The ground was broken in south central Massachusetts on Monday where the state’s new Veterans’ Home in Holyoke will eventually open.

The long term care home and hospital, funded in part by U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs State Home Construction Grant Program, is expected to replace the former Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke, located on the city’s Cherry Hill, with a new facility capable of providing care for up to 234 full time residents. Coming in at a cost of $482 million, the project will take about three years to wrap construction and five years to complete.

Design of the 350,000 square-foot building, according to the construction partnership Commodore Builders and Walsh Brothers, Inc., is based off the VA’s “small house model” for veterans care, and floors will be divided into three “houses” of 12 beds, with each house receiving nursing support and shared community, dining and living spaces.

Veterans will have access to on-site physical therapy and dental care, and social services.

A full floor of the eight-story building will house a 30-bed dedicated memory care unit for veterans diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or another form dementia.

The facility will also host a 40-person “Adult Day Health Program” for area veterans who are not housed at the hospital but who would benefit from services.

“This state-of-the-art facility will provide the support and services that our military veterans have earned. This is so much more than just a project; it is about honoring all veterans that have answered our nation’s call – giving them the home that they deserve for their selfless service and commitment to freedom,” Joe Albanese, CEO of Commodore Builders, said in a Monday statement.

Construction is slated to be completed in phases, so as to minimize impact to the veterans already on site at the old facility, with the new home scheduled to open in fall of 2026. The old hospital will be torn down following, with the full project including remediation set for spring of 2028.