Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit Hits Construction Milestone

(DETROIT) – Steel beams can now be seen coming out of the ground and into the sky on West Grand Boulevard, as crews Monday morning began building the structure that will one day be Henry Ford Health’s state-of-the-art Detroit hospital expansion.

The major project to reimagine Henry Ford Hospital began in 2024 and will add 1.2 million square feet – including a vastly expanded emergency department – to the campus. After months of foundation work, including the digging and construction of 82 caissons, crews began installing steel beams Monday morning with a 260-foot crane. The first steel column that was lifted Monday was 50 feet tall and weighed 7,000 pounds—about the weight of a hippopotamus.

The steel frame and metal decking phase of construction will last through May 2026. During that time, crews anticipate utilizing a total of 21,752 steel pieces weighing about 10,800 tons. The tallest steel beam will be approximately 60 feet tall. 

The $2.2 billion project, known as Destination: Grand, aims to create a high-tech, high-touch hospital facility for the next century. It will feature all private patient rooms with technology upgrades and dedicated spaces for visitors, modernized acute and intensive care units and a world-class inpatient rehabilitation hospital with Shirley Ryan AbilityLab. The facility will be seamlessly connected to the existing Henry Ford Hospital, which has been in operation from the very same spot in Detroit for 110 years. 

You can learn more about the Destination: Grand project here, or watch videos on the progress here.

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