Heavy machinery could be seen Tuesday moving around rubble outside of one of the entrances to the hospital. There also were demolition crews pushing debris out of a hole in the side of the hospital.
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The hospital closed in July 2018 and used to employ 1,600 people at the main campus. Those employees were offered jobs at other Premier locations.
Leaders at Dayton-based Premier Health, the hospital's parent company, have said the hospital closed because of a declining number of admitted patients, the high cost of updating an outdated campus and a patient shift to the suburbs.
Local residents and political leaders have criticized Premier over the closure of the hospital, which was a neighborhood anchor with jobs and health services. A pending civil rights complaint said the closing of the 2222 Philadelphia Drive hospital harms a majority black service area through the loss of maternity services, the ER and other major medical services.
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At public meetings, residents have said Premier could have downsized services or sought a new purpose for at least some of the buildings.
Premier officials have said they explored options and there was no cost effective way to downsize the campus or reuse the hospital buildings, minus the parking garage, which will remain. In January, Premier and Columbus-based firm Planning NEXT presented an outline for how the land could be redeveloped, though there would need to be private sector interest and funding for some of the proposals, such as market rate housing, to move forward.
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