Worcester looking to lease out former Saint Vincent Hospital building

Photo | Grant Welker A former nurses' residence across the street from the old Saint Vincent Hospital site before the hospital moved to downtown Worcester has long sat vacant next to the senior center. City officials are now hoping to sign a long-term lease to find new uses for the building.

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By Grant Welker

Worcester city officials are looking to sign a long-term lease for a former Saint Vincent Hospital building, which has sat vacant next to the Worcester Senior Center for years.

The roughly nine-decade-old brick building at Providence and Winthrop streets could be used for senior housing or another use to complement the senior center, said Peter Dunn, Worcester's assistant chief development officer. The 54,000-square-foot building at 188 Providence St., a former residence for Saint Vincent nurses, is in relatively good shape for how long it has sat vacant, he said.

The city is planning to issue a request for proposals from interested parties later this year, Dunn said. The city is using a grant for assessing contaminated properties to survey the building for hazardous material, he said.

City officials worked with the state to pass legislation allowing a lease agreement of up to 99 years for the property. Gov. Charlie Baker approved the bill in January.

The site was last assessed at $9.2 million.

The Providence Street building would be the latest the city has eyed for new development.

In Lincoln Square, the city sold the former Boys Club building, more recently part of the Worcester Technical High School, for $300,000 last year to WinnCompanies, the owners of the adjacent Voke Lofts residential building. A $20-million specialized school for autistic students is planned there.

Just across the square, the city sold the former Worcester County Courthouse for $1.3 million in 2017 to Trinity Financial, a Boston developer planning a $53-million project with 117 apartments in a mix of market-rate and income-restricted affordable units.