Houston Methodist will build a $1.4B, 26-story tower at the Texas Medical Center, adding hundreds of beds to the hospital.

The new tower will have a larger emergency department, new imaging services and add 400 patient beds. The Centennial Tower will be connected to the existing Paula and Joseph C. “Rusty” Walter III Tower, which opened in 2018.

“Together, the towers will add an impressive profile to the Texas Medical Center skyline,” Marc L. Boom, president and CEO of Houston Methodist, said in a release. “We are building this for our community, showing our commitment to the future of health care at Houston Methodist as we continue leading medicine for decades to come.”

The 400 new beds will include 175 new ones, as well as 207 to replace those in the main building, which, along with the West Pavilion, is set for demolition.

The Centennial Tower will replace existing transplant, medicine, intermediate care and surgical intensive care facilities, as well as seven operating rooms and two operating room suites with radiology services. The new emergency department will be 54 beds, double in size, with more imaging suites and public and staff support areas. The tower will also include a 14th-floor rooftop garden for patients, visitors and staff.

The past several years have been a flurry of new construction for Texas Medical Center properties, including a massive expansion for the Medical Center itself. Its latest construction milestone came in March with the topping out of the Collaborative Building, a 250K SF research facility. Last year, Texas Children's Hospital announced a $201M expansion, while Staya Inc. broke ground on a new Hyatt Hotel nearby.

Houston Methodist's tower is estimated to begin a phased opening in 2027.