Inova Alexandria Hospital, located in the landmark’s expansive new complex, reached a milestone Monday as the final structural beams were installed.
Current and former city leaders joined Inova’s top executives at the topping-out ceremony, which took place an hour after the topping-out of the Inova Franconia Springfield Healthplex, 6361 Walker Lane, in the Franconia region of Fairfax County.
Inova Health System CEO Dr. J. Stephen Jones said the 1.1 million square foot project on the former Landmark Mall site will be a second-to-none hospital by the time construction is complete in 2028.
“It’s all a little hard to take in,” Jones said with the hospital campus behind him. “The bottom line is this is all starting to feel very real today. So I’m a little more motivated to be here.”
The City Council unanimously approved the project in 2023. Inova aims to complete the four-building hospital campus by 2028.
Vice Mayor Sarah Bagley was in attendance at the event, as well as state Sen. Elizabeth Bennet Parker (D-39), U.S. Rep. Kirk McPike (D-5), and City Council members Abdel Elnoubi and Canek Aguirre. She said the new project, along with the neighboring West End mixed-use development, will help revitalize the city’s West End, making it easier for residents to get around.
“The projects here include housing and have changed the way we design roads and transportation systems,” Bagley said. “I’m so excited to see what people will see when they come into our city from the West and see this beacon of health care and hope and opportunity.”
Once completed, the Inova campus at the former Landmark Mall (just off Interstate 395 on Duke Street) will include a 192-bed, 569,000-square-foot hospital, a 111,000-square-foot cancer center, an 83,000-square-foot specialty care center, and a renovated 550-space parking garage. An underground parking garage with 1,488 spaces is also planned, with at least 19 spaces reserved for electric vehicle charging.
Inova Alexandria Chairman Dr. Lina Bansal said the day marks a new beginning for the city.
“Behind me, the new Inova Alexandria Hospital building will reflect support and enhance excellence for those who serve there,” Bansal said. “We create spaces that are modern, intuitive and inviting, designed not just for treatment but for healing.”
Inova Alexandria Hospital opened 153 years ago and is the longest serving hospital in Virginia. The current hospital building at 4320 Seminary Road opened in 1962 and could be converted to housing once Inova moves in.
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