Friendly Towers sits in a vintage hotel building on Wilson Avenue in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago, right near Lake Michigan with bird sanctuaries, walking tracks, and bike paths close by, and you'll notice right away the building's got a lot of life, offering affordable SRO (Single Room Occupancy) apartments for people 55 and older, with private furnished rooms, private baths, and phone service included, and there's a cozy, old-fashioned hotel feel since it's up on the top three floors of the old Chelsea Hotel, which people call Friendly Towers. The community provides three meals a day in the dining room, weekly housekeeping, all utilities, and a TV lounge for anyone who wants to just take it easy, and supports both independent living and assisted living, with care options like memory care, skilled nursing, hospice, and case managers helping residents get what they need.
Friendly Towers follows Christian faith principles, so there are devotional services on-site and a strong sense of compassion, and folks can take part in wellness education, art therapy, weekly gatherings for board games, and lots of other activities, while the staff brings in medical doctors weekly and psychiatrists monthly for health check-ins. The place is smoke-free, has 24-hour security at the front desk, and keeps a 24-hour receptionist in the lobby, so family can feel settled knowing someone's there and looking after things, and there are both male and female residents living on private senior floors, along with inter-generational living spaces and support from Cornerstone Community Outreach. There's indoor and outdoor spaces to relax, including community rooms and places to meet with others, and you can bring your pet if you want.
Besides the basics, you'll find a business center, social care support, transportation services, and a real sense of liveliness people jokingly call "its life." Apartments don't have their own cooking facilities, but the staff serves meals and keeps up on the cleaning, and all rooms are clean and well-kept, with tubs in the bathrooms. There's easy access to public transportation, with bus lines nearby, the "Red Line" L-Train at Wilson and Broadway, and stores like Target, Walgreens, Aldi, Jewel Osco, McDonald's, and more within walking distance, plus Weiss Memorial Hospital is only two blocks away. The Friendly Towers building is a quiet, smoke-free place with 24-hour support, furnished rooms, supportive managers, and both independent and assisted living so older adults with low income can live with privacy, dignity, and a good bit of company when they want it.
