The former Carraway Methodist Medical Center Emergency Room will become an indoor entertainment venue as part of renovation of the former hospital campus that now is home to the Coca-Cola Amphitheater just northeast of downtown Birmingham.
Brian Wolfe, chief development officer for Corporate Realty, said he could not yet reveal details of the planned indoor entertainment facility.
“We’re still under a non-disclosure agreement with them,” Wolfe said in an interview. “We’ll have an announcement very soon. We’re working on finishing up the lease.”
Demolition on the parts of the hospital that are being removed must be completed by May 30, with all rubble removed, according to a new timeline approved Tuesday by the Birmingham City Council.
“It’s getting everything off, and back-filling all the former basements as well,” Wolfe said after the meeting.
Construction of cottages and townhomes should begin by March in the block just north of the former hospital along Carraway Boulevard.
The indoor music venue construction and renovation of the former emergency room should begin by June or July.
The last portion of the development will be the outparcel developments on the southern end of the site, along 13th Ave. North just north of Top Golf. Construction on that should begin by September or October of this year.
“We’ll start three projects in 2026,” Wolfe said. Development of the 45-acre site that was the former Carraway campus should take 5 to 7 years, he said.
At one point demolition was delayed because of requirements of a federal loan application, but that application was dropped, he said.
“It was also a safety aspect,” Wolfe said. “That parking garage that adjoins it was being used by the amphitheater. We can’t be doing demolition that close to active (concert season) because of safety. Now that we’re not in amphitheater season we can get in there and do a little bit more.”
The concert season resumes in April.
The Coca-Cola Amphitheater opened in June 2025 and hosted 28 concerts through October, drawing more than 174,000 fans.