In 1986, developers officially transferred the property at 1666 Coffman St. to the residents. Pictured here, from left: John Briscoe, chief financial officer, Coffman Housing Partnership; Gertrude Esteros, president, University of Minnesota Retirees Housing Corporation; Ed Lindberg, first president of 1666 Coffman Homeowners Association; and Jack Klepp, chief development officer, Coffman Housing Partnership.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the condominium residence at 1666 Coffman St. in Falcon Heights and residents there are not only celebrating three decades of contented living on West Larpenteur Avenue but are inviting others to join them.
On Sunday, May 8 (Mother’s Day), from 2 to 5 p.m., the residence will host an open house with refreshments and tours of the building, units and grounds.
“I just love living here,” said Eve Brown, chair of the condominium association’s promotions committee, the event sponsor. “This is a real community and a very welcoming and congenial one.”
Generally speaking, ownership in the 93-unit building is open to those over 55 years of age, whether retired or still employed, who worked at the University of Minnesota at some point in their careers. (A non-university buyer can be considered if a condominium remains unsold after 120 days on the market.)
The housing complex is regarded as the brainchild of Gertrude Esteros, who, as a retired professor of design in the early 1980s, played a key role in convincing university regents that the project was needed. The building occupies 6.5 acres leased from the university.
“We’re all indebted to Gertrude,” said Brown.
The complex was built in 1986.
There are plenty of opportunities to exercise both the mind and the body at the residence, its wide array of amenities including a library, two art galleries, an exercise room, sauna, workshop, craft room and a social room, the latter also used for concerts.
Several lecture series, the Coffman Players drama club, bridge and free Osher Lifelong Learning Institute classes are just a sampling of the range of activities offered on-site.
The buildings are very well-maintained, said Brown, thanks to the work of the building and grounds committee. It makes a difference, she said, when people have a personal stake in the upkeep of a facility.
The residents also are pleased that they will have a new neighbor in a few years, the Bell Museum of Natural History and Planetarium, which will occupy a site immediately to the east at Cleveland and Larpenteur avenues.
One insight to how people feel about living at 1666 Coffman is that when their personal circumstances change, such as a spouse dying, they often move within the building. “They like the neighborhood,” Brown said.
You can learn more about the community at 1666coffman.com.
