Ethel Percy Andrus and the Cold Spring Institute
On February 11, 1954, Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus wrote an urgent letter to one of her former teachers at Lincoln High School, Gloria Gartz. Gloria was a wealthy heiress, the daughter of Kate Crane Gartz of the Crane plumbing family. Gloria’s grandfather, Richard Teller Crane, had been a major donor to Jane Addams’ Hull House, and her mother, Kate Crane Gartz, had donated to the Southern California Teachers’ Home when Ethel raised funds to expand the Pasadena facility in 1949.
Although Ethel had negotiated an outstanding purchase price for Grey Gables--$125,000—she needed $50,000 for the down payment. The letter she wrote that day asked Gloria to loan NRTA the $50,000 to make the purchase. In the letter, Dr. Andrus spoke of the models she had used to plan her new, experimental retirement home. It would be a dignified, beautiful home like the Southern California Teachers’ Home and a place for retirees to explore new directions in life, like the Cold Spring Institute. (See Dr. Andrus’ letter here.)
Eleanor Roosevelt was a major supporter of the Cold Spring Institute. She also was interested in the social implications of aging and how to improve the lives of retired persons. Whether Ethel and Eleanor ever met, or even communicated with each other, we do not know. In fact, we don’t know if Ethel ever visited the Cold Spring Institute. There are some coincidences that make us wonder if there might be a closer connection than we know.
First, the Cold Spring Institute was located on the Long Island estate of Dr. William Sergeant Ladd II, a prominent doctor and businessman in New York. After Ladd’s death, his wife Mary offered the property for use by the Cold Spring Institute. Dr. Ladd was the son of William Mead Ladd who had a winter home in Ojai, California, the home of Grey Gables. Growing up, William Sergeant Ladd II had spent many winters in the Ojai Valley. The Ladd’s Ojai home was one of two designed by the brothers Greene and Greene.
Second, the Director of the Cold Spring Institute was an educator, Dr. Ruth Andrus of Poughkeepsie, New York. We do not know if Ruth and Ethel were related, but we do know Ethel’s father had family living in New York and that Ethel had met them later in life.
From what we know about Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, it is difficult to imagine that she would have based her experimental retirement home on another experimental project without having visited and studied it in depth.
Although Ethel had negotiated an outstanding purchase price for Grey Gables--$125,000—she needed $50,000 for the down payment. The letter she wrote that day asked Gloria to loan NRTA the $50,000 to make the purchase. In the letter, Dr. Andrus spoke of the models she had used to plan her new, experimental retirement home. It would be a dignified, beautiful home like the Southern California Teachers’ Home and a place for retirees to explore new directions in life, like the Cold Spring Institute. (See Dr. Andrus’ letter here.)
Eleanor Roosevelt was a major supporter of the Cold Spring Institute. She also was interested in the social implications of aging and how to improve the lives of retired persons. Whether Ethel and Eleanor ever met, or even communicated with each other, we do not know. In fact, we don’t know if Ethel ever visited the Cold Spring Institute. There are some coincidences that make us wonder if there might be a closer connection than we know.
First, the Cold Spring Institute was located on the Long Island estate of Dr. William Sergeant Ladd II, a prominent doctor and businessman in New York. After Ladd’s death, his wife Mary offered the property for use by the Cold Spring Institute. Dr. Ladd was the son of William Mead Ladd who had a winter home in Ojai, California, the home of Grey Gables. Growing up, William Sergeant Ladd II had spent many winters in the Ojai Valley. The Ladd’s Ojai home was one of two designed by the brothers Greene and Greene.
Second, the Director of the Cold Spring Institute was an educator, Dr. Ruth Andrus of Poughkeepsie, New York. We do not know if Ruth and Ethel were related, but we do know Ethel’s father had family living in New York and that Ethel had met them later in life.
From what we know about Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus, it is difficult to imagine that she would have based her experimental retirement home on another experimental project without having visited and studied it in depth.
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