St. Luke’s University Health Network has announced that it plans to develop a public green space on the site of a former hospital building in Carbon County.

In a news release late last month, SLUHN said it the outdoor area “will enhance downtown Palmerton at the site of the former Palmerton Hospital, following demolition of the hospital building in the fall.”

The former hospital has been replaced by St. Luke’s Carbon Campus, which opened outside Lehighton in Franklin Township in late 2021.

St. Luke’s officials said they will hold a ceremony of remembrance at the site of the former Palmerton Hospital in recognition of “the many lives touched by the hospital over its years of service.”

The former hospital was located near the center of the borough and was built in 1967, according to a June 2022 Times-News article about its planned demolition.

“St. Luke’s made a promise to the families of Carbon County to provide access to compassionate, high quality care, right here in our community,” said John Nespoli, President, St. Luke’s Carbon and Lehighton campuses, in the SLUHN news release. “We have kept that promise. We will continue to keep that promise.”

St. Luke’s said it has invested more than $200 million in expanding Carbon County’s health care infrastructure in recent years, with the construction of the new Carbon Campus as well as other new facilities and expanded offerings in Palmerton.

“Virtually every major specialty is available at the St. Luke’s Health Center on Delaware Avenue (in Palmerton),” the release said. “Services there include an integrated model of obstetrics, gynecology and pediatrics, providing women and children’s care under one roof.”

“St. Luke’s has also established comprehensive outpatient services in Palmerton, including physical rehabilitation, imaging, laboratory services and medical weight loss,” it said, noting that the services now available represent “the most comprehensive array of health and medical services ever available to the Palmerton community.”

Below are views of the now-vacant hospital building as it currently appears and of what the property will look like after the building is demolished this fall.