The one-time residence of a local meat-dealer has an unlikely place in Jacksonville history. In the wake of the Great Fire of 1901, which burned large swaths of Downtown, the building at 915 W. Monroe Street in LaVilla acted as a makeshift hospital for black residents who were denied admission to other area medical facilities. Thanks to financing from Mrs. George A. Brewster, the wife of a local minister, the building was established as the first local hospital for African-Americans and the first training facility for African-American nurses in the country.
Over time, the hospital would move to other locations before settling down in the 1930s at a complex at 7th & Jefferson streets, treating more than 60,000 patients in the ensuing years. With the Bolton Act of 1943, Brewster started to train classes of nurse cadets to join the U.S. Cadet Nurse Corps. After the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, opening the door for other hospitals and healthcare facilities to admit black patients, Brewster was unable to compete financially, ultimately closing its doors in 1966.
Brewster’s legacy continues, as it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. The building now serves as the headquarters of the North Florida Land Trust, and a restored parlor room remains open for displays of memorabilia and meetings organized through a Brewster nurses’ alumni association. ♦
words by Lauren Willins // image from State Archives of Florida/Spottswood
