Jefferson Davis Hospital

This significant medical facility, completed in 1924 and operated jointly by the City of Houston and Harris County, was built atop the 1840 Houston City Cemetery, which was active until the 1880s. As there was no widespread removal of graves from the site, the building’s basement was erected above ground. At the request of Confederate veterans and their families, the hospital was named for the former President of the Confederate States of America, in honor of the many Confederate veterans buried here. Jefferson Davis Hospital marks the beginning of city-county cooperation in providing centralized medical care for indigent patients. City architect W.A. Dowdy presented his plans to the hospital board in 1923, with the main building designed to accommodate 150 patients. The physical plant also included a nurses’ home, isolation unit, garage and power house. The Neoclassical style building remains a prominent landmark in the First Ward neighborhood. The three-story structural concrete and clay tile building has a red brick and cast stone veneer. Notable elements include its central projecting portico with fluted columns and ionic capitals, cast stone detailing, pedimented entry doors and brick corner quoins. The hospital served its intended purpose for only thirteen years, as a rapidly growing population required new facilities. In 1937 a new hospital on Buffalo Drive (now Allen Parkway) took the name “Jefferson Davis Hospital.” This site, then called “Old Jefferson Davis Hospital,” served multiple purposes including a psychiatric hospital, juvenile detention ward, food stamp distribution center and records storage facility. After several years standing vacant, the historic building was rehabilitated into residential lofts in 2005. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 2008

Jefferson Davis Hospital is a historical marker in Houston, Harris County, dedicated in 2008. It is one of 422 historical markers documented in Harris County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 849 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 29.7687, -95.3679 near Houston. The nearest cataloged historic site is 1840 Houston City Cemetery (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Houston Infirmary, 1879 Houston Waterworks, and St. Joseph's Catholic Church.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5507015523. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.