Lurie Terrace Fills 46 Units - Many Yet To Be Interviewed

Many Yet To Be Interviewed: Wednesday July 15, 1964

Lurie Terrace Fills 46 Units

By Jack Lewis

Lurie Terrace of 600 W. Huron, a 142-unit apartment building for senior citizens, today is nearly one-third leased some two months in advance of completion of the $1.7 million high-rise facility.

Avery Downer, president of Senior Citizens Housing of Ann Arbor, Inc., owner of the facility, said that 46 one-year leases have been signed and first and last months’ rent deposits placed.

Fifty prospective tenants, all of whom have said they want to lease Lurie Terrace apartments, remain to be interviewed, Downer said. In addition, he said there are another 95 persons who have applications on file but who have not yet made up their minds for one reason or another.

He said his housing unit daily is receiving an average of eight telephone calls or personal appearances at the project by persons who are expressing interest in taking up occupancy. “I expect very seriously that all units will be rented by opening time,” Downer said. Lurje Terrace is scheduled to be completed sometime in September. No final completion and occupancy date has been announced.

Persons interested in living in Lurie Terrace may inspect by appointment only furnished model apartments in the eight-story building which has an eighth floor dining room and men't club room. One of each type of apartments offered has been furnished for the purpose by a Scio Township retail furniture store, Downer said. 

Types of dwelling units offered and monthly rentals listed as follows: 53 bachelor units, $68 to $76; 52 flexibles with niches for single beds, $88 to $96; one-bedroom units, $100 to $136; and eight two-bedroom units, $150 to $158.

Bachelor units are most popular so far - with 26 leases signed for them.

The two-bedroom units are intended for two unrelated persons who would share equally the monthly rent. One-bedroom units are offered in four sizes— small, regular, companion and family.

Downer emphasized that persons are not to visit Lurie Terrace this week because a house on the west side of the site is being demolished and persons have to pass the razing area to get to the building.

Persons are eligible to apply for occupancy in Lurie Terrace under the following conditions:

1) The applicant must be at least 62 years old. If married, one of the spouses must be 62.

2) A single person’s income must not exceed $4,000 a year and a married person’s income must not exceed $5,000 annually.

3) Applicants must live in Washtenaw County or have a relative who lives in the county.

4) Applicants must be able to care for their own apartments.

Besides the dining and men’s club rooms, Lurie Terrace has a basement workshop for men and basement laundry facilities.

A feature is a gathering room on each floor, where dwellers can meet with other tenants.

The dining room can also be used for dancing, card playing, showing of motion pictures, meetings and so on, Downer said, calling it a multi-purpose room.

Up to 20 low-income persons can be housed in Lurie Terrace under a rent supplement program to be put in effect under two-year Housing and Home Finance Agency subsidy.

The board of directors of Lurie Terrace feels a real service was given to the community by the University of Michigan requesting federal assistance for housing the elderly,” Downer said. “It is an opportunity to use community facilities to house older people with low income rather than building public housing for this group and thereby placing a stigma on them.”