Demolition of antiquated South St. Victoria Hospital campus begins in February

Watershed moments for the old South St. campus of Victoria Hospital will occur just two days apart next week.

On Jan. 30, the public will be invited inside the venerable main building for one last time to attend a planning workshop aimed at coming up with a plan to chart the future of the hospital block and seven or eight surrounding blocks.

Two days later, the first steps to demolish the nearly 138-year-old London institution begin.

By the end of the year, the roughly $15-million job should be done and the land allocated for a hospital in 1874 will revert to city ownership.

The demolition covers buildings on the south side of South St. A few of the buildings in the hospital complex will be spared, particularly the Colborne building and War Memorial Childrens Hospital on the north side. The city hopes to find a new use for the heritage properties.

The province is picking up the lions share of the cost.

Contribution from the hospital and more than $3 million from the city will also cover the demolition costs . Precise details of the cost-sharing are confidential and still under discussion between the city and London Health Sciences Centre.

We are hoping to create a great new urban neighbourhood for London, city planner John Fleming said Wednesday.

The city prepared a community improvement plan for the SoHo area that called for development of a specific secondary plan for the hospital area blocks. They include one immediately west of the hospital land where Fincore Canada is proposing two 26-storey towers in a wellness centre.

Fleming said the plan will boost downtown revitalization and help the core reconnect with the Thames.

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Demolition of antiquated South St. Victoria Hospital campus begins in February