‘We enjoy the option of renting an apartment in a very luxurious setting with remarkable dining.’

Walter “Wally” Hobbs is an independent resident at Eastcastle Place, the nonprofit senior living community on Milwaukee’s East Side. He and his wife live there together, and they both help to volunteer on Sunday, Sept. 28, to help with visitors dropping in to see Eastcastle Place during the weekend of Doors Open Milwaukee. He is an active member of the senior living and retirement community and often gets involved in the various programs that are put on for the seniors, like movie nights and coffee meetups. He and his wife came to Eastcastle Place in 2023 from Thiensville, and after living there for two years, he loves it.

Annabelle Hershelman: How do you like living at Eastcastle Place?

Walter Hobbs: Oh, it’s terrific. There is this reliable element of continuing care of where if you ever need it, there is rehabilitation care, memory care, and full-time nursing care. It is metaphorical fire insurance, and you are tickled pink that you have it, and you hope that you never need it. My wife and I are currently living as independent residents, so we enjoy the option of renting an apartment in a very luxurious setting with remarkable dining. On the other hand, we also have our own breakfast and lunch in our apartment because that is our choice. There are also more events than you can possibly take advantage of.

Annabelle Hershelman: What is adjusting to Eastcastle Place like when you first arrive?

Walter Hobbs: I’d have to speak personally, as I’m not sure that I can be a voice for everybody. But I get the impression that it is widespread. When you first arrive, you’ve just finished downsizing. Typically, you’ve just finished downsizing a house. Some of the residents who live here originally had two homes: one here, one in Door County, or one in Florida, for example. You have to squeeze everything that you are going to keep into an apartment. No matter how spacious that apartment may be, it is still smaller than two houses. Nevertheless, coming off the effort of downsizing, you still end up bringing a lot of stuff that you can’t use. You have to figure out what to do with those, and the building is also complex, so it can take a while to learn.

Annabelle Hershelman: Are you from Milwaukee? How familiar are you with Milwaukee?

Walter Hobbs: My wife and I came from western New York near Niagara Falls. We moved to a condo in Thiensville in 1997, and it is located just south of Cedarburg. There is a story to that community, too. A man named John Thien settled in the area, and he was one of the free thinkers of his day. He despised how controlling the government and church could be. Somehow, he was able to bring a group of people to the United States in the midst part of this continent and establish a small town in the 1800s. He named the town after himself. The first church building was erected in Thiensville in 1954; therefore, from the settling of the area in the 1800s to 1954, the town had no church. I don’t even think they had a village government. They were free thinkers. But to return to my story, we came to Milwaukee proper in August of 2023. We have family here, our son, who lives just five minutes away. But personally, I don’t know Milwaukee well at all. I still know Thiensville a whole lot better than I know Milwaukee. Now though, I am getting a bit familiar with the landmarks from my sightseeing when we go out grocery shopping. If it were a snowstorm and I had to find my way around, I’d need a GPS!

Annabelle Hershelman: Do you think that Doors Open is a useful opportunity for people to get to know Milwaukee and Eastcastle Place?

Walter Hobbs: From a marketing standpoint, it will be useful for people to visit and learn more about Eastcastle Place. But, from the perspective of a resident who has seen people come and leave here, it seems that people have enjoyed visiting and exploring the building. They are doing the tours because they are curious about the building.