Our Community
Crossmount is a new kind of aging-in-place community.
With 480 acres of natural prairies, fresh air and sunshine are regularly available to enhance the health and well being of residents. We are proud of the fact that our entire community is wheelchair friendly, including indoor and outdoor amenities. Discreet built-in safety features in our homes, along with onsite in-home health services means residents can stay in their homes as they age. At Crossmount the freedom to make daily choices in an environment of mutual respect is integral to independent living and health.
Amenities
Crossmount has many unique amenities including our natural ponds, natural bluffs and walking trails.
We have an on-site cidery with a tasting room and outdoor decks overlooking apple and pear orchards. Our community gardens are resident-run amenities and there is a small working greenhouse on-site. Winter activities include cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and good old fashioned pond skating. Crossmount residents can also access many clubs and activities through Crossmount’s Wellness Director or they can simply enjoy the 480 acres of natural prairies by taking a stroll or enjoying the space from their private decks or patios.
Built By Local
Crossmount is all about local. In 2008, a Saskatoon business man saw a need for a new kind of aging-in-place community and the idea for Crossmount was born. With our own COR certified construction company, Crossmount Homes Ltd., we are able to build quality homes, as well as complete in-house many of the attractive features you will find at Crossmount such as our wedding garden pagoda and live-edge benches. We build homes using local individuals and trades. We try to integrate Canadian sourced products wherever possible and feel it is important to use sustainable and energy efficient materials.
In addition, we use many local companies and artists to bring various visions and elements to life. Our main entrance sign was designed and crafted by Remnant Steel in Saskatoon; Remnant also prepared other signage for our public buildings, our house numbers, the metal insets in the garbage and recycling containers in The Glen, the metal art in the Highlander Room of the event venue and our metal privacy screens. The beautiful fireplace and stunning handrail at our health building – the Crossmount Centre for Healthy Aging (in the Manor House) were handcrafted by Rob at Dragonfly Artistic Metals of Saskatoon. Our street signs, gorgeous fireplace and beautiful, yet practical, coat rack in our event venue and metal bench ends in The Glen were also designed and created by Rob.
Crossmount also gives back to the community through its support of various organizations and initiatives. Crossmount has supported the Saskatoon Council on Aging, Care for Kids by Wiegers Inc., University of Saskatchewan Huskies Women’s Soccer Team, curling teams, athletic scholarships, and non-profit organizations. During the summer, through the Crossmount Cider Company, weekly yoga classes are held on the grassy space beside the cidery. Participation is by donation to a different organization weekly; organizations supported include: Saskatoon Dog Rescue, SPCA, Saskatoon Food Bank, SCAT, OUT Saskatoon, STR8 UP, Haven Family Connections, Riversdale Community Fridge, and more.
Family Story
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Crossmount was started by a local business man. Seeking to honour his Scottish family roots, Crossmount is named for the home in Scotland where one side of the family originates, while the first neighbourhood of independent homes, Fortingall, is a village in Perthshire, Scotland from which the other side stems. Many other names, such as the street names, are also tied back to Scotland, as are a number of recurring themes throughout the community like the thistles in some of the metalwork. The thistle is the national flower of Scotland, but it is also found in the natural prairies at Crossmount, like the Nodding Thistle pictured here.
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Nine colour photographs in the foyer of the Glen at Crossmount Event Venue provide visual links to Scotland. The photograph in the middle shows Crossmount House, which was the inspiration for our health building – the Crossmount Centre for Healthy Aging (Manor House). The image on the top left shows the Fortingall Church and cemetery where ancestors are buried. Also of note in this photograph is the Yew tree to the left of the church. This tree is considered to be one of the oldest in Britain and is believed to be about 5,000 years old. The remaining photographs are all taken in the village of Fortingall, except for the image on the right in the middle row. This photograph was taken along the River Tay near Dunkeld.
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At Crossmount there are many discreet elements with family connections. For example, the two large black and white photographs in the foyer of the Glen at Crossmount Event Venue are ancestors of the family.
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In the Huntsman Room in the Glen at Crossmount Event Venue you will find prints passed down through the family.
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Also in the Huntsman Room there are a number of old family photographs on display in the side storage cabinet.
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In the Tasting Room at the cidery you will find the family tartan from the Farquharson clan.
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Not all items tie back to ancestral heritage; some have more recent connections with family. For example, in the waiting room area of the Crossmount Centre for Healthy Aging or Manor House, there are a number of antiques which were originally collected by the family. Additional antiques can be found throughout the site.
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This podium is used at many of the events which take place at Crossmount. While it does not have ancestral connections or antique status, it was built by a member of the family as an Industrial Arts project!
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There are a number of other items on site which were completed by a family member. Here is one example. This is a mural in the bathroom of the Tasting Room at the cidery. The idea was to capture the view you see when you are in the Tasting Room, and mimic it in the bathroom. The mural depicts apple orchards in bloom. There are a number of other murals on site, also painted by the same family member. Do you know where they are?
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“The Cider Taster” is a painting you can view in the Tasting Room of the cidery. This painting was done by the same individual who did the murals you will find in The Glen at Crossmount.
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Crossmount has a collection of Scottish antiques from the Lukkarinen family, including a set of antique cider jugs, some of which are on display in the Tasting Room of the cidery. We feel very fortunate to have this collection of antiques and more items from the collection can be found throughout the site.
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In the Tasting Room of the cidery you will also see a stuffed male pheasant, given to us by a woman from Saskatoon. We appreciate this generous gift and feel the pheasant is a wonderful and welcome addition to the Tasting Room decor.
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We are very fortunate to have an absolutely stunning stained glass window from the former Mazenod Residence in Saskatoon, the Oblate Provincial House and retirement home for St. Mary’s Province. The window was designed by Sister Salesia Zunti, OSE, Humboldt, Saskatchewan. This window is not yet on display at Crossmount, but will be in future. We plan to display it in an indoor space so it is safe from the elements.
Gallery
