Providence (R.I.) district plans to build preK-8 school on site of former hospital

The former St. Joseph's Hospital building in Providence, R.I., is being demolished to make way for a new school.

Original plans called for $75 million to renovate the shuttered eight-story hospital facility, but cost estimates for the renovation have risen to $92 million, and city and school officials decided it would be more cost effective to build a new facility, reports WPRI-TV.

Construction of the school is projected to cost $85 million school; it will serve 900 students in grades pre-k through eight. 

Work on the school is set to be finished by fall 2025.