St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital has filed two construction permits with the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development to begin the process of erecting two new towers on its campus.
The nonprofit is set to spend more than $40 million to build the foundation of a 15-story outpatient clinic building and another $34 million on the foundation of a 15-story clinical office building, per the permits.
Even as those permit values are significant already, they are just a fraction of the total investment expected for both buildings.
The towers have been working through approvals throughout the summer, part of a larger expansion of the St. Jude campus. The buildings are a key part of the St. Jude five-year, $12.9 billion strategic plan that the hospital made even more ambitious in July.
Combined, the outpatient clinic building and clinical office building are expected to cost more than $1 billion. Upon completion, that would make it the largest project by dollar amount to be done in city history.
A St. Jude spokesperson provided the following statement on the project:
“We are starting work to construct two 15-story towers dedicated to patient care and clinical research on the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital campus. This project was originally announced in July 2022 as part of an increase in funding from $1.9 billion to $2.3 billion for construction, renovation, and capital needs outlined in the 2022-27 St. Jude Strategic Plan. The strategic plan represents the largest expansion in the more than 60-year history of St. Jude.”
Capital project deliveries from the Memphis-based health care research organization are still moving along, even as construction throughout the metro has slowed for projects such as 100 N. Main and The Walk.
One major project, St. Jude Family Commons, is now officially open to patients following four years of construction to build the “patient-centric” space.
St. Jude has also set aside another $1.3 billion for other renovations and construction, including Domino’s Village and smaller projects. Recently, the hospital filed an administrative site plan review with the Memphis and Shelby County Division of Planning and Development
Beyond large construction projects, the St. Jude strategic plan involves bringing 2,300 new jobs to its Pinch District/Uptown campus and adding resources to support scientific operations, clinical care, and global medicine.
