Ceremonial groundbreaking festivities were conducted Saturday morning, Oct. 11 on the new Brandon Place development at the Moosehaven retirement community in Orange Park, FL.

When completed, Brandon Place, occupying the southeast quadrant of the 70-acre Moosehaven campus, will consist of 62 one-level apartment units in four different sizes and floor plans, ranging in size from 853 to 1,455 sq. ft.

As with the rest of the Moosehaven population, prospective residents must be a member of either the Loyal Order of Moose or Women of the Moose (or at least one spouse of a couple must hold active membership). But unlike the remainder of the campus, Brandon Place residents will not be required to relinquish all their financial assets upon moving into their new homes. Instead, they will pay an entry fee and subsequent monthly fees. These fees will cover basic maintenance and two meals daily, and automatic qualification for admission into the Moosehaven LifeCare Center if and when their condition warrants it.

Brandon Place is named after the late Rodney H. Brandon, who purchased the property that was to become Moosehaven in late 1921, coined the Moosehaven name, and guided its first 15 years of development. Brandon, who also served as the first Superintendent of Mooseheart Child City & School from 1913-1916, died in 1968.

Speaking at the ceremonial groundbreaking, in addition to Moose International Director General/CEO William B. Airey and Chief Operating Officer Leonard J. Solfa Jr., were two of Brandon's grandsons, Rodney L. Burton, a professor of aerospace engineering at the University of Illinois; and Mark B. Allen, a real estate developer based in Batavia, IL.

Burton (who brought his youngest son, Brandon Burton, to the event) recalled accompanying Rodney Brandon, then in his 70s and serving as Pilgrim Governor, by train to the 1957 International Moose Convention in Spokane. Burton, who was then in his teens, said, "I was not prepared to see this quiet man be treated like a rock star . . . a crowd of over 100 saw him enter and came swarming in welcome. People just liked to be in his company."

Moosehaven Executive Director John Capes, who will oversee construction of Brandon Place, served as master of ceremonies for the festivities, which were not only witnessed by most of Moosehaven's campus population, but also by more than 100 Moose visitors from Alabama, present for Alabama Day.

more information about Brandon Place, contact Director of Marketing & Admissions Sandra Simmons, at 904-278-1281, or email to admissions@moosehaven.org.