{the new Shriners looking east from Highway 40/I-64 at Taylor Avenue}
The newly envisioned three-story, $47M Shriners Hospital will have a significant presence from Highway 40. Half a century after fleeing the city for the suburb of Frontenac, the hospital is moving to a new location on the city's largest medical campus, and just a block from its historic home. Located just east of Taylor on Clayton Avenue, the facility will be built on a surface parking lot.
The planned move was first made public in 2006, but the Shriners organization endowment, used to fund its hospitals nationwide, took a significant hit in the economic downtown. Today's project is much smaller than what was once envisioned. The project is set back from Clayton Avenue, instead opting to create a dominant visual presence next to the adjacent Interstate. Much of the exisiting surface parking remains. It's unclear if there is a long term need for the lot, or whether future development may occur here.
{view looking southwest from Clayton Avenue at Newstead}
{looking southeast from Clayton Avenue}
{looking southwest at entrance}
{visitors will be greated by an awning supported by a fez!}
{approximate site for new Shriners building in red}
The previous plan for the Shriners facility was larger, but arguaby less attractive: