Amazing Grace Senior Living opening inside former Resurrection convent in March, offering assisted living, memory care units
by BRIAN NADIG
The conversion of the former Sisters of the Resurrection convent at 7432 W. Talcott Ave. into Amazing Grace Senior Living is nearly completed, as the 72-unit facility is scheduled to open in March.
For Michael Fiandaca, one of the building’s new owners, the site’s history is a motivating factor in making sure everything is perfect with the development.
“They are the nuns that taught me in elementary school, and this is their home,” said Fiandaca, who attended the now closed Saint Thecla School. “Some had lived here 50 years.”
Fiandaca said that he expects the nuns will be returning to visit the assisted living and memory care complex, especially the chapel built in the 1920s.
“That’s sacred ground to them,” he said, adding that the chapel and its stunning stained glass windows were kept in pristine condition.
The Sisters periodically modernized the convent building, which housed Resurrection High School until it relocation in 1962 to 7500 W. Talcott Ave., and those improvements facilitated the redevelopment project, Fiandaca said.
The facility includes a mix of studio and one-bedroom apartments, some as large as 800 square feet, and the amenities include a beauty salon, game room, fitness center and art studio.
Residents also will be have access to the landscaped grounds, which include an Our Lady of Grace statue that for decades has attracted visitors for family photographs, Fiandaca said.
In addition, the former high school auditorium inside the building will offer a variety of entertainment and other activity options. “We will be hiring an activities director very soon,” Fiandaca said.
The facility will be implementing pandemic-related safety protocols, and the building includes an air ventilation system that uses Needlepoint Bipolar Ionization technology to clean the air.
Amazing Grace executive director Cheryl Black said that staff will be assisting residents with the set up of virtual meetings with their loved ones. “We recognize how important that communication is,” she said.
Rates for the the living units start at $4,500 a month, and tours can be arranged by calling sales director Josephine Bernero at 773-250-7000. More information is available at www.amazinggracesenior.com.
