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Manor shows off new residence Photo by Jim Craven A construction worker walks through the main lobby of Skyline Plaza, the Rogue Valley Manor's newest building. Work is scheduled to be complete in a matter of days. Skyline Plaza opens Dec. 7; apartments are all sold By JIM DAVIS The Rogue Valley Manor's newest building is so close to opening that it already has a Christmas tree. Skyline Plaza -- the new six-story building sitting above Medford on Barneburg Hill -- is expected to open on Dec. 7, said Brian McLemore, Manor administrator of corporate development. "It's turned out really nice," McLemore said. "People are going to be blown away when they see it." The $22 million structure is the most conspicuous building to be constructed in Medford this year. Residents paid between $110,000 and $250,000 per apartment, and all 75 of the apartments already have been sold. The Manor is a nonprofit "life-care facility" that provides homes, health care and activities to 750 residents 62 and older. With Skyline Plaza almost finished, McLemore said the Manor is looking at expanding its golf course and adding a club house to the greens. Other possible projects in the next five years include changing the exterior of the 1961 turquoise Manor building and building a twin to Skyline Plaza. On Wednesday, McLemore spent a morning showing off Skyline Plaza. "I think it's probably one of the nicest facilities of this nature between San Francisco and Portland," he said. Visitors will first see a waterfall and fountain at the Plaza's entrance. The doors of the ground floor open into a lobby with a huge window that shows off a spectacular view of the Rogue Valley. The Manor will place a 22-foot Christmas tree in that room and the tree and its lights should be viewable from Medford. The main floor of the complex holds a wine tasting room and a bar that includes liquor lockers to allow residents to store their alcohol. The ground floor has several meeting rooms and a music room with a sound system that can record music played in the room. McLemore said that the Manor has a choir as well as a lot of "resident musicians." Also on the ground floor is a 670-seat dining room. Along with a dining room in the turquoise building, it will serve all Manor residents. "I think we spent $65,000 on china alone," he said. The second floor includes a deck with a barbecue pit and a gazebo. Residents designed their apartments to suit their tastes, choosing carpet and paint colors. Apartments range in size from 1,150 to 1,750 square feet, McLemore said. They are, in some cases, nearly five times larger than apartments in the older Manor complex. Each apartment is equipped with a high-speed Internet connection. The Plaza also has a room that has computers, copiers and fax machines available for residents' use. McLemore said 23 people are moving from other Manor buildings to the new building and the rest are new residents coming from all over the country -- from Hawaii and California as well as from the East Coast. McLemore said the Manor will move four residents a day into the apartments starting in early December. He said the Manor will invite community leaders to a special open house in early January and will host a public open house early in the spring. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford, Oregon USA