Plaza Companies has joined Valleywise Health and Kitchell Contractors to lead the next phase of transformation at the Valleywise Health Medical Center campus, with the demolition of the original hospital building that served the community for more than five decades.
Demolition began on June 26, 2025, following a ceremonial blessing of the building that first opened its doors in 1971. The removal of the old facility is a major step forward in the continued modernization of the Valleywise campus and will ultimately make way for surface parking, facility upgrades, and future development — including a new medical building on the site.
Plaza Companies, a longtime partner in Valleywise Health’s transformation, is serving as construction manager on the demolition project. The effort is being led by Plaza’s Jon Stelzer and Matt Burton, and Kitchell Contractors is serving as the general contractor.
“Plaza Companies is proud to continue our partnership with Valleywise Health and Kitchell in reimagining this vital healthcare campus,” said Sharon Harper, Chairman and CEO of Plaza Companies. “This demolition not only honors the legacy of care that took place in the original hospital building, but also creates space for future innovation and service to the community.”
The old hospital will be brought down level by level in a careful, phased process. Demolition is scheduled to be completed by January 2026, with full project completion expected by May 2026.
Plaza also played a role in the construction management of the new state-of-the-art Valleywise Health Medical Center, which officially opened in 2024 and is now serving patients across Maricopa County.
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The original Valleywise Health Medical Center building, formerly known as Maricopa Medical Center, opened in 1971 and served as the county’s primary safety-net hospital for more than 50 years. Over the decades, it became a cornerstone of medical education and emergency care in Arizona, housing the state’s only public teaching hospital and a Level I Trauma Center. The facility saw generations of caregivers serve the community, providing critical care to underserved populations and training thousands of physicians and nurses.
The new Valleywise Health Medical Center, completed in 2024, is a modern, 673,000-square-foot acute care hospital featuring 233 private patient rooms, 10 state-of-the-art operating rooms, a rooftop helipad, and cutting-edge trauma and emergency departments. Designed with flexibility and future growth in mind, the new facility enhances patient experience, expands critical care capabilities, and supports Valleywise Health’s mission as a teaching hospital through integrated academic and clinical spaces. The new hospital marks a major milestone in the $935 million “Care Reimagined” initiative to modernize Maricopa County’s public health system.
