The Doctor is In

The Doctor is In. . There were no African American doctors or dentists in Santa Monica … until Marcus Othello Tucker and George E. Hurd arrived in the 1930s. , Dr. Tucker, a physician born in Missouri, moved to Santa Monica in 1932 with his wife, Essie, and his mother and brothers. He built a successful medical practice and treated patients at local hospitals and clinics. Dr. Hurd moved from Texas to Oakland with his parents at age eleven. After his medical training, he came with his wife, Ella, to Santa Monica. He began his dental practice here in 1935. , Drs. Tucker and Hurd practiced in the Black-owned landmark building of Manuel and Julia Murrell at Pico Boulevard and 4th Street until 1940. That year Dr. Tucker built his own building just down the street. He and Dr. Hurd moved their offices there and continued to provide quality healthcare to the community. , (Sidebar) , Tucker Medical Building (right) , Built in 1940, Dr. Marcus Tucker's building at 424 Pico Boulevard was the first Black-owned medical building in Santa Monica. Here he and Dr. George Hurd treated African American, Mexican American, and White patients alike. , Dr. Marcus O. Tucker, M. D. , Dr. George E. Hurd, D.D.S. , Before they moved to the Tucker medical building, Drs. Tucker and Hurd practiced at 404/402-8 Pico Boulevard in the Murrell building. Dr. Hurd later opened his own medical building at 1871 9th Street. Around 1955 he joined the Santa Monica Planning Commission and served for more than ten years.