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I'm glad to see St. Anthony starting there expansion project. I'm also glad they decided to stay downtown. Not having them downtown sure would've left a hole in the downtown renaissance.
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"St. Anthony removes obstacle to expansion
by Ted Streuli
The Journal Record
9/9/2004
Bricks and mortar tumbled to the ground Wednesday morning as St. Anthony Hospital took a major step toward expanding its midtown Oklahoma City campus.
A demolition crew turned the 9,120-square-foot, 56-year-old Taber building to rubble, making way for a 100,000-square-foot medical office at 519 NW Ninth St.
Steve Hunter, president of St. Anthony's parent company, SSM Healthcare of Oklahoma, said renovating the Taber Building would have cost substantially more than a new building.
"It's not set up," Hunter said. "You just can't work within the bounds of the walls."
The health care company bought the property in July for $425,000 after leasing the building for several years. The new project is expected to cost $10 million to $12 million.
"We're growing," Hunter said. "We were out of physician office space."
St. Anthony spokeswoman Sandra Payne said the new building, scheduled to open in about two years, would provide office space for about 50 doctors.
"I hate to see it torn down," said Mary Stucks, manager of The Century, an apartment building across Ninth Street. "It's been here a long time."
Stucks said she wasn't concerned about noise or disorder resulting from the project.
"I don't know how much longer this (structure) will be here anyway," she said. "I'm not worried about it."
The new office building will be part of a substantial overhaul to St. Anthony, the result of a 2003 agreement with the city that will define the boundaries of the 30-acre campus, improve traffic flow, add landscaping and encourage revitalization of the deteriorating neighborhood. The hospital also plans a $30 million addition to its outpatient building that will create space for operating rooms. Another small St. Anthony's building at Ninth and Walker is scheduled for demolition, but no date has been set.
"I think it will all come together," Payne said. "As it happens it will create interest in business coming down here."
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