This national recognition underscores our mission to create spaces that truly support well-being, independence, and socializing.”
At the EFA Design Showcase, jurors praised the project’s thoughtful master plan, phased implementation, rooftop garden, and the well-considered scale and density of the Arboretum Villas – along with the spacious, beautifully designed residences.
“It has been a pleasure to work with the team at Plymouth Place who are so committed to the process,” said Eric Harrmann, Chief Design Officer of AG Architecture. “The award recognition is an exclamation point on a project that has been exceptionally well received by the people it serves.”
About the Arboretum Villas: A New Standard for Senior Living.
Completed in April 2024, The Arboretum Villas project updated and transformed the Plymouth Place campus with unique services and amenities that appeal to adults 62+, including new wellness and dining experiences, a pool and 10-person hot tub, enhanced green spaces with walking paths, an expanded pond complete with a new bridge and innovative filtration system to support aquatic life, and beautiful housing — all designed to help residents flourish and thrive.
Key Facts
- La Grange Park, IL | Not-for-profit
- 58 independent living villas – home to 80+ residents
- Designed by Eric Harrmann, AG Architecture
- Project Managers: Ann D’Acquisto & Megan Scott
Project Highlights
- Center for Healthy Living featuring an indoor pool and spa, creative learning center, and vaulted-ceiling dining venue
- Landscape design preserving historic trees qualifying the campus as a certified arboretum
- Architecture inspired by Chicago brownstones, with customizable finishes, indoor parking, and private patios or balconies
- Rooftop garden connected to each villa building, with inviting social spaces such as a club room and golf simulator lounge
- Pedestrian-friendly site plan with bocce courts, pickleball, greenhouse, and integrated walking paths
- Campus-wide renovations including art studios, wellness areas, cocktail bar, restaurant, and full-service salon
A Lifestyle That Goes Beyond Buildings.
“Investing in projects like the Arboretum Villas is about so much more than architecture,” said Plymouth Place CFO Bridget Reilly. “It’s about elevating the experience of everyone who lives here.”
And that is what truly sets Plymouth Place apart. Residents enjoy a vibrant, culturally rich lifestyle with more than 100 social and educational opportunities each month, including musical performances, lectures, art classes, fitness and wellness sessions, resident-led clubs, and more.
Our Artist in Residence program brings musicians and artists from around the world to teach, inspire and collaborate with residents. And, each year, the Plymouth Place Travel Club embarks on an international adventure. In 2026, they are heading to France.
Discover the Plymouth Place Difference
We’re incredibly proud of this prestigious award, but we’re even prouder of the lifestyle we offer focused on purpose and joy.
We invite you to experience it for yourself. To schedule a tour and discover how wonderfully life can be lived, call (708) 354-0340.
