St. Luke’s has big plans for its downtown Boise campus. Here’s what to expect

Angela Palermo
·4 min read

St. Luke’s Health System is forging ahead with major upgrades to its medical center in downtown Boise.

Construction began in September on smaller projects that’ll allow the health system to start building a nine-story hospital tower and medical office plaza at First and Fort streets next spring. The expansion is geared to meet the area’s rapid population growth in the coming decades.

But the new development won’t see completion until 2029, the health system estimates. It’s part of the St. Luke’s master plan, approved by the city in 2015, that includes the existing Idaho Elks Children’s Pavilion, campus parking structure and central utilities plant.

An architect’s view of the expanded St. Luke’s Boise Medical Center upon completion of a big new hospital addition. This bird’s-eye aerial view is taken from the north and looks southeast.
An architect’s view of the expanded St. Luke’s Boise Medical Center upon completion of a big new hospital addition. This bird’s-eye aerial view is taken from the north and looks southeast.

The plans were spurred by the community’s rising health care needs, which the health system says is exceeding its current capacity.

St. Luke’s is the largest health care system in the state and the largest private-sector employer of Idahoans.

“Idaho remains one of the fastest-growing states in the nation,” said Dennis Mesaros, vice president of population health at St. Luke’s. “This project has been shaped by years of planning and investment and will provide the community with the highest level of health care.”

Smaller construction projects begin

There are a few projects St. Luke’s needs to complete before starting work on the new hospital tower and adjoining medical office buildings in 2024.

The health system is constructing a new ambulance entrance on the north side of the hospital that’ll provide emergency vehicle access while the larger projects are in the works.

An architect’s view of a new ambulance entrance in the foreground, with a new patient tower behind it, planned for the latest expansion of the St. Luke’s Boise Medical Center. This view is from the intersection of Jefferson Street and Avenue B and looks northwest.
An architect’s view of a new ambulance entrance in the foreground, with a new patient tower behind it, planned for the latest expansion of the St. Luke’s Boise Medical Center. This view is from the intersection of Jefferson Street and Avenue B and looks northwest.

A temporary structure is also being built near the emergency room to house an MRI machine while the tower is under construction. Once the tower is finished, the machine will find a permanent home there. And a water line is set to be moved on Jefferson Street between First Street and Avenue B. The underground utility work is necessary for the bigger projects, according to St. Luke’s spokesperson Christine Myron.

The smaller projects are expected to wrap up in the spring, and then the larger updates will begin.

New hospital tower and office plaza

The new hospital tower will be adjacent to the existing one, and nearly as tall. It’ll reach nine stories above ground, plus an additional two stories below ground — just one story shorter than the current tower, which will remain.

The two towers will be connected on one of the levels, Myron said.

The new 860,000-square-foot tower will add 80 patient beds to St. Luke’s downtown operations, bringing its capacity to over 500 beds, according to a news release from the health system. It’ll also include seven new operating rooms, for a total of 28, and two “innovative” imaging systems to aid in the diagnosis of strokes and other neurological disorders.

The medical office plaza will connect to the tower and the patient parking garage through a sky bridge over First Street that was completed in 2021.

An architect’s view of the 1st Street medical office plaza. This view shows the office building as it spans 1st Street, as seen from the street right-of-way looking north.
An architect’s view of the 1st Street medical office plaza. This view shows the office building as it spans 1st Street, as seen from the street right-of-way looking north.

The office plaza is slated to be 180,000 square feet. It’ll have multiple clinics and providers all under one roof.

“This project will help ensure that our teams have the facilities and equipment they need to continue providing safe, quality care with an even better experience for the patients we serve,” said Dr. Frank Johnson, chief medical officer for St. Luke’s in Boise, McCall and Elmore.

The new tower and medical office buildings will be built with low-carbon concrete, according to St. Luke’s, the first hospital in the state to do so.

Permanent closure on Jefferson Street

Part of the St. Luke’s master plan involves closing a one-block stretch of Jefferson Street. The portion was blocked off Sept. 18.

The health system said on its website that closing the section is a “significant” decision that it doesn’t take lightly.

An architect’s view of the new main entry area planned along Fort Street. The entry is at far left. A new medical office plaza over 1st Street is at center left. A recently completed patient parking garage is at right.
An architect’s view of the new main entry area planned along Fort Street. The entry is at far left. A new medical office plaza over 1st Street is at center left. A recently completed patient parking garage is at right.

The closure will improve access to the building and allow St. Luke’s to begin constructing its new ambulance bay. In preparation for the closure, St. Luke’s made other investments in bicycle and pedestrian paths surrounding its Boise Medical Center, including granting easement to the city for public access to the Bannock Street corridor.

Emergency vehicles will still have access to the closed portion of Jefferson Street during construction.

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