By John Woodford
Photos by Martin Vloet

With 52 of 92 units filled several months before official opening day, Dr. George R. DeMuth, professor emeritus of pediatrics and communicable diseases, was close to seeing a 15-year dream come true this summer: University Commons condominium complex for active seniors 55 or older who are U-M faculty, staff or graduates, working or retired.

DeMuth (left) and developer Jack Baker '78 at University Commons senior housing complex in Ann Arbor.

In 1986, De Muth said in an interview at the construction site, he, former graduate school dean Alfred S. Sussman, their wives and a few other faculty couples thought it would be good for U-M to undertake such a project. Several other universities had already built similar residences, DeMuth added.

After years of planning and discussions, the Board of Regents ultimately decided not to carry out such a project, said DeMuth, who is president of the University Condominium Association (UCA). But the Board did agree in 1996 to sell the UCA the large wooded parcel off Huron Parkway, and also helped the group obtain funding, and Blue Hill Development of Ann Arbor took over the project.

DeMuth surveys his dream come true: University Commons condominiums.

The complex is adjacent to U-M's North Campus, and provides easy access to outdoor paths, shopping areas, Gallup Park and facilities of the University, DeMuth noted. The buildings—two apartment buildings with 30 units apiece, 20 townhouses and 12 villas—"are sited in a central area occupying less than 40 percent of the 18-acre site surrounded by park and woodland preservation areas," he said.

The U-M Information Technology Division recently included University Commons in its high-speed campus wide computer network, providing residents with "state-of-the-art communications technology for voice, fax, data and cable television," DeMuth said.

The UCA and the home-owners group are administratively separate and both are independent of the University. Several U-M units have relationships with the condo, however, including the Turner Geriatric Clinic, the architecture school, Learning in Retirement, and the School of Music, which will use UCA's 17,000-square-foot Houghton Hall as an official concert venue.

For more information, contact principal developer Jack Baker at Blue Hill Development at (734) 663-2500, or write him at 516 E. Washington St., Ann Arbor, MI 48104. Website: http://www.bluehilldevelopment.com/