Homer G. Phillips Hospital

St. Louis, United States

Exterior only

Visible from the street; the inside is private.

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Homer G. Phillips Hospital, located at 2601 N. Whittier Street in St. Louis's Ville neighborhood, was the only public hospital serving African Americans in the city from its opening in 1937 until municipal desegregation began in 1955. Named after civil rights advocate Homer G. Phillips, the Art Deco structure was the first teaching hospital west of the Mississippi River dedicated to serving Black residents, and by 1961 had trained the world's largest number of Black doctors and nurses. The hospital continued operating after desegregation and served the Black community until its closure in 1979. Designated a St. Louis Landmark in 1980 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, the building was subsequently adapted for residential use and reopened as senior living apartments in 2003.