On Tuesday, county and city officials began construction on the second phase of the Edward White Hospital in St. Petersburg, which has been unoccupied for nearly ten years.
The 121,000 square foot structure will be renovated by workers into senior affordable homes. In North Kenwood, the property is close to Booker Creek Park.
“It’s great to see that the re-use of this facility has been such a part of our community for so long and will now meet a real need in our community with affordable housing for seniors and 71 lives will be changed for the better,” St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch stated.
Leaders from St. Pete and Pinellas County, as well as the St. Petersburg Housing Authority, attended the groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday morning. After repairs, the six-story structure will house 71 units for seniors 62 years of age and lower, provided their income is at least 80% below the region median.
The President and CEO of the St. Petersburg Housing Authority, Michael Lundy, commented, “Who knew that a former medical hospital that sat dormant for 10 years would create partnerships that would like for us to breathe life into its walls.”
The project is worth $39 million, with funding provided by the county, the city, and a grant from a nearby bank.
René Flowers, a Pinellas County Commissioner for District 7, added, “This is also a very special moment because this was the hospital that saved my life, and now it has the chance to save the lives of so many others. For the seniors who will be moving in here, you are saving their lives. There is an economy by which they have difficulty being able to afford to live in.”
According to Elodie Dorso, President and CEO of Evara Health, “When health services are easily accessible within the places that people call home, it becomes easier to manage health conditions, prevent emergencies and support overall well-being.”
To continue honoring the memory of Ed White, the first American astronaut to complete a spacewalk, it will be referred to as the Edward White Campus. White lived in St. Pete as well.
Tragically, he perished in the 1967 Apollo 1 spacecraft fire.
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“My dad, who was known for having an extra helping of the right stuff and a heart full of care and concern for others, and especially for disadvantaged and handicapped, would be delighted with this new development and that it will include affordable housing for low-income seniors,” Bonnie White Baer, White’s daughter stated.
Although this initiative demonstrates a great deal of progress in the neighborhood toward affordable housing, according to Lundy, they have only just begun.
In two years, the Edward White Campus will open.
