Tulane's future for former Charity Hospital building hailed by civic, business leaders

Tulane University President Michael A. Fitts' vision for turning the long-vacant former Charity Hospital building into a national hub for research, innovation and community activity has the potential to reshape downtown New Orleans and the region for generations to come, civic and business leaders said during a panel discussion in New Orleans on Tuesday, July 21.

Speaking at the Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives conference in the downtown Hyatt Regency, Fitts outlined Tulane’s plans for the historic landmark while fellow panelists described the project as a once-in-a-generation investment that will create jobs, attract businesses and accelerate the city's growing biomedical corridor.

Before introducing the panelists, Sandra Lindquist, president and CEO of the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce, recounted Charity Hospital's nearly 300-year history, from its founding in 1736 in the French Quarter to its closure, at its current location, after Hurricane Katrina in 2005. She called redevelopment of the former Charity Hospital building one of downtown's most significant projects before turning the discussion over to Andy Kopplin, president and CEO of the Greater New Orleans Foundation and chair of the BioDistrict Board of Directors.

“Without the bold leadership and gutsy investment of Tulane, that part of our transformation would not be possible,” Kopplin said. “If you have a 1.2 million-square-foot building sitting vacant for more than 20 years, we will never have the BioDistrict that we're trying to create.”

He praised Fitts’ leadership and courage, saying the redevelopment will reimagine one of downtown’s most prominent landmarks into a catalyst for scientific advancements, jobs and economic growth.

Kopplin said the effort builds on years of planning to establish a thriving BioDistrict that connects Tulane with LSU, Xavier University, Delgado Community College, University Medical Center, the New Orleans BioInnovation Center and other institutions.

He said those collaborations will help redefine the New Orleans economy as one based on the life sciences, one of the nation's fastest-growing employment sectors.

Once construction is completed in 2029, the building will become the new home for Tulane’s Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and the Tulane University Innovation Institute. Parts of the Tulane School of Medicine will also occupy the redeveloped structure, which will include state-of-the-art classrooms, community spaces and interdisciplinary labs for approximately 700 new researchers. Plans call for the remaining sections of the building to be used for a mix of residential living, a food hall, community gathering space and other retail purposes.

Fitts said the project reflects Tulane’s effort to expand its downtown campus while strengthening research, entrepreneurship and partnerships that will move discoveries more quickly from the lab to startup companies to lifesaving cures and treatments.

“This is about creating an environment of innovation and creativity,” he said. “The whole is so much bigger than the parts.”

Fitts also highlighted Tulane's rapid research growth that is fueling the need for more space. He noted that external research funding at Tulane has more than doubled over the past decade as the university has risen in prominence as one of the country’s leading academic and research institutions. This growth, he said, helps to generate a $5.2 billion (and growing) annual economic impact for Louisiana and has led to the creation of more than 1,200 jobs over the past 10 years.

Josh Fleig, chief innovation officer for Louisiana Economic Development, called the Charity project symbolic because it demonstrates what public-private partnerships can accomplish.

“It's not just a building,” Fleig said. “We care about the brains inside the building — commercializing ideas, creating companies, creating jobs and curing diseases.”

Fleig said Tulane's Innovation Institute, which will occupy space in the redeveloped Charity building, is a model for turning university research into high-paying jobs that remain in Louisiana rather than moving elsewhere.

Seth Knudsen, president and CEO of the Downtown Development District, said the former Charity Hospital building will become the cornerstone of efforts to create a more vibrant downtown with additional residents, restaurants, retail and public spaces.

“I think Charity is going to be both a catalyst for development and a catalyst for residential growth,” Knudsen said. “My hope is that when you come back in 10 years, we don't have any large-scale vacant buildings.”

Fitts agreed. “We're taking a building that was at the forefront of healthcare in the 20th century and transforming it into one that supports healthcare, research and innovation in the 21st century,” he said.