History

An Amazing Legacy of Care.

In the 1950s, Palo Alto physician Russel V.A. Lee, M.D. recognized the need for a new way to care for the nation’s aging population. Lee, a larger-than-life personality with ahead-of-his-time ideas and the ability to translate them into reality, believed retirees ought to enjoy lifetime care in comfort and dignity amid beautiful surroundings. Supported at the time by the Palo Alto Medical Foundation and Clinic (both of which he co-founded), he was the leading force behind the establishment of Channing House, which was incorporated in 1960 and opened to residents in 1964.

The community thrived. In 2014, the Russel V.A. Lee Health Center was built to accommodate a growing need for Assisted Living and Skilled Nursing care. In 2021, we added additional Assisted Living care in the Tower.