UMass-Lowell Acquires Defunct Hospital Property

The University of Massachusetts-Lowell has announced it has bought the former St. Joseph's Hospital complex for $6.3 million, with plans to invest tens of millions more in renovations.

Chancellor Marty Meehan told The Sun that the purchase will link the university's North, South and East campuses and help revitalize the Acre section of the city.

The hospital complex, consisting of six buildings, has been largely empty since 1992 when St. Joseph's merged with St. John's to form Saints Medical Center.

Meehan said the deal will be paid for by the UMass Building Authority. The complex, to be known as University Crossing, will be home to the campus police department, a consolidated school bookstore and a food court.

Meehan said in the long-run he also envisions students housing at the site.