A New Chapter for Salt Lake City Healthcare
Intermountain Health will relocate its historic LDS Hospital to a new site in downtown Salt Lake City. The healthcare provider received formal board approval for the project last week. This decision ends years of speculation regarding the future of the medical facility, which has served the Avenues neighborhood since 1905.
The new hospital will sit on land near 754 S. State Street. Intermountain Health purchased this site, formerly home to a Sears department store, nearly five years ago. Planners expect construction to last between three and five years once the project breaks ground. Officials aim to start this work before the end of the year.
Addressing Modern Medical Needs
LDS Hospital faces significant operational challenges in its current location. Narrow and hilly streets in the Avenues make emergency access difficult for ambulances, particularly during winter storms. The new campus solves these logistics issues with better access to major freeways and public transit systems.
Design documents submitted to the city reveal a sprawling, multi-building campus. The primary structure will rise 10 stories high and cover more than 521,000 square feet. A separate seven-story medical office building will house additional services. This site will host intensive medicine, specialized care, and a Level 2 neonatal intensive care unit for newborns.
Behavioral health services will remain part of the network, though current inpatient capacity is slated to stay consistent with present levels. Heather Wall, president of LDS Hospital, noted that the organization will monitor how beds are utilized at other facilities like Alta View Hospital to determine if adjustments are needed later. The project also addresses public requests for specific amenities, including green space and space for local street food vendors.
Economic Impact and Future Site Plans
Intermountain Health projects the new campus will support approximately 2,000 jobs. Independent estimates suggest the facility could generate over $1.1 billion in annual economic activity for Salt Lake City. Mayor Erin Mendenhall supports the move, stating the downtown site offers room for the medical services to grow in ways the current historic location could not support.
What happens to the existing Avenues campus remains an open question. While some internal medicine services may continue to operate in the neighborhood, the majority of the current footprint remains under review for potential long-term redevelopment. Intermountain Health intends to operate both sites as the transition progresses, potentially phasing out services gradually rather than all at once.
The broader context of this shift reflects a national trend of urban hospitals moving from historic, space-constrained neighborhoods to modern, accessible transport corridors. This transition mirrors similar hospital modernizations in major cities across the Western United States where older infrastructure no longer meets modern diagnostic or emergency response standards. Residents and city planners are watching closely to see how the Avenues site is repurposed, as it occupies a significant portion of a historic district.