Work underway to demolish former Fitness One building in Northport

The former Fitness One building in front of Northport Medical Center is being demolished in hopes of making a more attractive entryway to the hospital.

Andy North, DCH Health Systems vice president of marketing and communications, said the Fitness One building was previously owned by a group of physicians and featured an indoor pool, racquetball courts and medical offices.

According to the company's Facebook page, the former fitness center closed in March 2020 after struggling to stay in business during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Fitness One building was later bought by DCH and was used for medical offices, a computer training center, monoclonal antibody fusion clinic for COVID positive clients and more.

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However, the Fitness One building required a lot of maintenance and became difficult to maintain, North said.

"Over the past few years, it has become increasingly challenging to appropriately maintain the building. And so we decided that we would clear it out to make a more attractive frontage and offer potential future growth for DCH in Northport," North said.

Demolition began last month and the building is expected to be completely torn down later this summer.

North said there are no plans to replace the Fitness One building right now.

The Northport Medical Center is a 204-bed community hospital that provides inpatient and outpatient services. The facility also operates the DCH Rehabilitation Pavilion and North Harbor Pavilion for mental health.

In addition to the Northport Medical Center, DCH Health Systems also includes the DCH Regional Medical Center in Tuscaloosa and the Fayette Medical Center.

The 583-bed DCH Regional Medical Center offers a range of specialty units and advanced services, including cancer, cardiology, robotic and minimally invasive surgery, and the region's advanced trauma center.

Through a lease agreement with the DCH Health System, the Fayette Medical Center is a 61-bed rural hospital that offers Fayette County residents inpatient care, along with sophisticated diagnostic equipment, surgical techniques and specialty clinics. A 122-bed nursing home on site is fully accredited and licensed for intermediate and skilled nursing care.

Reach Jasmine Hollie at JHollie@gannett.com.