In the Urbandale community in Southeast Dallas where the long-abandoned Tri-City Hospital sits, roots run deep.
“My daughter was born at Tri-City,” said Juanita Arevalo, president of Pleasant Grove Unidos, an advocacy group that provides resources for the Spanish-speaking community here.
For Arevalo and other residents, the hospital represents a sort of nostalgia – but on Tuesday, as crews began to demolish the over 50-year-old structure, there was mostly a sense of relief.
Tri-City announced it was closing in 2000 because of financial problems and has been vacant for more than two decades. Residents have complained for years it’s an “eyesore’ and “public safety hazard.” People have broken into the building; there have been fires, shootings and illegal dumping.
Martha Sanchez, who lives in the neighborhood behind the vacant hospital, said she repeatedly had to report violations such as shootings and trespassing on her property.
“I have three kids ... and, you know, they get scared," Sanchez said. “’What's that noise? You know, what's going on?’ So, you know, I'm kind of glad it's going away.”
Despite the city’s efforts to work with the hospital’s owners to bring the property up to code, violations persisted, said District 5 council liaison Penny Anderly. After years of legal proceedings, a judge put the hospital into receivership in February, WFAA reported, and it was slated to be demolished “within a year."
"It has been a very negative place, honestly, but today is a new chapter," said Council Member Jaime Resendez, who represents the district where the hospital is located.
Activist Jeffrey Martin, who has lived in Urbandale since 2001, advocated in recent years for the city to have the hospital removed. When he received the news from Resendez’s office that the city had a date for the demolition, he couldn’t believe it.
“I was just so relieved, I just started crying,” Martin said. “I'm a little emotional right now because we didn't know if we were going to get this done.”
Demolition will take approximately eight weeks. As for future plans for the property, Resendez said nothing is set right now.
“I'm very, very hopeful,” he said. “It's an opportunity to do something different, to provide the community with something that will be beneficial to Southeast Dallas."
Priscilla Rice is KERA’s communities reporter. Got a tip? Email her at price@kera.org.
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