Brewster Hospital was founded by the Women’s Home Missionary Society of the Methodist Church. The hospital’s name came from Mrs. George A. Brewster, an early financial contributor to it.
Brewster opened in 1901, becoming the first to serve African Americans on the First Coast and throughout Florida. In addition to patient care services, Brewster served as a training center for Black medical professionals across the nation.
Brewster’s first home (Pictured above) still stands. The institution operated in a former residence for a meat dealer. It was located just west of downtown in La Villa at 915 West Monroe Street. Built in 1885, the dwelling features one of Jacksonville’s oldest & most remarkable Victorian gingerbread porches.
After Brewster moved from its inaugural home, it occupied several other larger facilities. In 1931, Brewster finally obtained a new medical complex at 7th & Jefferson streets, near the western edge of Springfield.
The passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act doomed Brewster Hospital. The legislation opened the city’s other health care facilities to African Americans. This resulted in a substantial drop in revenue for Brewster. The venerable old institution finally shut its doors in 1966. Its last home, the 7th & Jefferson complex, was torn down, and the site became Methodist Hospital, then University, then Shands, and is today known as UF Health Jacksonville
On May 13, 1976, Old Brewster Hospital was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.The city relocated the original building from its former location at 915 W. Monroe St. to the northeast corner of Monroe and Davis Streets in September 2005, where it still stands.