Panama City – Some online speculation about demolishing the old Lessonby Hospital. As of Thursday, this has not happened.
On March 12, 2025, an excavator is located outside the Old Lessonby Hospital in Panama City, Florida.
A resident, who received hundreds of likes on a local Facebook group, shared an image of an excavator next to the building and wrote: “It looks like she is about to become a memory.”
The post has a lot of comments about the history of the building in the comments, and some even say they were born there.
When the News Herald reporter arrived at the scene on Wednesday (1400 W. 11th St.), anything was clearly lacking. Some dirt around the property has been moved and blocked by temporary retaining walls. There is an excavator near the building. However, it has no buckets attached, and no workers are on site.
The hospital was built in 1940 and later was an assisted living facility until Hurricane Michael destroyed the building in 2018. The building offers some old wines and offers picturesque views of Lake Caroline.
The main entrance to the Old Lissonby Hospital was found on March 12, 2025 in Panama City, Florida.
In 2021, the building was sold to a Nashville-based developer for $650,000. Their ambitious goal is reportedly to turn the historic structure into a lifestyle apartment for on-site work. Not much has happened since the sale.
The Herald extended a helping hand to the Panama City Government to clarify the position of the matter. Officials said they did not receive any demolition plans, but the owners did propose a plan to reshape the building.
A development order was issued a year ago. It’s now expired. After seeing the heavy equipment on the property, the Code Compliance Department contacted the owner’s representative and let them know that they need to get another development order before they start working.
On March 12, 2025, the entrance to the Old Lisenby Hospital in Panama City, Florida was damaged.
Although the property’s owner could not be contacted, the reporter contacted Kevin Wattenbarger, whose company managed the sale.
He said it has been several years since he received the news about his new owner. Wattenbarger added that permitting and building prices make already challenging projects even more difficult.
According to Bay County GIS, the final permit for the building was filed in 2022. That year, the owner obtained an internal demolition and reconstruction permit.
Aerial images for 2023 show a completely complete roof, and the west of the structure seems to have even become a new roof since the hurricane. Apart from the abandoned wear and tear of several years, some broken windows and signs of intrusion, the structure does not seem to suffer from any significant decay.
Summary: As of March 2025, the old Lisenby hospital does not seem to go anywhere.
This article originally appeared in the News Herald: Mystery of Panama City, Florida: What happened to the Old Lisenby Building?
