Construction has begun on Boston’s $1.68 billion Lavine Bekenstein Cancer Hospital, a 450,000-square-foot facility that will provide 300 inpatient beds across 10 floors. The project will create a dedicated inpatient hospital for cancer care in the Longwood Medical Area, bringing specialized treatment closer to outpatient services and research facilities.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute marked the start of construction on October 19, 2026, with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center serving as its clinical partner. The hospital will rise on the former Joslin Diabetes Center site along Brookline Avenue, forming a central part of the institutions’ plan to coordinate cancer treatment and research across an interconnected medical campus.
The facility is scheduled to open in 2031. Its design focuses on the needs of cancer patients and their families, with clinical spaces intended to accommodate advances in oncology and changing treatment requirements.
Hospital Design Focuses on Specialized Cancer Care
The 10-floor hospital will provide inpatient treatment exclusively for cancer patients, giving Dana-Farber a dedicated facility for people who require hospital-based care during treatment.
The planned 300 beds will include 30 intensive care beds and a 16-bed observation suite, according to project details reported by The Boston Globe. The observation unit will allow some patients to complete treatment after outpatient clinics close without requiring a full hospital admission.
Designers have also developed patient-room layouts around comfort, safety and clinical needs. The plans include specialized air-protection measures on four floors to help limit infection risks for patients with weakened immune systems.
The facility will incorporate flexible clinical spaces that can adapt as cancer treatments and technologies evolve. Dana-Farber has also developed simulated patient rooms to help clinicians and other staff assess layouts and prepare for the hospital’s eventual opening.
New Campus Will Connect Inpatient Care, Research and Outpatient Services
The hospital will sit alongside Dana-Farber’s existing outpatient and research facilities and connect with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center as the institutions expand their clinical collaboration.
The partnership aims to coordinate inpatient services, outpatient treatment and scientific research more closely. By bringing clinicians and researchers together across the Longwood Medical Area, the institutions intend to strengthen the process of translating laboratory discoveries into new treatments.
The project also marks a major change in Dana-Farber’s hospital relationships. The institute has historically worked closely with Brigham and Women’s Hospital, but it is transitioning its inpatient cancer-care partnership to Beth Israel Deaconess. The separation from Brigham’s parent organization, Mass General Brigham, is expected to continue through 2028, ahead of the new hospital’s planned opening in 2031.
During the transition, Dana-Farber plans to move hospitalized cancer patients to Beth Israel Deaconess in stages before transferring inpatient operations to the new facility. The organizations have also begun coordinating outpatient and surgical services, including breast oncology care.
Major Philanthropic Gift Supports the Project
A joint commitment from Josh and Anita Bekenstein and Jonathan and Jeannie Lavine made the hospital possible. Dana-Farber has described the contribution as the largest single gift in its history.
The project represents a major investment in specialized cancer treatment and research in Boston. Its development also comes as other major healthcare organizations expand their own cancer-care facilities and programs.
Mass General Brigham, for example, is investing in a separate cancer institute that includes new construction and renovations. Its planned Herb Chambers Tower at Massachusetts General Hospital is expected to provide 228 inpatient beds when it opens in 2027.
The two initiatives reflect growing investment in specialized cancer services in the Boston area, although they follow different institutional and clinical models. Dana-Farber’s new hospital will concentrate inpatient cancer care in a dedicated facility developed with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.
Construction and Project Outlook
The October 19 groundbreaking marked the formal start of construction on the Lavine Bekenstein Cancer Hospital. The project’s next major phase will involve delivering the 450,000-square-foot building and its specialized clinical infrastructure ahead of the planned 2031 opening.
Dana-Farber expects to recruit approximately 2,400 workers for the new hospital over the next four years, including nurses and other clinical staff needed for the transition and opening. The hiring plan reflects the operational scale of the facility as well as the need to prepare teams for its specialized inpatient services.
Once operational, the hospital will expand Dana-Farber’s dedicated inpatient capacity and strengthen its clinical collaboration with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. The facility will anchor a more closely connected campus for cancer treatment, outpatient care and research in Boston’s Longwood Medical Area.
Similarly, New York’s $1.7 billion Wadsworth Center Laboratory project is advancing public health infrastructure through a five-story, 663,000-square-foot facility that will consolidate five existing laboratory sites in the Albany region. While Boston’s Lavine Bekenstein Cancer Hospital will expand specialized inpatient cancer care, the Wadsworth Center will strengthen disease surveillance, diagnostic testing and scientific research, highlighting how major healthcare construction projects are expanding both clinical and laboratory capabilities.
Factsheet: Lavine Bekenstein Cancer Hospital
- Location: Former Joslin Diabetes Center site, Brookline Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts
- Estimated project cost: $1.68 billion
- Building area: 450,000 square feet
- Building height: 10 floors
- Planned capacity: 300 inpatient beds
- Specialized facilities: 30 intensive care beds and a 16-bed observation suite
- Project milestone: Groundbreaking on October 19, 2026
- Lead institution: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
- Clinical partner: Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
- Funding support: Philanthropic commitment from the Bekenstein and Lavine families
- Expected opening: 2031
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