St. Vincent's site could be for sale soon

St. Vincent's Hospital site in New York

Nearly four months after plans for North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System to move into St. Vincent's Hospital's old emergency room fell through comes word that the site soon may be available to anyone, for the right price. St. Vincent Catholic Medical Centers, the parent company of the now defunct hospital, is looking to put the campus on the real estate block, should a United States Bankruptcy Court judge approve the move, the New York Times reports. 

One potential buyer that appears eager, Rudin Management Company, may encounter some skepticism. Rudin and St. Vincent's actually agreed in 2007 that the former would buy the hospital campus for $300 million and replace it with apartments and townhouses, according to the Times. As part of the arrangement, St. Vincent's had agreed to build a new campus across the street. 

Preservationists ultimately blocked the plan by arguing that in order to build the new hospital, Alber C. Ledner's former Maritime Union headquarters--considered a landmark for its "distinct façade," according to the New York Observer--would have to be torn down. 

"We continue to talk to the Rudins," St. Vincent's spokeswoman Veronica Sullivan told the Times. "Right now, it's still the property of St. Vincent's. Once we filed for bankruptcy, the game changed." 

To learn more:
- read the New York Times article
- here's further information on St. Vincent's bankruptcy proceedings