St. Vincent’s To Become Condos

As all had expected, the shuttered St. Vincent’s Hospital in the West Village will be turned into luxury condos. 350 of them.

It also includes 95 parking spaces, down from 152, Council Speaker Christine Quinn announced yesterday. “The loss of St. Vincent’s was a terrible tragedy in our neighborhood,” said Quinn, who represents the area. “The ultimate agreement we have reached is a major step forward.” The compromise, which came after a lengthy and contentious council hearing last week, also entails creating a park at the intersection of Seventh Avenue and 12th Street and constructing an AIDS memorial in that open space, as well as preserving the hospital’s historic Reiss Building. Quinn said she will keep pushing for a new hospital, although the deal includes a plan for a 24-hour emergency room, run by North Shore-Long Island Jewish, in the O’Toole Building.

RELATED: Thousands of gay men died at St. Vincent’s over the worst of the AIDS years. Despite horror stories about mistreatment at other hospitals, gay men were always treated respectfully at St. Vincent’s, whose AIDS ward became a national model. When the hospital closed, its front door was festooned with grateful notes from survivors and loved ones.