Broughton Hospital's South Building undergoes demolition

After years of sitting vacant and falling into disrepair, the South Building at Broughton Hospital is coming down. Crews began demolition earlier this month, removing a once-active structure that officials say has deteriorated to the point of posing serious safety risks.

The construction award letter was issued to L.M. Sessler Excavating & Wrecking, Inc., according to Aldesha Gore, assistant communications director for the North Carolina Department of Administration. The company received an official notice to proceed with demolition on Aug. 11.

The demolition of the building, which can be seen from Enola Road, is expected to take two to three weeks, according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. It’s expected to be completed the first week of September.

According to NCDHHS, the building has deteriorated to the point that it now poses life-safety risks due to the potential for collapse. At this time, no other buildings are scheduled for demolition on the Broughton campus.

NCDHHS receives only enough funds for the renovation and upkeep of buildings that are actively in use, according to Summer Tonizzo, senior media relations manager. As a result, she stated, vacant facilities are not maintained and may continue to deteriorate unless they are reoccupied or eventually deemed unsafe and demolished. Due to the extent of deterioration, the South Building was not a viable option for renovation.

“While NCDHHS is open to the potential of vacant buildings, these facilities are not currently needed to support operations,” Tonizzo stated.

The state-owned property that is home to the Broughton campus has undergone modernization within the past decade. Six years ago, the state opened the hospital’s new psychiatric facility that holds 477,000 square feet of space, an onsite pharmacy, dental clinic, and bathrooms.

The project had been pushed back several times, opening five years later than expected, but was part of the state’s decade-long process to upgrade the state’s psychiatric facilities. Currently, there are no plans in place to replace the South Building. However, NCDHHS is currently in the design phase for a new Maintenance Facility, according to Tonizzo.