BEECH GROVE — Franciscan Alliance is moving forward with the demolition of its former Beech Grove hospital. Officials with the company say the preliminary razing will begin in November. The entire project, which includes grading and seeding, is expected to take about 18 months.
Located at 1600 Albany St., the former hospital is situated on 15 acres. Nearly 900,000 square feet of adjoining buildings will be demolished. Two separate properties, both of which recently have undergone extensive renovations, will continue to house Franciscan Alliance Information Services and Franciscan Visiting Nurse Service, whose staffing will increase to about 400 employees in the next few months.
“Over the years, we have worked closely with Beech Grove city officials and have given serious consideration to possible sale and lease alternatives, and we determined this is the best course of action,” said Kevin D. Leahy, president and CEO for Franciscan Alliance, the parent organization of Franciscan Health, which operates hospitals in Indianapolis, Mooresville, Carmel and 11 other locations throughout Indiana and Illinois.
“It always has been our intention to provide for the best possible re-use of this property for the betterment of the Beech Grove community,” Leahy added. “This decision affirms that goal.”
Founded by the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration at the invitation of Beech Grove leaders and Catholic clergy, St. Francis Hospital opened in 1914. The facility boasted 75 patient beds, two operating rooms and the latest in modern technology.
Over the decades, the hospital expanded its facilities — having more than 500 inpatient beds at its zenith — and bolstered its healthcare ministry to the community at-large in other ways. By the mid-1990s, outpatient care accounted for 90 percent of services provided at Beech Grove.
In 2012, all inpatient and other clinical and support services at Beech Grove migrated to the newly expanded Indianapolis campus, located seven miles south.
Since its closing, Franciscan Alliance has provided continued physical security and necessary utilities to maintain the integrity of the Beech Grove property.
Tonn and Blank Construction, a leading building construction company headquartered in Michigan City, Indiana, will supervise the demolition project.
