Construction of new hospital in west Louisville taking shape with steel structure in place

Jul 29, 2023

The construction site at Broadway and 28th Street hit a milestone by installing the first beam July 10.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Beam by beam, a historic construction project in Louisville's Parkland neighborhood is taking shape.

The Norton Healthcare Hospital being built at Broadway and 28th Street will be the first new hospital built in west Louisville in well over a century.

Construction hit a milestone on July 10 with the installation of the first beam. As the first of the 500 steel beams weighing 600 tons are going into place, the building is starting to take shape. Those beams will outline the structure of the hospital.

"People's always been in need down here," plumbing apprentice Houston Briscoe said. "So it's good for something like this to be coming to the community. It's going to be really helping a lot of people."

Briscoe grew up around the corner from the worksite. But he never expected his training with the Kentuckiana Builds Program would land him a job helping to create the first hospital built west of 9th Street in more than 150 years.

"It makes me feel good, cause I know it's going to be something I'm doing that's going to benefit people more than just myself," he said.

Outside walls will start going into place in mid-to-late-October, with the roof to follow.

Heavy equipment remains on site as workers continue to frame the building.

"It's exciting to see the first visible pieces of the hospital structure take shape," said Russell Cox, president and CEO of Norton Healthcare.

The hospital will include a 24/7 emergency department, operating rooms and 20 inpatient beds to start. It will also have primary care doctors, outpatient, specialty services, a retail pharmacy and imaging including X-ray, CT and MRI. Outpatient offices will include adult and pediatric care along with women's services including obstetrics and gynecology. There will also be cardiology, orthopedics, diabetes care and behavioral health services.

Based on community feedback, the hospital will also have a centralized check-in area, community room, outdoor green space and a food pantry. The facility will also feature work from local artists.

"I'm excited to open this facility," said Corenza Townsend, chief administrative officer for the hospital. "Folks are excited, and excited to know that what they said they wanted we're incorporating in the hospital."

Norton Healthcare hopes the project, along with the Goodwill Opportunity Campus opening next door, will inspire others to consider west Louisville.

"We certainly hope that other organizations realize the importance of investing in west Louisville and bringing this community up to a level playing field with the rest of our city," said Cox.

Many involved with the project believe their work on this hospital now will build a lasting legacy for the community.

"I just want to be able to ride by and tell my kids I did that, I had a part in that, so that's the big thing for me," said Briscoe.

The hospital is expected to open in late 2024. Norton is inviting the public to take part in a beam signing event this Saturday, July 29, at noon at the Shawnee Boys and Girls Club. The signed beams will be showcased throughout the hospital.

Norton Healthcare said it plans to start recruiting team members for the hospital in late spring or early summer of 2024.

Construction began in April on Norton's west Louisville Hospital, and the health care company said it is working with the Louisville Urban League's Kentuckiana Builds program and Harmon/Messer Construction's Urban Workforce Development Initiative to encourage women and minorities to help build the facility.

Norton opened a new pediatrician's office just down the street last week.

The $100 million investment at South 28th Street and West Broadway is expected to serve 50,000 people each year with the hospital and the Goodwill Opportunity Campus.

The campus is expected to be a single stop for a list of services. There will be financial services, childcare, job training, an onsite cafeteria, expungement services and mentoring all under one roof.

The Kentuckiana Works Career Center, YMCA Child Care, Legal Aid, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Kentucky College of Barbering, UofL College of Dental for dental services, Restorative Justice, Volunteers of America, and other resources including like mental health services will have space on the campus.

To follow progress on the Goodwill Opportunity Campus including a live construction cam, click here.

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