New Orleans-based Tulane University plans to transform the former Charity Hospital building in the city into a hub for education, health, research and innovation initiatives.
On June 23, the university announced it signed a purchase and sale agreement with the building’s original developer, 1532 Tulane Holdco, to redevelop the property. The project will dedicate more than 650,000 square feet to Tulane’s education, health, research and innovation efforts.
Charity Hospital, which served New Orleans for generations, closed after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The Art Deco building has remained largely vacant since then.
Tulane said financial closing is expected by the fall, followed by a groundbreaking ceremony for the $500 million project. The university said the redevelopment is being supported by the state of Louisiana, the city of New Orleans, BioDistrict New Orleans, the Goldring Family Foundation and other private philanthropy. Construction is expected to be completed in 2029.
Once completed, the project will house Tulane’s Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and the Tulane University Innovation Institute. Parts of the Tulane School of Medicine will also occupy the redeveloped structure. The project will include classrooms, community spaces and interdisciplinary laboratories for approximately 700 researchers. Tulane said the remaining portions of the building will include residential units, a food hall, community gathering space and retail offerings.
Tulane estimates the redevelopment will generate a $1.2 billion economic impact for Louisiana, create approximately 7,300 construction-related jobs and support more than 2,400 permanent jobs once completed.
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