Michigan hospital heads toward demo date

The Marquette City Commission has voted unanimously to authorize the application for an $8 million block grant that would pave the way for the demolition of the former Marquette General Hospital building in that northern Michigan city. The hospital moved to a new $330 million campus in mid-2019.

According to a notice posted on the state of Michigan’s website, the hospital located on the upper peninsula of Michigan has roots that trace back to 1850, although the name dates back to the creation of Marquette City Hospital in 1896.

The demolition of what the Marquette-based Mining Journal calls “the old hospital” has been estimated to cost $20 million. A potential $8 million grant from the United States government Community Development Block Grant is “being used to lessen the load on city coffers,” according to the news outlet.

City Commissioner Evan Bonsall is quoted by the Mining Journal as saying, “We can’t have this vacant property sitting in the middle of our town for who knows how long. We have a unique opportunity to redevelop it. Redevelopment is very expensive and time consuming and difficult, so were very fortunate to have this opportunity.”