Jim Ayers Tower lobby opens to patients and employees at VUMC
The lobby, a cafe, admitting areas and a waiting room are now open; the main entrance is not.
NASHVILLE - Patients and employees at Vanderbilt University Medical Center can now use the lobby of the Jim Ayers Tower, which opened at 5 a.m. Monday, Oct. 12, according to VUMC. The medical center called it a significant step in a phased opening of the tower that began in October 2025.
Along with the lobby, the Ayers Café, the surgical and medical admitting areas and the waiting room are open, VUMC said. People reach them by connecting hallways from second-floor entrances in Medical Center East and the Central Garage.
VUMC said the lobby serves as a central corridor linking patients and employees to the 470,000-square-foot tower and nearby buildings.
The tower's main entrance will stay closed until spring 2027, according to a VUMC photo caption. VUMC's captions also show a Guest Services desk at the Central Garage entrance and temporary signage, and say a temporary door at the Medical Center East entrance will be removed.
Source: Vanderbilt Health News, Oct. 12, 2026 (https://news.vumc.org/2026/10/12/ayers-tower-lobby-open-to-patients-and-employees/)