Local mystery: What's happening at Panama City's historic Lisenby Hospital building?
PANAMA CITY — Some online have speculated on the demolition of the old Lisenby Hospital. As of Thursday, it's not happening.
One resident garnered hundreds of likes in a local Facebook group, sharing an image of an excavator next to the building and writing: "Well looks like she's about to be a memory."
The post had many in the comments reminiscing on the building's history, with some even saying they were born there.
When a reporter with the News Herald arrived on the scene (1400 W. 11th St.) on Wednesday, there was a visible lack of anything happening. Some dirt around the property's perimeter had been moved and was held back by a temporary retaining wall. There was an excavator near the building; however, it didn't have a bucket attached and no workers were on site.
The hospital was built in 1940 and later served as an assisted living facility until Hurricane Michael damaged the structure in 2018. The building delivers some old-Florida flare and has a picturesque view of Lake Caroline.
In 2021, the building was sold to Nashville-based developers for $650,000. They reportedly had the ambitious goal of turning the historic structure into live-work lifestyle apartments. Not much has happened since the sale.
The News Herald reached out to Panama City government to get clarification on where things stand. Officials said they hadn't received any demolition plans, but the owners did submit a plan to remodel the building.
A development order was issued over a year ago. It has now expired. The Code Compliance Division made contact with a representative of the owner after seeing heavy equipment on the property, then let them know they would need to obtain another development order before beginning work.
Although unable to contact the owner of the property, a reporter reached out to Kevin Wattenbarger, whose firm managed the sale.
He said it had been a few years since he had heard from the new owners. Wattenbarger added that permitting and construction prices have made what was already a challenging project more difficult over the years.
The last permits on the building were filed in 2022, according to Bay County GIS. That year the owner got permits for internal demolition and remodeling.
Aerial imagery from 2023 shows a fully intact roof, with the western portion of the structure even appearing to have gotten a new roof since the hurricane. Aside from the wear and tear of being abandoned for several years, with some broken windows and signs of trespass, the structure doesn't appear to be suffering from any major decay.
In summary: the old Lisenby Hospital doesn't appear to be going anywhere as of March 2025. Old-timers can sleep easy knowing the historic building will remain standing in the foreseeable future.
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Panama City, Florida mystery: What's going on at old Lisenby building?
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