Sunrise is celebrating 60 years of service to the Siouxland community this year! It is awe inspiring to me. As I look back at the foresight and dedication of people who first imagined this place…this community…that would be developed to provide specialized housing for seniors in Sioux City. Their vision began to take shape in 1956 after Clyde Roe learned the U.S. Congress was going to allow funding for non-profit entities to build housing for the elderly.
Roe’s interest in this program spurred community-wide fundraising efforts to establish the Martin Luther Home in 1959. Housed in a three-story brick structure constructed on a hill-top field, this facility provided specialized housing to seniors and individuals with physical challenges. Senior nursing care was added one year later and the building was renamed Sunrise Manor.
Six decades later, Sunrise has undergone significant changes. Sunrise Manor has been strategically replaced with a state-of-the-art health center, skilled nursing, specialized memory care, assisted living apartments, condos for Independent seniors, the Gerwulf Community Center, Zenor Park, and so much more.
Still, two things remain the same: our non-profit mission to the community of Siouxland and our commitment to provide housing to seniors in all levels of care. we Were leaders in senior care then. We are leaders in senior care ow. And we plan to lead the way in senior care for decades to come!
We will celebrate our 60th anniversary throughout the year. Please join us!  ~Hallie Salmen, Executive Director
Timeline:
- 1959: Opens as Martin Luther Home
- 1960: Adds senior nursing care
- 1968: Welcomes independent seniors to Sunrise Hills cottages & condos
- 1985: Provides affordable apartments through Maple Heights
- 1987: Expands nursing services & adds new dining room
- 1992: Launches Sunlight Center, first-of-its-kind memory care neighborhood
- 1995: Completes John R. Gerwulf Community Center
- 1996: Adds Bernstein Center, second memory care neighborhood
- 1996: Creates more affordable options with Maple Heights Annex
- 2002: Introduces Fountain View Assisted Living
- 2009: Opens The Pointe at Sunrise apartments for independent seniors
- 2012: Adds Sunrise Health Center with skilled nursing, assisted living, & memory care
- 2012: Tears down former “Sunrise Manor” building
- 2013: Develops Zenor Park on site of the former facility