Buckingham Pavilion - Chicago, IL

Buckingham Pavilion received the states Highest Award for Quality Care. We were also among the original 12 facilities exclusively chosen by the county gardian to service its clients. Buckingham Pavilion was among the nations first nursing homes to be listed as "Best Nursing Homes in America" by the U.S. News & World Report. For over four decades, Buckingham pavilion has served the needs of Chicagoland. We have been privileged to care for the families of some of the most respected individuals in the fields of healthcare, geriatrics, and patient advocacy, including the director of the Council of Senior Citizens, are Congresswoman, Alderman, Chief of Police and countless physicians. Many owners and operators of hospitals, nursing homes, and home care agencies have chosen Buckingham Pavilion's enriched environment for their own care.
Addressing the diverse needs of an aging population, our mission is to identify and meet those needs in both our short and long term residents. We are committed to achieving our stated objectives in the least restrictive and least institution-like environment possible, promoting the dignity and independence of each resident. The goal of Buckingham Pavilion is to achieve the optimal level of physical, mental, and spiritual well being of each resident through a spectrum of high quality rehabilitation, nursing, and personalized programming.

After World War II, Maurice and Margaret Stern's famous Prague restaurant served as a landmark communal resource to thousands of Eastern European Refugees. In 1950 they left their Native Czechoslovakia for freedom in America. Two years after arriving in Chicago, the couple recognized the need for a home which would provide care with dignity to an aging community. Both worked hard by day and attended School at night. Margaret studied and soon became a nurse. With the help of many of their new friends, they were able to put a down payment on a fashionable mansion just off Lincoln Park. It was a proud day when the young family moved into the third floor of what was to become Stern's Convalescent Home, a 20 bed nursing home complete with gardens and children playing in the parlor. On the following day the phone company came to install their very first telephone, the number was Buckingham 1-9803. No sooner had the Stern's opened their doors that their reputation for personal care and European cooking had the telephone ringing. Over the years, they had become renowned for their devotion in protecting and caring for the elderly. In 1957 they received commendations for installing the first sprinkler system in a nursing home- years before the government made them state requirements. Between 1952 and 1974 some of the most prominent names in commerce, politics, and healthcare entrusted the care of family members to Stern's Convalescent Home. The grand old mansion had served them well, but the time had come to build for the next generation. Built by the Stern family to meet future needs of its residents, Buckingham Pavilion's original design was so far in advance of its day that it exceeded city, state, and federal nursing home standards not contemplated for years to come. Since its opening in December 1974, Buckingham Pavilions reputation has become legendary as being among the state's finest geriatric facilities. Designed as an intimate and comfortable nursing care residence, it is located adjacent to the North Shore of Chicago in the quaint West Rogers Park neighborhood. Carrying on the tradition of its predecessor, Buckingham Pavilion has become the preferred home for many physicians, healthcare professionals, senior advocates, and community officials. Since its inception, Buckingham has qualified for every quality incentive program offered by the State of Illinois. These above average standards range from Nursing Care to Physical and Occupational Rehabilitation, as well as Alzheimer's and Dementia Care. We have been among the pioneers in innovative resident programming such as validation therapy, reality orientation, pet therapy, and intergenerational integration. We established a Continuing Education Program with Truman College, one of the first of its kind in the country. With an average age of 82, the first graduating class had over one third of our residents receiving their diplomas.