ST. LOUIS — McCarthy Building Cos. Inc. has been selected to lead the design-build team overseeing the construction of a new 16-story inpatient tower at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis. The project is part of BJC HealthCare’s campus renewal plan, a long-term vision to transform the Washington University Medical Campus through new construction and renovations with a focus on improving the patient and family experience at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and St. Louis Children’s Hospital.
In addition to McCarthy, team members include architectural firm CannonDesign, consulting engineer BR+A, structural engineer Thornton Tomasetti, civil engineer Castle Contracting and landscape designer DTLS.
The 660,000-square-foot tower will feature private rooms for heart and vascular patients, state-of-the-art imaging and the latest in surgical preparation and recovery. Plans call for 224 private inpatient rooms, 56 private intensive care unit rooms, two rooftop gardens and a family lounge with a business center, kitchenette, quiet rooms and laundry facilities.
Additionally, an expansive surgical preparation and recovery program will occupy two floors. A modern imaging center will also occupy two floors. A new pedestrian walkway will lead from the parking lot to a redesigned and expanded lobby, gift shop and coffee bar.
The new tower will replace Queeny Tower, a 16-story structure that housed inpatient rooms and physician practices and was vacated in 2019. McCarthy managed construction of the original building in the early 1960s. Structural demolition of Queeny Tower was completed this month. Construction will commence this year and completion is slated for December 2024.
Nonprofit healthcare organization BJC HealthCare serves patients in the greater St. Louis, southern Illinois and mid-Missouri regions. BJC’s academic medical centers, Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s, are affiliated with the Washington University School of Medicine.