In the coming weeks, the Hospital for Special Surgery is slated to break ground on a $300-million expansion overlooking the East River, reports Patch.
With HSS Kellen Tower, named in honor of philanthropist, Marina Kellen French, who provided a $35 million gift to HSS, will be built on a platform above FDR Drive at East 71st Street.
The project, designed by EwingCole, will consist of a 12-story, 94,000 square foot building that is set to increase the hospital’s capacity by 25 percent. Proposed uses include patient rooms, operating rooms, offices, and research facilities.
Path reports that construction is scheduled to wrap up in 2024.
The HSS expansion, which has been in the works since the early 1990s, will require the removal of a pedestrian bridge connecting East 71st Street with the East River Esplanade. A temporary bridge is intended to take its place during construction, but is not scheduled to open until May 2022 due to ongoing work by the Parks Department between 68th and 70th streets.
