Schwarzman Animal Medical Center is celebrating the completion of an 83,000-square-foot expansion and renovation — the institution’s largest overhaul in six decades.
AMC is the world’s largest veterinary hospital and New York City’s only Level 1 veterinary trauma center.
The $125 million project concluded in December with the opening of a new emergency room and upgraded facilities for cardiology, radiology, ophthalmology, neurology and internal medicine.
The expansion comes as more pet owners seek advanced veterinary services in New York City.
“AMC’s demand for services started to increase at a faster rate than even we were anticipating,” said Courtney Rabb, Schwarzman AMC’s chief strategy officer. “So it became very clear that an expansion and renovation of the space would be needed.”
The multiphase construction effort began in 2021 and took place while the hospital remained fully operational. The project reconfigured and expanded clinical capacity across AMC’s East Side campus, ultimately rebuilding 98% of the hospital.
The work was done in three phases.
- Phase I, completed in January 2024, introduced the Denise and Michael Kellen Institute for Surgical Care. With more than 7,000 square feet of new space, including five operating rooms, a minor procedure room, species-separated recovery areas and a new central sterile center, the addition tripled surgical capacity.
- Phase II, completed in April 2025, added a nine-story commercial tower that doubled the hospital’s overall patient capacity. The addition included a new intensive care unit, a combined medical-surgical unit, an expanded avian and exotic pet medicine service, and an education and conference center designed to support the hospital’s teaching mission.
- Phase III, completed in December 2025, focused on emergency and specialty medicine infrastructure. With 21,000 emergency visits in 2025 alone, the upgrade will increase AMC’s ability to manage complex cases. Enhancements to diagnostic and specialty care include expanded imaging facilities and modernized clinical areas for cardiology, neurology, ophthalmology, and internal medicine.
“We want to be the beacon for people across the country and around the world,” said Nicole Seligman, co-chair of Schwarzman AMC’s board of trustees. “[For them] to come to us, to learn from us, to use our data. Let us share our resources.”
AMC, founded in 1910 as the New York Women’s League for Animals, employs more than 140 veterinarians across more than 20 specialties. The hospital recorded nearly 57,000 patient visits over the past year.