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THE STORY OF Concordia
We're proud to be part of one of the longest-running senior living communities in Northwest Arkansas. But the credit truly belongs to the generations of residents, families, and staff who have made Concordia what it is today. Summarizing more than 50 years of history is no small task, but the outline below will give you a better sense of where Concordia came from and how it became the community it is now.
The idea for Concordia began with a magazine article. John A. Cooper Sr., the developer behind Bella Vista Village itself, had a younger brother, Dr. Ed Cooper, whose wife Sara Jane read an article about a new kind of retirement center, one where seniors could move in at retirement and stay for the rest of their lives. In 1968, Dr. Ed Cooper and head of engineering Jim Gore set out to find land for it, and settled on 26 acres overlooking a brand-new golf course. Dr. Cooper's plan called for roughly 65,000 square feet to serve a community he predicted would grow to 25,000 people by the year 2000, with luxury apartments, a medical center, a pharmacy, a hospital, and a nursing home all on one campus.
Original photos, 1970s
Campus Aerial Photo, 1972
Original brochure cover, 1972
Construction moved quickly once it began. In January 1971, the Weekly Vista reported that the first building would be a pharmacy and medical office, with a second phase of 144 luxury apartments and a large central building to follow. The first building opened that June, and by October the second phase was under construction. A third phase, a full hospital, was planned for 1972 through 1974.
By August 1972, with the campus about half finished, Concordia hired its first administrator and activities director and began advertising for residents across the country. Dr. Cooper recruited an executive chef from Boston, and early Concordia dining was genuinely elegant: two seatings for breakfast (an early one for the golfers and fishermen, a later one for anyone who wanted to sleep in), a four-course dinner every night, and ice sculptures for special occasions. That level of formality didn't last. The chef left in 1974, and dining shifted to a buffet and salad bar format, a change residents grumbled about at first but came around to over time.
In 1976, the nearby Bella Vista Hospital opened. Around this time, Dr. Cooper decided to step away from the business. Joe Basore took over as president of Elcare, the corporation running Concordia, and turned a money-losing operation into a profitable one by the time he left in 1981. Concordia was then sold to Christian Services and Scholarships Inc. of Dallas for $6 million, and sold again in 1986 to United Health Inc. It changed hands several more times over the following decades.
AMENITIES & BENEFITS
Restaurant-Inspired Meals
Personal Laundry Service
Maintenance-Free Living
Weekly Housekeeping
24-Hour Health Staff
Care Overseen by Licensed Nurse
Personalized Care (See Below)
Robust Activity Program
Emergency Call System
Weekly Outings
Complimentary Laundry Facilities
Complimentary Parking​​
Transportation Scheduling
Medical Appointment
Weekly Trips
Ground-Level Entry on Each Floor
Utilities Included (Except Phone)
Complimentary Cable Service
Gorgeous Landscaping
Small Pets Allowed
Staff drawing of clubhouse
In 1983, Concordia Catered Living opened with 20 apartments for residents who needed a bit more day-to-day assistance, the roots of what is now Concordia's assisted living program.
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Since 1974, the Association of Concordia Residents has met monthly, and its members have left a real mark on the campus, funding the flagpole in front of the administration building, a satellite dish, and holiday gifts for local families over the years. Concordia added its rock waterfall near the entrance in 2010, and in 2014 began putting up a synchronized Christmas light display for the season.
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Concordia has changed ownership many times since Dr. Cooper's original vision in 1968, and today operates under Roots Living, the same family-owned company behind Greenridge Estates in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Warren and Winston Tonack, representing a fourth generation of senior living leadership, have worked to carry Concordia's own half-century of history forward while building toward its future, right alongside the Bella Vista community that has called this campus home since 1972.