HOT SPRINGS, Ark. — Hot Springs leaders are moving forward with a plan to demolish the old St. Joseph Hospital, an iconic part of the historic Central Avenue.
While it hasn't been a hospital for decades, it has a lot of Spa City history.
City leaders said it's a decision that's been years in the making.
"It is sad to see the hospital go," Arkansas School for Math, Sciences and the Arts Executive Director Corey Alderice said. "It has been a landmark and played a role in Hot Springs history."
Since it stopped being a hospital in the 1980s, the Arkansas School for Math, Sciences and the Arts used it as a residence hall and space for classrooms and offices.
Now that the school has new buildings on campus, Alderdice said the old building no longer meets their needs.
That's where the demolition comes in.
"It does open the door to the further redevelopment of campus," Alderdice said. "After now more than 15 years, we're $35 million into investments in downtown Hot Springs through our campus, and we're just getting started."
Earlier this month, the Hot Springs Board of Directors set aside about $4 million for the demolition.
"I understand people's desire to maintain the hospital, but this point is kind of functionally obsolete," Hot Springs Deputy City Manager Lace Spicer said.
Spicer said from a cost standpoint, it's much more affordable to build something new in its place instead of renovating it.
"They certainly did look at that, but I will say the school has been a very good partner in maintaining and preserving some of the buildings that are there, with the chapel and the convent," Spicer said.
As for what's next for the space, Alderdice said they're considering a few options.
"Whether it's additional housing to serve students across the state, or visual arts or performing arts spaces that fulfill our legislative mission, we are very much of the belief that if something important to Hot Springs like this goes away, then something even more meaningful must go back in its place," Alderdice said.
The city plans to bid out the demolition project in late 2025 as they move through the environmental site assessment.