Homer G. Phillips Hospital facts for kids

The Homer G. Phillips Hospital was a very important hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. From 1937 to 1955, it was the only public hospital for African Americans in the city. This was a time when many public places were separated by race.

Even after other hospitals started allowing all races, Homer G. Phillips Hospital continued to serve the Black community. It finally closed in 1979. The hospital was named after Homer G. Phillips, a lawyer and civil rights leader from St. Louis. He worked hard to make sure the hospital was built.

Located in The Ville neighborhood, it was the first teaching hospital west of the Mississippi River for Black residents. A teaching hospital helps train new doctors and nurses. By 1961, it had trained more Black doctors and nurses than any other place in the world.

After closing as a hospital, the building was empty for a while. It became a St. Louis Landmark in 1980 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. Later, it was changed into senior living apartments and reopened in 2003.

A Look Back: The Hospital's History

Building a Dream: How the Hospital Started

Between 1910 and 1920, many Black families moved to St. Louis. They came from the South during the Great Migration to find jobs. The number of Black residents grew a lot. However, the main public hospital only served white people. There was no good place for Black patients or staff.

In 1919, Black community leaders convinced the city to buy a small hospital. It had 177 beds and was called City Hospital #2. But it was not big enough for the more than 70,000 Black people in St. Louis. Homer G. Phillips, a local Black lawyer, led a campaign. He wanted the city to approve a special bond issue to build a much larger hospital for Black residents.

The bond issue passed in 1923. But the city did not want to use the money for a new hospital. Instead, they suggested adding a separate section for Black patients to the old City Hospital. This hospital was far from where most Black people lived. Phillips fought hard again. He successfully argued with the St. Louis Board of Aldermen. He convinced them to use the funds for a new hospital in The Ville, which was the heart of the Black community. Sadly, before construction could begin, Homer G. Phillips was shot and killed. His murder was never solved.

Construction started in October 1932. The city used money from the 1923 bond issue and later from the Public Works Administration. City architect Albert A. Osburg designed the building. It was built in different stages. The main part was finished between 1933 and 1935. The two side wings were completed between 1936 and 1937.

The hospital officially opened on February 22, 1937. There was a parade and speeches by important leaders. These included Missouri Governor Lloyd C. Stark and Secretary of the Interior Harold L. Ickes. In 1942, City Hospital #2 was renamed Homer G. Phillips Hospital to honor him.

A Place of Healing and Learning

By 1944, Homer G. Phillips Hospital was one of the ten largest general hospitals in the United States. However, the city often did not give it enough money or staff. Despite this, it became a very important place for medical training. By 1948, many Black medical school graduates came here for their medical training.

The hospital was a leader in new medical practices in the 1940s and 1950s. It developed better ways to give intravenous feeding. It also improved treatments for gunshot wounds, ulcers, and burns. Besides a nursing school, it had schools for x-ray technicians, lab technicians, and medical record-keeping. It also offered training to foreign doctors who faced discrimination elsewhere.

In 1955, Mayor Raymond Tucker ordered all city hospitals to desegregate. This meant Homer G. Phillips Hospital started admitting patients of all races. But it remained a mostly Black institution through the 1960s. This was due to its history and the community it served. By 1960, every department had at least one Black doctor. Many of these doctors also worked at Washington University in St. Louis or Saint Louis University. In 1962, three-fourths of the interns were Black.

William Lacy Clay, Sr., a leader who opposed closing Homer G. Phillips Hospital

The Hospital's Closure

As early as 1961, there were talks about combining Homer G. Phillips with City Hospital. Some Black community leaders, like William Lacy Clay, Sr., were against this idea. Others felt it might be a necessary step for an integrated community. By the mid-1960s, efforts began to reduce services or close the hospital. In the late 1960s, the city moved the brain and mental health departments to City Hospital. They said it was because of low pay and distance from university staff.

No other departments were moved between 1964 and 1979. However, on August 17, 1979, St. Louis suddenly closed almost all departments at Homer G. Phillips Hospital. Only a small outpatient care clinic stayed open in another building. The community reacted with strong protests. Many police officers were needed to control the crowds and help patients leave. William Lacy Clay, Sr. led the opposition. Many people believed the closure was unfair and based on race. Protests continued for over a year. A group called Campaign for Human Dignity was formed to keep fighting. A special task force was created to study the issue, but it did not lead to the hospital reopening. The protests were not successful in bringing the hospital back.

During the protests, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen made the hospital a St. Louis Landmark in February 1980. In 1981, Vincent Schoemehl was elected mayor. He had promised to reopen Homer G. Phillips Hospital. But he later decided to follow the previous task force's plan. The next year, in 1982, the hospital was added to the National Register of Historic Places. It was recognized for its important architecture, its role in education, and its significance to Black history. However, in June 1985, Mayor Schoemehl ordered all city hospital services to close. This included City Hospital and the clinic at Homer G. Phillips. Public hospital services moved to Clayton, Missouri. The Homer G. Phillips complex became completely empty.

A New Chapter: Renovation and Reopening

In 1988, a developer tried to turn the hospital into a nursing home. But these plans did not work out. The building remained empty until 1991, when the city reopened the small clinic next door. The old nurses' building behind the main hospital also reopened. It became an addition to the Annie Malone Children's Home. But the main hospital building stayed vacant.

In 1998, Sharon Thomas Robnett, the daughter of the earlier developer, tried again. She worked with the city to turn the building into low-income housing for seniors. She signed a 99-year lease for the property.

Renovations on the main building began in December 2001 and finished in July 2003. The project cost over $42 million. It created a 220-unit living facility for people aged 55 and older. It was named Homer G. Phillips Dignity House. The developers added security features like a fence, cameras, and remote keyless entry. Today, Homer G. Phillips Dignity House is an independent senior living facility. It offers many features like a mini-mart, a beauty and barber salon, a computer lab, and a gym.

The Hospital's Design and Look

The Homer G. Phillips complex has a main central building. Four wards (patient areas) connect to it, making an X shape. There is also a service and power plant building, and a nurses' home behind the main building. The front of the central building was changed later. An entrance for the emergency room was added, covering the first three floors. All the buildings are made of yellow brick with special terra cotta (a type of clay) trim.

Many hospitals in the 1920s were built like tall skyscrapers. But Homer G. Phillips was designed with seven stories to fit in with the size of The Ville neighborhood. The building has different roof shapes and angled ends on the patient wards, which adds to its unique look. Red granite is used at the bottom of the building. Terra cotta trim is around the windows and as a decorative line around the buildings. Other original buildings, like the nurses' building and lecture halls, are also part of its historic designation. However, a separate clinic built in 1960 is not included.

See also

• History of St. Louis, Missouri
• List of hospitals of St. Louis, Missouri
• National Register of Historic Places listings in St. Louis (city, A–L), Missouri
• Racial segregation in the United States
• Race and health