Abandoned St. Pete hospital gets new life
By Henry Queen
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Aug 30, 2024

The St. Petersburg Housing Authority will bring 71 new low-income senior housing units online as part of a unique project.

The former Edward White Hospital on Ninth Avenue North in St. Pete, which closed in 2014, will be reborn as a mixed-used site known as the Edward White Campus. A groundbreaking was held Aug. 27.

The campus will feature a six-story senior living community for residents aged 62 and above, along with the St. Pete Housing Authority’s headquarters on the ground floor and an Evara Health doctor’s office.

The hospital opened in the 1970s before eventually falling into disrepair. The now-abandoned building will be renovated with a full interior gutting by LEMA Construction.

In 2015, a development team consisting of Michael Mincberg of Tampa and Chad Mestler of California purchased the property for $2 million. About three years later, they sold it to local St. Pete developer Grady Pridgen for $2.7 million. He then sold it to the housing authority for $5.1 million.

The housing authority’s project will be supported by a variety of government funding programs.

The campus is named after the first American to walk in space, the late astronaut Ed White. He spent about 20 minutes floating in space attached by only a 23-foot tether and 25-foot umbilical. He was also part of the “Next Nine” astronaut cohort, who were chosen by NASA to take part in the Gemini and Apollo missions.

In 1967, White died in Cape Canaveral during pre-launch testing for Apollo 1. His daughter, Bonnie White Baer, attended this week’s groundbreaking ceremony in St. Pete as a special guest.

The senior living facility will include an open dining hall, a catering kitchen and bike storage. Additional resident amenities will include a community room, computer lab and fitness center.

The city-owned basketball and pickleball courts will remain just behind the property as part of the larger Booker Creek Park.