Three years after Atlanta Medical Center’s sudden closure sent shockwaves through nearby communities, and six months since its demolition began in earnest, the former hospital’s sprawling site is a mix of optimistic signage, newly cleared acreage, and what looks like war-torn wreckage.
It’s the first onsite step for what project leaders have coined the “BLVDNEXT” redevelopment across the former intown medical campus’ 22 acres. According to BLVDNEXT signage around the demolition site today, “Something beautiful is taking shape.”
Aided by one of the largest long-reach excavators in the world, demo efforts are chewing away several thousand square feet of space per day at the former AMC site, while preserving the 1920s facades of what was once known as Georgia Baptist Hospital, as development partners with Shelton McNally recently told WSB-TV.
A large parking structure along Ralph McGill Boulevard has been flattened, several freestanding outbuildings are gone, and a main hospital mid-rise building along Boulevard is coming down now.
Mounds of rebar where the AMC parking garage along Ralph McGill Boulevard once stood. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta
Demolition work on a main AMC hospital structure as of Nov. 9. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta
What the future of the century-old medical campus might look like in Old Fourth Ward—one of Atlanta’s hottest real estate submarkets for well over a decade—is hardly set in stone. But according to BLVDNEXT promotions, the outlook is rosy. The initiative’s website reads:
“We see tree-lined streets where neighbors chat on front porches. Parks where children play while their parents catch up over coffee. Local shops where entrepreneurs turn dreams into reality. Homes that welcome everyone from young professionals to growing families to longtime residents.
But more than that, we see a community where culture thrives. Where art isn’t just in galleries but on street corners and in public squares. Where music drifts from open windows and performance spaces. Where history isn’t just preserved; it’s lived.”
Hospital owners Wellstar Health System said in January that California-based deconstruction experts Ferma Corporation will be leading demolition. The demo process, with subcontractors Atlanta Demolition and Trinity Green onboard to assist, is expected to last throughout this year. Ferma officials have said demolition is targeting unsafe facilities that aren’t considered salvageable.
The project’s lead developer is veteran Atlanta company The Integral Group.
At 22 acres—or the size of Centennial Olympic Park, for context—the hospital property is a considerably large palette for redevelopment, as intown sites go. The Atlanta City Council unanimously approved a land-use plan for the vacated complex in September 2024, with approval from Mayor Andre Dickens. A zoning moratorium on the property—renewed three different times by the city—expired the following month.
That set the stage for AMC’s transformation—eventually.
Looking northwest to Midtown, a corner where ancillary Atlanta Medical Center buildings have been cleared along North Highland Avenue. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta
BLVDNEXT branding and signage that now wraps the site. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta
Wellstar officials said in 2024 redevelopment plans generally call for “a vibrant, diverse mixed-use neighborhood with affordable housing, residential properties, community, and public greenspace.” Other facets would see “neighborhood-level retail, new street access, commercial uses, and health and well-being resources.” That would all be built out over several years, per the hospital.
Development plans previously presented to Old Fourth Ward leadership call for 2.4 million square feet of space total. That would include an undetermined amount of residences, some 240,000 square feet of office space, and 120,000 square feet of retail slots for restaurants and shops.
Another goal would be to link the former hospital property to Freedom Park Trail, the Beltline, Historic Fourth Ward Park, and eventually the downtown Stitch, a highway-capping proposal that’s recently been retooled a few blocks to the west.
This structure fronting Parkway Drive was considered a main AMC entrance. Josh Green/Urbanize Atlanta
In terms of redevelopment, BLVDNEXT marketing materials reiterate many of the general plans for the AMC site.
That “vision” today calls for reconnected streets, health and wellness resources, local retail, greenspace, and “housing that serves everyone, from market-rate to affordable options.” No timelines have been specified.
Head up to the gallery for more site context—and a look at where AMC demolition stands now.
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