Urban Core in Jacksonville in Duval County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Old Brewster Hospital

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, September 25, 2014

1. Old Brewster Hospital Marker

Inscription. Built in 1885 as a private residence, Old Brewster Hospital and Nursing Training School was the first medical facility to serve Jacksonville’s African-American community. Located in the LaVilla neighborhood, the hospital opened in 1901 through the efforts of the Women’s Home Missionary Society of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Matilda Cutting Brewster of Danielson, Connecticut, donated $1,000 in honor of her late husband, the Rev. George A. Brewster, to help start the hospital. Brewster Hospital was sponsored by the nearby Boylan Industrial Home and School, a private institution for African-American girls. One of the earliest nursing training programs in Florida, its students were welcomed by the community and made 1,230 house calls in 1901. The hospital soon outgrew its first facility, and in 1910 relocated to a different part of LaVilla. By 1931, it was located in a large brick building on North Jefferson Street in the Old Sugar Hill neighborhood. With the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, Brewster Hospital closed in 1966 and reopened in 1967 as the Methodist Hospital. In 2005, the Old Brewster Hospital building

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was moved to its present location from its original site at 915 West Monroe Street.
A Florida Heritage Site

Erected 2012 by The Brewster and Community Nurses Alumni Association and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-742.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Education • Science & Medicine. A significant historical year for this entry is 1885.

Location. 30° 19.858′ N, 81° 40.091′ W. Marker is in Jacksonville, Florida, in Duval County. It is in Urban Core. It is at the intersection of West Monroe Street and North Davis Street, on the left when traveling east on West Monroe Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 915 W Monroe St, Jacksonville FL 32202, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in First Coast.

It is also in the American South

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of

Old Brewster Hospital Marker with building. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, September 25, 2014

2. Old Brewster Hospital Marker with building.

the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Fort Hatch (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Black National Anthem: "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" (about 600 feet away); Shotgun Homes (about 700 feet away); John Rosamond Johnson (about 700 feet away); James Weldon Johnson (about 700 feet away); J. Rosamond Johnson (about 700 feet away); a different marker also named James Weldon Johnson (about 800 feet away); Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Jacksonville.

Credits. This page was last revised on September 3, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 24, 2016, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,167 times since then and 88 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 24, 2016, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.