Legacy Meets Vision: Demolition launches New Era at AMC Site

By Adrianne Murchison

Publish Date: July 1, 2025

With the hum of heavy machinery and a flurry of waving flags, Wellstar and The Integral Group marked the ceremonial start of demolition at the former Atlanta Medical Center on June 30, closing one chapter and beginning another.

The afternoon event drew local residents, city leaders, and former hospital staff to witness new beginnings for the historic site in Old Fourth Ward.

Proposed redevelopment plans by the Atlanta Department of City Planning include about 2.6 million square feet of residential space, 120,000 square feet of retail and dining, and 240,000 square feet of office space. All is designed to support an inclusive, vibrant community.

Vicki Lundy Wilbon, principal and president of real estate with The Integral Group, hosted the event, welcoming attendees and introducing speakers who reflected on the site’s significance and the promise of what’s to come.

Atlanta City Council President Doug Shipman reflected on the legacy of the Old Fourth Ward, calling it ‘a place that has long not only influenced this city, but has influenced America.”

He referenced the ties of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his family, the late civic and business leaders Vernon Jordan and John Wesley Dobbs, and NBA legend Walt Frazier.

“This is a historic space,” Shipman added, noting the generations of babies born at the hospital.

Egbert Perry, chairman of The Integral Group, spoke not just about redevelopment but about reconnection.

“This is about reinventing this part of the city,” Perry said. “Stitching back together a community that was severed by disinvestment and freeways.”

Past urban renewal efforts displaced the underserved, he noted. “BlvdNext will tell a different story.”

The project team, Perry said, is committed to revitalizing the community with empathy and foresight.

“There has never been a doubt that healthcare is part of the long-term vision,” Perry added. “Wellstar has never wavered. The specifics will be developed with community input and an in-depth analysis of the area’s healthcare needs.”

Integral and Wellstar said they are aligned in ensuring that the redevelopment serves the neighborhood socially and economically, including housing for teachers, police officers, firefighters, and residents with lesser means.

The neighborhood will be a place that represents “a city where everyone is included,” Perry said.

Candice Saunders, president and CEO of Wellstar Health System — and a former critical care nurse — honored the former hospital site.

“This ground carries the legacy of people who gave so much to the community and to each other, and that legacy will be the foundation of what is built here,” she said, offering thanks to the caregivers of Atlanta Medical Center and Georgia Baptist Hospital who “gave of themselves to help others day in and day out.”

Saunders emphasized that the project will continue to be shaped by listening to community voices and shaping healthcare needs around the physical, mental, and spiritual well-being of residents.

“That’s the future we are working toward here,” Saunders said. “One where health is actually woven into daily life and it’s there where you need it, how you need it and when you need it.”

Demolition is expected to be completed by January, 31, 2026, with infrastructure construction beginning mid-2027 and building construction starting later that year.

As the building began to come down, messages on shirts and banners reflected such words as, “BLVD NEXT — Something Beautiful is Taking Shape” … honoring a place of care, and welcoming the promise of what comes next.