The former Charity Hospital building, New Orleans (photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)
Tulane University is purchasing the former Charity Hospital building and renovating it into a national hub for bioscience discovery and medical advancements.
University President Michael Fitts says the school has signed a purchase and sale agreement with the original developer, 1532 Tulane Holdco, LLC, so that it can redevelop a building that’s been dormant for more than 20 years.
“We’re simply taking a building that was built in, I think, 1939, which has great bones, and completely renovating it and opening it up,” Fitts said.
Fitts says the concentration of scientists, students and entrepreneurs in this revitalized space will result in cures and new treatments for diseases.
“It could be a location for our classes, for research, for entrepreneurs, for people to live,” Fitts explained.
Tulane’s purchase of the building is expected to close this fall, and construction will start soon afterwards.
“While there is still much work to do to finalize this deal, this once-in-a-generation opportunity will reimagine a historic treasure as a new center for the latest breakthroughs and innovations in human health,” Fitts said. “The concentration of scientists, students and entrepreneurs in this revitalized space will result in cures and new treatments for diseases as well as vast economic opportunities for our city, state and region.
“This project goes far beyond new laboratories and classrooms,” Fitts continued. “It is about accelerating New Orleans’ shift toward an economy powered by advanced research, startups and high-growth industries, and creating a vibrant neighborhood with housing, jobs and community spaces where New Orleanians can live, work, play and prosper.”
Fitts says when it’s completed in 2029, it will also put scores of people to work.
“We expect 2,400 new (permanent) jobs of people working in the building when it’s complete,” Fitts noted.
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