Lincolnia Senior Center shows off renovations

The Snappy Tappers perform at the Lincolnia Senior Center open house.

Patrons of the Lincolnia Senior Center entertained guests with songs and dance (tap, square, line, ballroom, and more) Sept. 30 during an open house that showcased renovations at the facility.

Among the guests were Jill Gerald of Lincolnia and Joanne Hatfield of Annandale, long-time friends, who met when the building was once the site of Lincolnia Elementary School.

The renovated lobby at the senior residences.

Gerald and Hatfield started school there in the 1st grade in 1945 and continued through the 7th grade. For the 8th and 9th grades, they went to the old Fairfax High School, then transferred to Annandale High School when it opened in 1954.

Gerald recalls growing up in Lincolnia before Interstate 95 and Beauregard Street were built. Her mother’s cousin had “the biggest chicken farm in Fairfax County” on the site of Landmark Mall.

The courtyard.

The Lincolnia Center renovations included a new HVAC system, a new generator to provide power during emergencies, new floors and ceilings throughout the building, and other improvements, says Toni Clemons Porter, associate director of senior housing at the Fairfax County Department of Housing and Community Development. The renovations cost $11 million and were funded by a Fairfax County bond.

The lobby at the senior center.

On the outside of the building, all the awnings were replaced, and the courtyard has all new furniture.

The facility consists of three separate programs: subsidized housing for lower-income seniors, an adult day care center for seniors who need supervision, and a senior center offering classes, activities, and lunch for active seniors.

The residential part of the facility has a reconfigured lobby, a new arts and crafts room, a new bistro, renovated nursing stations and common area lounges, and reconfigured bathrooms.

Senior Center patrons perform a line dance.

The residential area has 52 assisted housing units and 26 studio apartments. To qualify, seniors must be at least 62 and have an income below $39,000 a year. Rent is set at 30 percent of their income. Meals are included in the rent.

The assisted living units are for people who need help with medications or housekeeping or have physical disabilities or mental illness. The program is not for people with memory impairments, as it’s not a secure facility.

There is so much demand for the senior housing, the facility doesn’t even have a waiting list anymore, Porter says.

The Lincolnia Adult Day Center.

The day center serves 30 to 40 people a day, including about 10 from the Annandale Adult Day Center which closed in 2015, says Joe Downey, senior program assistant. The center offers crafts, music, adaptive sports, strength training, meals, special events like a talent show, and services, such as a beautician.

Lincolnia Senior Center residents have access to community gardens and a field behind the facility. Fairfax County has dropped plans to locate a temporary homeless shelter on that field.