Demolition begins on former Atlanta Medical Center

ATLANTA - More than two years after its closure, the former Atlanta Medical Center, a major healthcare institution for more than 120 years, is being demolished.

Crews started the work on Monday.

The owners of the site plan to turn the closed hospital into a mixed-use complex.

SEE MORE: Demolition of former Atlanta Medical Center to begin, no plans for hospital replacement

The backstory:

Atlanta Medical Center, one of only two Level 1 trauma centers in the region, closed on Nov. 1, 2022, due to financial troubles, according to Wellstar. They also closed Atlanta Medical Center South, on the outskirts of the city, a few months before. 

Wellstar obtained the 460-bed facility in Atlanta's historic Old Fourth Ward neighborhood in 2016. The hospital, which originally opened more than a century ago, served area residents who were mostly poor and Black. Wellstar also closed or relocated more than a dozen other facilities affiliated with the medical center. The closures had a direct impact on the local residents, hospital employees and remaining hospitals and staff. 

The decision to close the hospital was initially widely criticized by Atlanta politicians, with Mayor Andre Dickens saying the choice left an "open wound in the heart of this community."

In response, Gov. Brian Kemp boosted funding for Grady Memorial Hospital, and they added additional inpatient beds and hired former surgeons from AMC, primary care physicians and supporting staff to handle the influx of new patients. 

Initially, the City of Atlanta placed a series of zoning moratoriums on the property while it evaluated redevelopment options. Wellstar says a land-use plan was unanimously approved by the Atlanta City Council with the support of Mayor Andre Dickens. 

SEE ALSO:

• Former Atlanta Medical Center site: 'Stop work order' issued over permit
• Demolition plans announced for shuttered Atlanta Medical Center in Old Fourth Ward
• Wellstar to redevelop site of closed Atlanta Medical Center campus

What we know:

Wellstar is partnering with developer Integral Group to redevelop the site into what they describe as a "community hub." The new plans call for housing, parks, retail, and office space.

There are no details so far on a promised primary or urgent care facilities.

The demolition was supposed to begin in May, but the city issued a stop work order over a permitting issue.

What they're saying:

Councilmember Amir Farokhi, who represents the district where the hospital once stood, said he was disappointed to learn of the closure in 2022 but sees value in the redevelopment.

"The loss of a trauma one center here in this part of town definitely impacts folks south of I-20, because it was a regional trauma one center," Farokhi said. "We need more housing in the neighborhood. Market-rate and below market-rate housing is what it will provide, which is terrific."

"I'm pretty sad," said Karen Pugmire, a former nurse at Atlanta Medical Center. "You didn't see me earlier when I was, streaming tears down my face."

Pugmire says she spent more than three decades serving patients here.

She says she is still not happy Wellstar decided to close the facility down and is heartbroken it is coming down.

"I discharged the last patient from this hospital on the very last day that they closed the doors," she said.

Project leaders say healthcare is a priority.

"It was really important that we build something that is sustainable, as it also meets the needs of the community," said Candice Saunders, President and CEO of Wellstar Health System.

"There's never been a doubt any time that health care was to be a part of the solution that comes back to this community," said Egbert Perry, Chairman and CEO, the Integral Group.

Atlanta's Old Fourth Ward is a historic part of the city that local leaders and developers hope to pay tribute to in what comes next.  

"This is a historic space and because of that, today we may have not started in a good place, but everybody in this space is committed to ending up in a better place," said Atlanta City Council President Doug Shipman.

What's next:

Demolition is expected to last 7 months, meaning the hospital will be fully gone in January 2026.

AtlantaNews