In the late 1980s, James Levy was inspired to bring assisted living to Des Moines after seeing communities on the East and West coasts. In 1994, 3801 Grand was opened and was the first assisted living facility in the area. Seeing another unmet demand for luxury independent living, the Grand Suites were opened in 1999. Before his passing in 2008, James began the process of converting a portion of the assisted living building into a memory care wing that was opened in 2009. 3801 Grand remains locally owned by the Levy family and locally operated by Newbury Living. In 2023, "The James" was added to the 3801 Grand Campus as luxury apartments for all ages. Many families have multiple generations living throughout the campus. The James was named in honor of the founder and visionary of Newbury Living, James Levy.