We’re getting our first look today at the new Beth Israel Hospital.
Back in May, Mount Sinai Health System dropped the bombshell news that it is closing the existing complex on 16th Street, replacing it with a smaller hospital and a variety of satellite health centers across Lower Manhattan.
Initial renderings from the architectural firm, Perkins Eastman, were released today. In a news release, Mount Sinai indicated that final designs are still in the works. Beth Israel, a Lower East Side fixture since 1889, has 800 beds. The new facility, to be located on 14th Street and 2nd Avenue, will include an emergency room and about 70 beds. Mount Sinai Management has said the current hospital is no longer cost effective.
The press release indicated that demolition on 16th Street is likely early next year, pending Buildings Department approvals. Construction would begin in early 2018 with an opening anticipated in late 2020. Services are being moved to other Mount Sinai locations. You can read the full news release for details.
Mount Sinai has positioned the changes as part of a $500 million “downtown transformation.” From today’s release:
Mount Sinai Downtown will be anchored by a new (Beth Israel) inpatient hospital with operating and procedure rooms, and a brand-new state-of-the-art Emergency Department, located two blocks from the current MSBI. The transformation will also include a major investment to support and strengthen behavioral health services, anchored at MSBI’s Bernstein Pavilion. Additionally, the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai will be preserved and enhanced. MSBI hospital will remain open throughout this transformation, and its emergency room will remain open until the new ED is fully operational at the new hospital. “Our more than $500 million investment marks an exciting time, not only for Mount Sinai’s employees and patients, but also the entire Downtown community, as we truly transform how patients access and receive the health care services they need,” said Kenneth L. Davis, MD, CEO and President of the Mount Sinai Health System.
Earlier today, EV Grieve explained:
Part of this new complex will sit on space belonging to 321 E. 13th St., a 14-floor building between Second Avenue and First Avenue that houses training physicians and staff of the nearby New York Eye and Ear Infirmary. This building will be demolished.
