Richmond Memorial Hospital, a Bon Secours facility now located in Hanover Co., originally operated in north side’s Ginter Park neighborhood. The building Bon Secours abandoned 10 years ago is finally being redeveloped into condos, as the North Richmond News reported earlier this week. Below are extra details gleaned from the print-only North of the James newspaper’s article “Massive Redevelopment Underway in Ginter Park.”

The seven-story hospital building to be converted to:

  • Approximately 60 units
  • Largest to be 1800 sq. ft.
  • Prices starting at $350,000
  • Parking will be in an interior parking deck, to be accessed from the emergency room entrance (I’m curious how this will work)
  • Targeted completion date: 2008

Additionally, the developer may build free-standing townhomes on the property after the condos are finished. The historic Laburnum House is to become a community center for property owners.

Another part of the hospital property is being converted to dorms for the Baptist Theological Seminary (the old nursing school). Still another building currently houses a fitness center and a school for children with autism.

The article includes interesting history of the hospital, which was built as a memorial to WWII vets. What an interesting idea, to build something besides a statue as a memorial! There is some sort of physical memorial inside the old hospital building that is to remain intact after the building’s conversion.

There’s also a Richmond Memorial Foundation meant to distribute funds “for the benefit of the healthcare of the citizens of north Richmond.” According to the Ginter Park Resident’s Assn., nothing is being done with those funds.

It’s great to see more adaptive re-use of historic buildings, but as I’ve asked before, are we overbuilding and saturating the condo & townhouse market here in Richmond?   I guess the market will decide, but I’d hate to see these companies with great vision for breathing life into our historic neighborhoods go bankrupt…