For Atlantans wonky enough to care, it probably seems like yesterday that the retro, 19-story, sadly vacant Executive Park Motor Hotel was being imploded one November morning next to Interstate 85.

Fast forward six years, and the largest healthcare project in Georgia history is beginning to—as its chief benefactor might say, borrowing from the Atlanta Falcons’ catchphrase—“rise up.”

It’s been a year since Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta launched construction on the $1.5 billion Arthur M. Blank Hospital, a state-of-the-art complex spread across 70 acres next to the interstate in North Druid Hills. (That price tag rivals Blank’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium downtown—the most expensive building in city history.)

Scope of the $1.5-billion project, with I-85 at left.Courtesy of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

Blank, owner of the Atlanta Falcons and MLS club Atlanta United, donated $200 million from his family foundation to the hospital in October, earning his name on various facets of the building. It marked the largest donation in Children's history and the biggest naming gift ever to a freestanding pediatric healthcare facility, per hospital officials.

The massive complex is scheduled to open in 2025, with 116 more patient beds than what’s currently offered at Children’s Egleston Hospital at Emory University.

Beyond two patient towers, expect an outpatient clinic, support center, and miles of walking trails snaking through 20 acres of therapeutic greenspace and gardens.

Tree-lined paths will wend through expansive gardens to an open greenspace called the Great Lawn. Courtesy of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

In fact, 70 percent of tower rooms are being designed to feature views of gardens, as “research shows exposure to nature reduces the need for some medications and improves outcomes,” per Children's reps.

To mark the one-year milestone, Children's officials sent over a short YouTube video featuring construction progress and one enthusiastic, awed Jojo Alonge, an 8-year-old spinal tumor patient who’s been anointed “Honorary Construction Manager.” Meanwhile, the gallery above lends a closer look at where the project started and where it’s headed.

• Atlanta listed among 'top 10 cities to live in after the pandemic' (Urbanize Atlanta)