History

Vicar’s Landing, as a Life Care project, emanated from a statement made in a sermon given by the Reverend James H. Cooper, Rector of Christ Episcopal Church, Ponte Vedra, on Pentecost Sunday, 1982. He suggested that the elderly residents of Ponte Vedra had no facility in the area where they could spend their lives in security, in dignity and in the lifestyle to which they had become accustomed. Shortly thereafter, the Rev. Cooper formed a committee of Christ Church members, to find and recommend a site for such a community.

Vicar’s Landing's present site of approximately 24 acres was decided upon. Since the committee was without funds, the land site was acquired for $1.6 million, using loans backed by the value of the land itself. Peter Rummell, President of Arvida, owners of the land, had provided a grant to pay the cost of having Ernst & Whinney conduct an initial feasibility study. Upon its completion, the committee was formally incorporated on August 4, 1983 as Life Care Pastoral Services Inc., an independent, not-for-profit corporation, and its Board of Directors expanded to eleven members to provide the broad areas of expertise required to manage the project.

Funds were sought to finance the initial marketing and preliminary design and development costs. KBJ, a well known local architectural firm, was engaged on October 21, 1985 to generate preliminary design and development data from which plans could be shown to potential clients for marketing purposes.

Since its inception, Vicar’s Landing has grown to include a 60 bed skilled nursing facility with 52 private rooms and 4 semi-private rooms. In addition, The Stratford was built recently, a free standing assisted living facility, housing 38 spacious apartments.

Vicar’s Landing is managed by the Board of Directors of Life Care Pastoral Services Inc., under the direction of Raymond Johnson, Executive Director. He, in turn, has assembled a competent staff to provide required services. Vicar’s Landing currently enjoys a reputation as one of the country’s premier Life Care retirement communities with an average occupancy of 97% or better.