In 1938, Charity Hospital was constructed to expand the public healthcare resources available to the City of New Orleans. Outside of the immediate impact within its walls, the hospital also served as the impetus for the birth of a medical district that slowly grew around it. For nearly 70 years, Charity Hospital was an economic catalyst, spurring the growth of a district built around the medical industry. After Hurricane Katrina, the severity of damage to Charity Hospital permanently shuttered its doors, and the district surrounding it abruptly died. Once a bustling area, it became a strictly vehicular thoroughfare for commuters heading for I-10 or Claiborne Avenue and into the Central Business District.

BNIM, in collaboration with John Williams Associates, is leading the adaptive re-use of the 1,000,000 square-foot former hospital building that includes housing (work force, faculty/student, and market-rate), medical training programs, an innovation hub, retail, restaurants, a series of outdoor community and green spaces, and parking. Tulane University will serve as an anchor tenant, providing space for graduate programming and administration. In addition to the physical nature of the redevelopment, the team is using the project as an opportunity to help build equity within the community, both through inclusive programming as well as creative financing (such as allocating a portion of the EDD/TIF funds to be used for grants available to co-working entrepreneurs and district-driven business start-ups).

A 2017 Urban Land Institute Advisory Services Panel Report on the former Charity Hospital acknowledged that the notion of healing is a critical component of addressing the building’s future. Leaving the historic structure intact as a reminder of its enduring vitality for New Orleans while incorporating workforce development and job training programs, medical training programs, workforce housing, school internship programs, and entrepreneurial co-working endeavors will bring the building back to its stature as a beacon of hope and provide a renewed “Spirit of Charity” to the city of New Orleans. The team’s vision is that this project is the first phase of and will become an economic catalyst for a larger vision called the Spirit of Charity Innovation District (SCID), as well as support the now expanded and dispersed medical district. The goal is to bring renewed vitality, density, and connectivity to the community, city, and the surrounding region.

Collaboration with Williams Architects.