The Crumbling St. Agnes Hospital
At one point in time, St. Agnes Hospital was the only place in Raleigh for African-Americans to get healthcare. The former hospital holds a wealth of Raleigh history, but is also as the location of several sad events related to segregation and other artifacts of the Jim Crow era.
The hospital first opened its doors in 1896. Students of Saint Augustine’s College quarried and laid the stone in 1909 that makes up this towering building standing near the corner of Oakwood Avenue and State Street. There were two was a notable tragic event that took place here.
Medical care was segregated. Rex Hospital on the corner of Wade Avenue and St. Mary’s Street served the white population. It had better facilities and better health care than St. Agnes Hospital, the care center for blacks on the campus of Saint Augustine’s College. St. Agnes hospital also had a school of nursing. According to Mr. Hunter at least two tragic events occurred at this hospital because of segregation and the lack of resources at this hospital.
In the 50’s Charles Drew, the man who found the way to preserve and store blood plasma, fell asleep at the wheel while traveling through Raleigh on his way home to Washington, DC. In the resulting accident he was seriously injured. He was taken to St. Agnes Hospital. He needed blood plasma to save his life, but the technology he invented was not available at St. Agnes and he was refused admission to Rex because he was black. He died on April 1, 1950, as a result of this cruel irony.The first black heavyweight champion of the world, Jack Johnson, also died at St. Agnes Hospital because they lacked the technology that could have saved his life. It was available at Rex Hospital.
Not only was St. Agnes a place for those to get medical care (whether they had money or not), but it also was a nursing school as well. Coupled with Leonard Medical School (the nation’s first four year medical college), Raleigh was leading the way for African-Americans to bring healthcare to those across the state that had little access to it.
The hospital was shut down in 1961, after a segregated area of Rex Hospital was opened around the same time. It has sat in disrepair ever since, now essentially only a shell of a building. There doesn’t appear to be one event that led to the utter collapse of the non-stone part of the structure, but it is so empty on the inside that it seems as though it burned in a fire.
There are plans to renovate the building to become the St. Agnes Health Disparities Institute. It’s estimated to be in the several millions of dollars to make this historic structure usable once again.
UPDATE / 07.24.08
Frank Stasio of The State Of Things on WUNC recently aired a story about the history of black doctors and the recent apology by the AMA for the long history of excluding African Americans from its ranks. In the episode, the legend of Dr. Charles Drew was addressed. It was exposed as a myth that he died as a result of segregation. Additionally, it doesn’t appear that he even died at St. Agnes, but at a hospital in Burlington.
Charles R. Drew was a black surgeon who pioneered techniques for preserving blood plasma that saved countless lives during World War II. Later he became medical director of Freedmen’s Hospital in Washington, D.C. In 1950, while driving three other black doctors to a conference in Alabama, Drew fell asleep at the wheel. The car swerved and rolled over, breaking his neck and crushing his chest. According to legend, he desperately needed a blood transfusion, but doctors at a hospital in Burlington, North Carolina, refused to admit him, and he died.
This story is told in several black history books and has been repeated by Dick Gregory, among others. But it isn’t true. Morris spoke with Dr. John Ford, one of the passengers in Drew’s car. “We all received the very best of care,” Ford said. “The doctors started treating us immediately.”
Drew didn’t receive a transfusion because his injuries wouldn’t permit it. “He had a superior vena caval syndrome–blood was blocked getting back to his heart from his brain and upper extremities,” Ford said. “To give him a transfusion would have killed him sooner. Even the most heroic efforts couldn’t have saved him. I can truthfully say that no efforts were spared in the treatment of Dr. Drew, and, contrary to popular myth, the fact that he was a Negro did not in any way limit the care that was given to him.”
However, segregation and substandard equipment and care in the medical field lasted more than one hundred years. Thousands of untold stories exist of those who died because they didn’t have access to the best medical care available at the time simply because of the color of their skin. It is something that should still remain written for posterity to remind us all of the effects of discrimination and racism.
These pictures are freaking sweet. I didn’t even know this place existed, keep up the good work.
