Jefferson Davis Hospital
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Jefferson Davis Hospital
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The renovated building in 2010
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| Location | 1101 Elder St., Houston, Texas |
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| Coordinates | 29°46′10″N 95°22′07″W / 29.76944°N 95.36861°WCoordinates: 29°46′10″N 95°22′07″W / 29.76944°N 95.36861°W |
| Built | 1924 |
| Architect | W. A. Dowdy |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| NRHP Reference # | 05000859 |
| RTHL # | 15523 |
| Designated RTHL | 2008 |
Jefferson Davis Hospital operated from 1924 to 1938 and was the first centralized municipal hospital to treat indigent patients in Houston, Texas. It is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The building, located in Houston's Historic First Ward, was designated as a protected historic landmark on November 13, 2013, by the Houston City Council and is monitored by the Historic Preservation Office of the City of Houston Department of Planning and Development.
The location of the former hospital has gained notoriety as a stigmatized property due to public perception of its haunted origins.
Prior to the construction of the hospital building, the lot was used as the former municipal cemetery and burial grounds for the City of Houston where thousands of Confederate States Army soldiers, former slaves, and city officials were laid to rest. The municipal cemetery operated on the lot from 1840 until the mid-1890s when it fell into decay, resulting in the reclassification of the lot for use as a municipal hospital by the Houston City Council in the 1920s.
Designed by Wilkes Alfred Dowdy, Architect for the City of Houston, the building for Jefferson Davis Hospital was constructed as a 4-story red brick structure with handsomely detailed façade that included stone veneers and rows of double-hung windows. The design was considered quite modern at the time of its construction and represented the architectural elements that were favored in the early 1900s for hospital design.
The cast stone detailing, portico, and brick corner quoins, are elements of the Classical Revival style that was popular in the early 20th century. The building entrance is a square portico that is framed by four monumental Ionic fluted capital and pilaster columns. The front façade features several square rock stone walls that are believed to have been either gravestones salvaged from the original cemetery or flower beds, although neither use has been confirmed. Other neo-classical elements included keystones over the basement windows and keystones over the pedimented entry doors at the basement level.
The architect leveraged high ceilings and rows of numerous large windows to harness sunlight and increase ventilation, thus avoiding the cost of more expensive decorative adornments. The raised placement of the building atop an above-ground basement, paired with the buildings location on a high ridge, enhanced the flow of cross-through breezes. The tall stature of the building emphasized ventilation, which was considered as a method of combating airborne illnesses and increase the spirits of the critically ill and dying who inhabited the facilities. The second and third floors of the building featured two screened balconies to allow patients an opportunity to enjoy fresh-air without having to leave the hospital premises.
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