AUSTIN, Texas — After nearly a year delay, the University Medical Center Brackenridge Tower is coming down.
The beloved tower has stood in Austin for 50 years and the hospital itself for more than 100 years. Now, the demolition process has begun.
Ted Burton with Central Health, the group that owns the property, told KVUE they’re not doing an implosion, instead, construction crews are tearing it down piece by piece.
The hospital sits near Interstate Highway 35 and 15th Street. It's served thousands of patients, doctors and nurses over the years before it closed in 2017. The services were then moved to Dell Seton Medical Center at the University of Texas down the street.
This demolition process for the tower was expected to begin last summer, but Burton told KVUE there was a delay getting the demolition permit from the City.
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“We've been waiting for the permit for probably close to a year,” said Burton. “But in the meantime, we've been able to take some of the things out from the inside and recycle and begin the preparation work, but now the real demolition can begin.”
They now have the green light to tear it down. The level one trauma center used to be a safety net for those who didn't have health insurance. Now the 14-acre property will be used to help pay for health care for those in Travis County who are low income.
“We're anxious to get going because again, the sooner we can get going and we can begin redeveloping the property and the sooner we'll see revenue, more revenue being generated to pay for health care,” said Burton.
The first new development on the property is a 17-story mixed-use building. It's going to anchor what UT is calling an innovation district and that construction has already begun.
As for the tower, Central Health is planning to ask Austin City Council that it be rezoned for commercial use at a meeting next week. Because crews are tearing down the tower piece by piece, it could take anywhere from eight months to a year to complete the demolition.
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