Baptist Hospital Demolition Nearly Clear of Hazardous Materials, Towers Coming Down

Pensacola, FL (NewsRadio 92.3) -- Crews demolishing the old Baptist Hospital campus in downtown Pensacola say the most hazardous phase of the project is almost finished, with full demolition of the site now targeted for early 2027.

Joshua Wallace, project manager with Jacobs, told Pensacola's Community Redevelopment Agency this week that abatement work — the removal of hazardous materials like asbestos before buildings can come down — is about 95 percent complete. Wallace said crews expect to wrap up abatement throughout the hospital towers and main hospital building this month.

With abatement mostly finished, demolition crews have moved into phase three of the project, working through the hospital's tower buildings one at a time, starting with the tower closest to E Street and Avery Street. Wallace said towers one through three are targeted for completion by September, at which point crews will shift focus to the main hospital building.

"Best-case scenario, we can see a December completion for all buildings on the site, but we're going to hold a January completion right now, which is what our schedule is pushing towards," Wallace told the board.

Wallace also agreed to loop in University of West Florida archaeologists before continuing further work, after a board member raised concerns about the site's history. The request followed a reminder that a past demolition project in the city uncovered remains connected to the historic Luna settlement, one of the earliest European colonization attempts in North America.

Crews are using wet demolition methods throughout the project to control dust, and a water truck is expected to arrive on site this week to improve water pressure for that suppression work.

Jacobs plans to give another public update on the demolition project August 2nd at the Lakeview Activity Center, where the company expects to announce the formal completion of abatement work.