Houston Negro Hospital (Riverside General)

Significance

Opened in 1926 and designed by architect Alfred C. Finn in the Georgian Revival style, the Houston Negro Hospital was funded by oil pioneer and philanthropist Joseph Cullinan to become the first hospital in Houston to provide medical care to African American patients and to train Black physicians and nurses during the era of segregated medical care. The hospital filled a critical gap in Houston's segregated healthcare system, offering services and professional training opportunities otherwise denied to Black medical professionals and patients at the city's other hospitals. It later became known as Riverside General Hospital and continued serving the surrounding historically Black Riverside Terrace and Third Ward communities for decades. The building stands as a significant landmark in the history of African American medicine and civil rights era healthcare access in Houston.

Climate risks tracked

The hospital's Georgian Revival brick construction faces urban flooding risk given its location near Brays Bayou in the Third Ward and Riverside Terrace area, which experienced significant flooding during Hurricane Harvey in 2017 due to the bayou's proximity and the neighborhood's historically flood prone terrain. Hurricane force winds pose risk to the building's roof and window systems, particularly given its age and the cumulative wear from decades of storms including Ike. Houston's persistent humidity combined with the building's early twentieth century masonry construction creates ongoing risk of moisture infiltration and mold growth within interior spaces if not properly maintained.

Use the preservation assistant to talk through retrofit strategies for these specific threats.

Location

Nearby landmarks

• 1939 · Streamline Moderne

  Eldorado Ballroom

• 1930 · Shotgun house vernacular

  Project Row Houses