Hills

Can you believe it? Atrium Village is now 45 years old.

On Monday, Atrium Village celebrated a major milestone as the nursing home facility marked its 45th anniversary.

During the celebration, residents and staff gathered in the dining room, where they viewed photos highlighting moments from the facility's 45-year history.

Before cutting the cake, several speakers shared stories and memories, including administrator Stephanie Kronlage, Director of Activities and Social Services Paula Kurt, former Hills Bank president Dwight Seegmiller, Hills City Council member Cathy Knebel and Marsha Mellecker.

Kronlage talked about the beginnings of Atrium Village and how Louis J. Jenn and his sister, Catherine Schnoebelen, struggled to find nursing care for their mother, who wanted to remain in her hometown. With no local options available, they founded Atrium Village in 1981.

“Their mother Louise had reached the point in her life where she needed nursing care. However, she did not want to leave the community that she had called home. At that time, there were no local options available to meet her needs. That experience inspired Louis and Catherine to envision a place where people could receive the care they needed without having to leave the community they loved. Louis turned that vision into a reality through extraordinary generosity, fully funding the facility. Saint Joseph's Catholic Church also played an essential role by donating the land on which Atrium Village was built. Atrium Village opened its doors in 1981.”

Kurt recalled that when Atrium Village first opened 45 years ago, they celebrated with a cake shaped like the building. Although they could not recreate the same cake in 2026, they still had one featuring an image of Atrium Village.

She also reflected on the many stories she heard while planning the celebration.

“We've heard so many stories coming out from folks who come in and visit, people who live here, and it's actually just been really fun in the planning parts of this too.”

Seegmiller spoke about Jenn's deep ties to Hills and his desire to give back to the community. Jenn was the developer of the Jenn-Air range, which helped make open-concept kitchens possible.

Jenn went on to fund Atrium Village and contributed $40,000 annually for 14 years toward operating costs. In total, he donated $560,000, which Seegmiller estimated would be worth around $2 million today. He also noted that Jenn wanted Atrium Village to remain debt-free.

Seegmiller explained how the Jenn-Air brand became widely associated with downdraft ranges.

“The brand name is also the description of the product. When you want to blow your nose, you don’t say, ‘Give me a facial tissue.’ You say, ‘Give me a Kleenex.’ The same thing with these ranges. If you want a downdraft range, you say, ‘I’d like to look at the Jenn-Air ranges.’”

Seegmiller later described Jenn as someone who never forgot his roots.

Knebel also shared her connection to Atrium Village, recalling the days when she drove residents around in the facility's van, something she always looked forward to.

“We had a big blue van and it fit about nine passengers and me, and some of our ventures were really adventures. I never knew where we were going sometimes because I kind of let the residents go to their home places or where they like to go.”

Many of their trips included stops for ice cream or a drink. Knebel jokingly recalled that she often ended up paying.

“I was always treating them, which is fine.”

Mellecker was the final speaker and shared several stories about her time visiting Atrium Village. Although she is not a resident, she visits frequently and joked that residents sometimes mistake her for one, asking, “Do you live here?”

During her speech, she showed the crowd a photograph of Hills dating back to around 1910 or 1915. She pointed out several buildings that no longer exist, along with the land where Atrium Village would eventually be built. She also highlighted the church, rectory, school, former convent and other locations.

Atrium Village will hold another event in a few weeks, honoring veterans on Wednesday, November 11, at its facility at 117 3rd St. in Hills.