Demolition is slated to begin soon on portions of the shuttered Atlanta Medical Center as developers prepare the site for a mixed-use development.
The Integral Group and Wellstar Health System have announced that Ferma Corporation will lead the demolition work of the 22-acre site located in the historic Old Fourth Ward neighborhood, according to a report from the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Trinity Green and Atlanta Demolition will work with Ferma.
“The demolition phase represents the groundwork for transformation,” said Eric Pinckney, senior vice president at Integral, according to the AJC. “Our commitment is to deliver a redevelopment that aligns with the values and aspirations of those who live and work here.”
The first phase of demolition will begin with “unsafe and unusable facilities,” including a circular parking structure, according to the AJC. Preliminary site preparation is scheduled to begin in early February and visible demolition could start in March. The entire demolition project is expected to last until late 2025.
Integral officials have said a majority of the hospital could be demolished. Some of the campus’ towers may be preserved for conversion into other uses, according to the AJC.
Wellstar abruptly closed the 120-year-old hospital in December 2022, citing major financial losses. The announcement shocked Atlanta leaders and left the region with Grady Memorial Hospital as the only Level 1 trauma center.
Mayor Andre Dickens immediately called for a moratorium on new development on the prime real estate in rapidly evolving Old Fourth Ward. The Atlanta City Council approved a series of development moratoriums that lasted almost two years.
In September, the city council approved the Atlanta Medical Center Small Area Plan, a concept plan to redevelop the hospital property that includes more than 2 million square feet of housing, several hundred thousand square feet of commercial uses, public green spaces, and medical and hospital facilities.
In October, Wellstar announced that Integral would lead the redevelopment of the AMC site into a revitalized community with housing, retail and health care resources.
Wellstar, owner of the AMC property, said the redevelopment of the site would be “guided” by the city’s concept plan.
David Y. Mitchell, executive director of the Atlanta Preservation Center, decried the loss of the mid-century buildings.
“The Atlanta Medical Center – formerly Georgia Baptist Hospital – is a community, neighborhood and city asset. Its proximity to our urban centers makes it ideally suited to provide ample accommodation/housing by way of adaptive reuse with Historic Preservation,” Mitchell said in a statement. “The lack of exploring opportunities to utilize this significant mid-century building sets a concerning tone for demolishing what we have a great deal of in Atlanta. We hope that the majority of the Georgia Baptist Hospital will not be razed and that thoughtful inclusion of this space can be infused into a development that does respect the aspirations and values of those that live and work there and for all of us that call Atlanta home.”