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Construction on the new $5 billion pediatric health campus coming to Dallas' Southwestern Medical District is officially underway.
UT Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Health held a groundbreaking ceremony Oct. 1 for the complex that will consist of more than 4.7 million square feet, and announced a $100 million donation from the Rees-Jones Foundation to support work on the project.
Following the multimillion-dollar gift, the project’s second donation of this size, the central hospital tower at the campus will be named Rees-Jones Tower.
The pediatric health complex will be located on more than 33 acres at the corner of Harry Hines Boulevard and Paul Bass Way and will replace the existing Children’s Medical Center Dallas.
The campus will feature two 12-story towers as well as eight-story facility. Its backers aim to serve the needs of the growing pediatric population, which is anticipated to increase to 3 million by 2032 and double by 2050. The new hospital is expected to open with 552 beds with space for future growth, as well as a trauma center with 90 emergency department exam rooms, a new fetal care center and two retail pharmacies, plus more than 20 acres of green space.
"It is our sense, hope and aspiration that our coming together for this succeeding generation of pediatric care creates a milieu where others are seeking to add their pursuit be it in science, care or education to that large scale initiative that is ours," said Christopher Durovich, president and CEO at Children’s Health. "It is our hope that our success, as it begins to manifest, will serve as further ignition for other health care needs being met and other health care aspirations to be fulfilled in the community."
The Rees-Jones Foundation celebrated a "strong relationship with Children’s Health and UT Southwestern, two organizations that align with our interest in providing quality medical care to those in our community most in need, particularly our children and youth suffering from various medical conditions," foundation co-founder Jan Rees-Jones said in a statement.
Dallas sports legends Troy Aikman and Dirk Nowitzki were also at the groundbreaking, lending their fame to the historic donation announcement.
More details on new $5 billion children's hospital campus
The nearly 40% increase in beds will make Children's Medical Center the 10th largest hospital in the Metroplex, according to Dallas Business Journal research.
Children’s Health and UT Southwestern aim to occupy the site in 2031.
The health organizations are still exploring patient care models and inpatient and outpatient operations, so the total number of jobs anticipated to be housed on the campus is still taking shape, Durovich said. That process has involved interviews with patients and parents about what they’re seeking from the care experience'; mock-ups of how equipment will be deployed in inpatient, clinical exams and emergency department rooms; and collaboration from thousands of employees from both organizations.
"With an expanded campus and additional beds, we fully anticipate that there will be, in one sense or another, a further growth in the entire workforce (and) additional pediatric specialties," UT Southwestern Medical Center President Dr. Daniel Podolsky said. "That means, without putting a number on it, many hundreds if not thousands of additional jobs as part of providing care for the children who will come to us."
HKS Inc. and Perkins & Will will serve as the primary design and architecture firms for the new campus. McCarthy Vaughn Partnership is the construction manager.
The pediatric campus is just one of the big projects reshaping the Medical District. In an effort to make the area greener and more pedestrian friendly, Texas Trees Foundation is spearheading an extensive streetscape improvement project. Phase one, focused on Harry Hines from Bulter Street to about Medical District Drive, should be completed in late 2026 or early 2027. The overall project, which will also entail overhauling the well-known "cloverleaf" interscetion, is anticipated to be completed in 2029.
UT Southwestern is building a mental health hospital on the corner of Medical District Drive and Harry Hines. A 200-bed adult facility is expected to deliver in 2025 while a 96-bed pediatric wing should deliver in 2026.
Plus, Dallas County is building a $52 million laboratory facility in the district. The 65,040-square-foot complex will serve as the new home for Health and Human Services and is expected to be delivered in August 2025.
On the private sector side, Larkspur Capital LP purchased a 9.3-acre site west of the pediatric campus earlier this year and plans to develop the site into a mixed-use development with multifamily units and ground-floor retail.
