HSS Opens Kellen Tower, Completing Major Upper East Side Campus Expansion

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NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar 31, 2026--

Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS), the world’s leading academic medical center dedicated to musculoskeletal health, today announced the opening of Kellen Tower, a new 94,000-square-foot, 12-story facility rising above the FDR Drive and overlooking the East River that expands HSS’s capacity to provide highly specialized orthopedic care. The opening of the tower marks a major milestone in the transformation of HSS’s Upper East Side campus.

Kellen Tower is adjacent to the main hospital at 535 East 70th Street and connected via a sky bridge. The building also connects to the HSS Pavilion to the west, further integrating inpatient, outpatient, and recovery services across the campus. The opening was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 30.

“Demand for complex musculoskeletal care continues to grow, and many of the patients who come to HSS require expertise and resources that are not widely available elsewhere,” said Bryan T. Kelly, MD, MBA, President and CEO at HSS. “Kellen Tower allows us to expand access to that specialized care while maintaining the focused environment and standards of excellence that define HSS.”

Expanding Access to World-Leading Orthopedic Care

Recognized globally for excellence in musculoskeletal care, HSS is ranked the No. 1 hospital in orthopedics nationwide by U.S. News & World Report —a distinction it has held for 16 consecutive years. Patients travel from across the country and around the world to receive highly specialized surgical and nonsurgical care at HSS.

Kellen Tower will provide a specialized environment for joint replacement and spine surgery patients, including those with the most complex conditions. In addition to providing more space for physician offices and exam rooms, the new facility offers on-site imaging services and increases the number of single-bed rooms for patients. Three floors of private rooms are designed to enhance their comfort and care.

“The thoughtful design of Kellen Tower supports our commitment to delivering specialized care in a modern and highly efficient setting dedicated to orthopedic excellence and the needs of our patients,” said Thomas P. Sculco, MD, HSS Surgeon-in-Chief Emeritus and Director of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Complex Joint Reconstruction Center.

“The enhanced inpatient spaces and the renovation of recovery floors in the main hospital will allow HSS to improve how existing beds are used and increase the proportion of private patient rooms across the main campus,” he added. “This has been an institutional priority to optimize the healing environment for our patients.”

As part of the Kellen Tower project, HSS is also fulfilling a longstanding commitment to the local community by funding major improvements to the East River Esplanade from 72nd to 78th Streets. The work aligns with the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation’s master plan for the waterfront walkway and builds on HSS’s prior $1.8 million investment to renovate the Esplanade between 70th and 72nd Streets in 2018.

Philanthropy Fuels Campus Transformation

The construction of Kellen Tower was made possible through the generosity of HSS donors, with early philanthropic contributions exceeding $195 million, including a lead gift of $35 million from the Anna-Maria and Stephen Kellen Foundation, made at the recommendation of the Foundation Vice President and HSS Trustee Marina Kellen French. The gift honors the Kellens’ legacy and reflects the Foundation’s longstanding support of HSS.

“Our support for HSS is based on its unwavering commitment to improving musculoskeletal care on a global scale not only through unmatched patient care, but with groundbreaking research and the medical education of future leaders in the field,” said Marina Kellen French. “The new tower is not just about bricks and mortar; it’s about allowing HSS to care for more people, helping patients with the most complex needs for generations to come.”

“Kellen Tower represents an important evolution of the HSS campus,” said Jonathan Tisch, HSS Trustee and member of the HSS Kellen Task Force. “It brings together the spaces, technology, and clinical resources needed to support the way care is delivered. It’s a meaningful step forward for patients and for everyone who works at HSS, strengthening our ability to deliver exceptional care every day.” The Special Amenities Inpatient floor, to be known as Tisch 5 in recognition of the generosity of Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch, will further elevate the patient experience within the new facility.

About HSS

HSS is the world’s leading academic medical center focused on musculoskeletal health. At its core is Hospital for Special Surgery, nationally ranked No. 1 in orthopedics (for the 16th consecutive year), No. 3 in rheumatology by U.S. News & World Report (2025-2026), and the best pediatric orthopedic hospital in NY, NJ and CT by U.S. News & World Report “Best Children’s Hospitals” list (2025-2026). In a survey of medical professionals in more than 20 countries by Newsweek, HSS is ranked world #1 in orthopedics for a fifth consecutive year (2025). Founded in 1863, the Hospital has the lowest readmission rates in the nation for orthopedics, and among the lowest infection and complication rates. HSS was the first in New York State to receive Magnet Recognition for Excellence in Nursing Service from the American Nurses Credentialing Center five consecutive times. An affiliate of Weill Cornell Medical College, HSS has a main campus in New York City and facilities in New Jersey, Connecticut and in the Long Island and Westchester County regions of New York State, as well as in Florida. In addition to patient care, HSS leads the field in research, innovation and education. The HSS Research Institute comprises 20 laboratories and 300 staff members focused on leading the advancement of musculoskeletal health through prevention of degeneration, tissue repair and tissue regeneration. In addition, more than 200 HSS clinical investigators are working to improve patient outcomes through better ways to prevent, diagnose, and treat orthopedic, rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases. The HSS Innovation Institute works to realize the potential of new drugs, therapeutics and devices. The HSS Education Institute is a trusted leader in advancing musculoskeletal knowledge and research for physicians, nurses, allied health professionals, academic trainees, and consumers in more than 165 countries. The institution is collaborating with medical centers and other organizations to advance the quality and value of musculoskeletal care and to make world-class HSS care more widely accessible nationally and internationally. www.hss.edu.

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SOURCE: Hospital for Special Surgery

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PUB: 03/31/2026 11:30 AM/DISC: 03/31/2026 11:32 AM

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