The new Marianist Retirement Center serves the priests and brothers of the Marianist Order on the West Coast and is the only retirement center exclusively for members of the Marianist Order. The retirement center was built originally as a formation house — a place to train young men to be brothers and priests. In the early 1980s, however, recruits became fewer and fewer, and the complex was converted to a retreat center for use by the Marianists. It also was rented to local businesses. Gradually, operating costs for the retreat outpaced the facilities’ use. A 1997 study recommended transforming the retreat center into a retirement and assisted-care facility. The Marianist Province of the United States, based in St. Louis, Missouri, decided to transform the property, and the center was closed in 2003.
The Marianists selected Nibbi Brothers to provide extensive preconstruction and construction services for the transformation of the property. In keeping with tradition, the new facility reused much of the original structure. San Francisco-based Kotas/Pantaleoni Architects were selected to provide design services for the center. The Marianist brothers wanted 27 individual units with private bathrooms, six of which are non-ambulatory rooms for retirees requiring skilled nursing. The property includes three buildings that are connected by covered walkways. Chaminade Hall has a dining room in which holds a capacity of 50, a large chapel, a community room and administrative offices. St. Mary’s Hall is the residence for the active retired, and St. Joseph’s Hall is for those needing care. In addition, the landscaping was an integral part of the project with more than 60 percent of the 3-acre land being open space. It was important for the residents to have this space to walk, meditate and relax due to the heavy use of the space and the fact that a large portion of the residents would rarely leave the facility.