Comment by walden — July 15, 2008 @ 8:59 pm
I remember learning about Dr. Charles Drew as a child, and his unfortuanate and ironic death. It’s remarkable this place is still standing. They should really make a monument of it this building. It should be called the Dr. Charles Drew Health Disparities Institute.
Comment by rcurry — July 16, 2008 @ 9:12 am
Wow. I went to St. Augustine’s College for four years. I’m a little embarrassed to say that I never knew about those two facts. I remember looking at the building all the time wondering if they were just waiting for it to fall down on its own or something. Although it is property of the college, I think the city of Raleigh should try to help out with renovating or restructuring since it is a historic building and has major significance in Raleigh’s history.
Comment by Devin — July 16, 2008 @ 12:53 pm
How about the alumni of St. Aug’s take some responsibility for this? I would think a partnership between the city and the college could get something done … of course, the last time they tried that the track/football stadium was ’shoved’ out to the beltline.
Seems to me there’s a concerted lack of leadership at St. Aug’s to get anything done about this piece of history. Similarly, the city won’t move on it until someone brings an idea to the table.
Surely, the community, African-American or not, can see the value of this landmark? It’s an absolute travesty that it sits in such disrepair.
Comment by SAM — July 20, 2008 @ 2:16 pm
I ride my bike past this building almost every day. And everyday I wonder why this exceptional building hasn’t been restored. I hope the community can come together to make that happen. We should, however, be careful in including the city (they may want to tear it down to make room for empty condominiums and yuppy bars).
Comment by Ernie — July 24, 2008 @ 2:24 pm
I’ve been following this project since it began back in 1991, and the real story behind this “restoration” is as sad as the way the building now looks. Let me just say it’s not about funding; the money’s there. Since 1991 the following grants have been conferred: $3 million in combined funds from the United Negro College Fund and U.S. Department of the Interior; a city of Raleigh grant for $100,000; $769,000 from the National Park Service which was matched by a grant from the UNCF Special Programs Corp.; $250,000 from Glaxo-Wellcome; $225,000 from Lilly Endowments; $20,000 from Rex Hospital; and $50,000 from private pledges. By 2001, when the contractor walked off the job over nonpayment of bills by the college, more than $1 million had been spent. Nothing at all has been done on the project since then. It seems to me that the real problem here is abysmal mismanagement and questionable expenditure of earmaked monies by St. Aug’s. (Go to the N&O archive and search St Agnes hospital if you want to read all the gory details.) A 2003 price tag estimate to complete the restoration came to $7+ million– Doesn’t look like anything will be happening to move this project forward anytime soon. In the meantime Raleigh citizens have some pretty evocative ruins to contemplate, (Does anybody else see wartime Berlin here?) Thanks for documenting this John!
Comment by Karl — July 25, 2008 @ 3:52 pm
Last time I talked with Marc Newcom (a couple of months ago) at St. Augs, the plan to turn it into a health center was back on track. That could just be wishful thinking.
Comment by Helent — July 26, 2008 @ 1:19 pm
I am impressed with your site, and some of the fascinating aspects of Raleigh you find. I grew up in Raleigh and love to see some of the old historical places explored and hopefully being preserved.
One thing I did want to comment on was the story of Dr. Charles Drew that is included with the feature on St. Agnes Hospital. Being a historian, I want to ask you to research the facts of his death, especially the part on him being denied treatment at the local hospital due to his color. This is an Urban Legend, that was propagated by an erroneous episode of the M*A*S*H TV show.
According to his widow, he received the best possible medical treatment possible, at Alamance County General Hospital, after his car accident. My source is a web page from the Charles Drew University. (see below)
http://www.cdrewu.edu/_022/_html/about_us/charles_drew.htm
Comment by Brian — July 31, 2008 @ 2:32 pm
Brian - Thank you for the kind words and taking the time to comment on this article.
I am fully aware of the myth of Dr. Drew being an urban legend. I was made aware of it after this article was initially published, as I heard it on NPR. If you’ll notice at the end of the article I provided an update on July 24th, with a link to the Straight Dope debunking the myth.
I now realize I should strike through the original text that is propagating the myth.
Thanks again for writing!
Comment by John — July 31, 2008 @ 5:54 pm