Patricia Martin was moved to a new room on the morning of Oct. 1, 2025, to become the first patient in the Jim Ayers Tower. Photo by Donn Jones.
On Oct. 1, 2025, Level 7 of the Jim Ayers Tower welcomed its first patients as the initial floor of 30 private, inpatient rooms opened in the new expansion tower adjoining Vanderbilt University Hospital (VUH).
The 495,000-square-foot structure that rises above 21st Avenue on the Vanderbilt Health Main Campus in Nashville is the largest facility expansion to date. Construction of the Jim Ayers Tower began in the summer of 2022 and is expected to be completed by early 2027.
The tower is named in recognition of James W. (Jim) Ayers, a prominent Tennessee banker, businessman and philanthropist, who died in April 2025, and his wife, Janet, in honor of their steadfast community leadership and longtime connection to the Medical Center.
“The opening of the first floor of the Jim Ayers Tower marks the culmination of a yearslong journey to add critically needed capacity to Vanderbilt University Hospital. This space reflects our ongoing commitment to care for people when they need us most, in a comforting setting that offers the most cutting-edge advances in care,” said Jeff Balser, MD, PhD, President and CEO of Vanderbilt Health and Dean of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. “We are grateful to Mr. and Mrs. Ayers, and to our community, for bringing this extraordinary new resource to fruition.”
Expansive exterior windows fill the new unit with softly filtered, natural light, and honey-toned maple doors and architectural panels along the walls mirror design elements found across the Medical Center. These elements create a serene, visually harmonious environment — an intentional aesthetic echoed throughout the tower.
“We are so excited for the opening of the first of our six inpatient floors included in the new Jim Ayers Tower, a facility that honors Jim and Janet Ayers and their dedication to improving the health care and quality of life for Tennesseans,” said Jane Freedman, MD, Deputy CEO and Chief Health System Officer for Vanderbilt Health. “The tower, reaching 16 stories into the sky, has been designed to deliver unrivaled care and health care services that match the nationally ranked expertise, exceptional patient care and innovative breakthroughs Vanderbilt Health is already well known for.
“Every single detail of the Jim Ayers Tower design has been strategically planned and completed with our patients and families first in mind. The technology and design innovations included in this structure will support our medical teams well as they continue to deliver the very best care to our community. We look forward to welcoming all to this remarkable facility as additional floors open in the coming months.”
The Jim Ayers Tower construction and related renovations to adjacent facilities have been a significant undertaking for the Medical Center. In conjunction with the Jim Ayers Tower construction, 10 operating rooms were opened in the summer of 2025 in the South Tower of Medical Center East, the building adjacent to the new construction. The additional space will help meet the medical needs of Middle Tennessee’s booming population. VUH, the region’s largest tertiary referral center, already operates at more than 90% capacity year-round.
“We are incredibly grateful for and excited about the first inpatient unit opening in the Jim Ayers Tower,” said Lee Ann Liska, MBA, President and Chief Operating Officer of VUH. “The additional beds will help us move patients even more efficiently from our emergency room and allow us to take critical inpatient transfers from our Regional Hospitals and other facilities.
“I want to personally thank our architects, planning, design and construction teams, operations and patient care leaders who have worked very hard over the past few years to bring this exciting project to fruition.”
Depending on the final floor configuration, the Jim Ayers Tower will add 180 to 187 inpatient beds, along with additional radiology services, multiple specialty clinics and new administrative office space. Unfinished floors will allow further expansion of patient beds.
“We’re also using this as an opportunity to consolidate related medical specialties on our medical campus that had become separated in different areas and even in different buildings as services were added through the years in the space that was available,” Freedman said. “Certain services will be consolidated. This will benefit both our patients and their families, and our providers and staff.”
The last major addition to VUH was completed in November 2009 with the opening of the Critical Care Tower, an 11-level expansion that added 102 patient beds and 12 operating rooms.