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Cullinan established a fund for hospital construction in honor of his
son John Halm Cullinan, a World War I casualty, and in gratitude
to the black soldiers who tended his son before he died.
THE STORY OF HOUSTON
RIVERSIDE GENERAL HOSPITAL
By Mariah Jade Zimpfer
Images courtesy of Special Collections,
University of Houston Libraries
Riverside General Hospital, originally known as the Houston Negro
Hospital, was founded in 1927. The hospital has contributed to the local
community, most notably the underserved populations, for 90 years. In
the early 1900s a group of black doctors petitioned for a hospital to be
opened in Houston’s Third Ward to serve patients who would not be treated
elsewhere due to financial or racial reasons. The group of doctors – RUPERT
ROETT, CHARLES JACKSON, BENJAMIN COVINGTON, HENRY LEE and F. F. STONE – were able
to begin construction in 1925 as a result of funds from JOSEPH S. CULLINAN,
Houston philanthropist and founder of the Texas Company. Cullinan estab-
lished a fund for hospital construction in honor of his son John Halm Cullinan,
a World War I casualty, and in gratitude to the black soldiers who tended
his son before he died. The City of Houston donated land for the hospital,
which was dedicated on June 19, 1926, and officially opened in July 1927.
Houston Negro Hospital had the distinction of being Houston’s first non-
profit hospital for African American patients. The facility was staffed with all
black physicians and had an all-black board of directors. In 1931 Houston
Negro Hospital Nursing School opened on the grounds. The school was
established to train black nurses and was the first educational institution of
its kind in Houston.
Originally , the hospital did not attract as many patients as it had hoped. By
the mid-1930s financial problems and the lack of patients forced the nursing
school to close and even threatened the entire facility. Funds from Houston’s
Community Chest aided the hospital to a financial recovery. After adding
such improvements as an x-ray facility and laboratory in conjunction with
beginning a new form of insurance that guaranteed treatment for all individu-
als, the number of patients increased drastically. For more than 40 years the
hospital’s founders and physicians attempted to introduce and perfect their
healthcare system. In 1957 a new wing was added. Ultimately, the original
structures of the hospital were allocated as historical sites. The new building,
which was completed in 1961, was named Riverside General Hospital.
Reprinted from the Texas State Historical
Association’s Handbook of Houston, a
project in cooperation with the Houston
History Alliance. For more information,
visit www.HoustonHistoryAlliance.org.
During the 1970s Riverside suffered more difficulties as physicians left to
practice in other major hospitals in the city, taking their patients with them.
Efforts were made to renovate the building during the 1980s and 1990s.
Riverside also increased its substance abuse treatment and expanded pro-
grams and support groups with a special focus on addiction and mental
health disorders. In 1995 the hospital purchased other properties in Harris
County. In the 21st century, Riverside General Hospital remained committed
to the underserved populations of the region and provided medical treatment
for individuals who were not able to receive the services elsewhere.
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