UPMC broke ground on what will be the largest hospital in Pittsburgh Tuesday.
“This new building that we're talking about today is the largest health care building in Pittsburgh's history,” said Leslie Davis, the CEO and president of UPMC. “It will serve the communities for generations to come.”
The $1.5 billion, 17-floor Presbyterian Hospital will have 636 rooms, the same number as the hospital it replaces. The new Presby will house the cardiology, neurology and transplant specialties along with a gym and 450-space parking garage.
Its facade will be constructed out of energy-efficient, patterned glass, which UPMC says will both stand out and blend into the community.
The current Presbyterian Hospital, which is the system’s flagship hospital that offers tertiary care for the region, was built more than a century ago. It will be converted to offices and clinical space after the new facility opens in 2026.
This is the second of three buildings that UPMC announced it was building in November 2017. UPMC broke ground on its Mercy Pavilion in Uptown in March 2019. The nine-story hospital addition will provide vision and rehabilitation care.
UPMC has yet to set a date for when work will start on the third building, a new cancer facility in Shadyside.
The nonprofit health care system has been criticized for investing in lucrative specialty care instead of expanding in high-need services, such as diabetes and mental health treatment.
But Allegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald said UPMC’s investments were critical for the region. “It's a huge part of our economic future and our economic present, and we don't take that for granted.”
Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro, who is the Democratic nominee for governor in November’s election, said it was important that everyone in the community would be able to access the facility, not just UPMC insurance customers. In 2019, Shaprio took UPMC to the state’s Supreme Court over its refusal to accept Highmark Health insurance. The two health systems later reached an agreement.
