22 weeks until our 25th birthday!
We are solidly into the count down to the anniversary date of our founding—December 27—and we hope you are enjoying the stroll down memory lane as much as we are. Every week until December 27, we will feature a short story, profile, or highlight from the past 25 years. We kicked off these 25 weeks of memories with a focus on our origins—how we started, who made it happen, and the genesis of our mission. This week we will take a look at how NFLT has supported the preservation of historically significant lands and structures, specifically the George A. Brewster Hospital and School of Nurse Training.
Did you know that the North Florida Land Trust headquarters building in downtown Jacksonville is an essential piece of Jacksonville’s history? Built in 1885, our building once housed the George A. Brewster Hospital and School of Nurse Training, Jacksonville’s first hospital for Black Americans and a training school for Black nurses. Originally built as a private residence and located in the LaVilla neighborhood, the home opened as a hospital in 1901, fulfilling a critical need for medical care for the Black Jacksonville community made apparent after the disastrous Great Fire of 1901. Through the efforts of the Women’s Home Missionary Society of the Methodist Church and a significant donation by Matilda Cutting Brewster of Danielson, Connecticut, in honor of her late husband, the Rev. George A. Brewster, the Brewster Hospital opened its doors as a 30-patient facility. Brewster Hospital and the associated School of Nurse Training was also sponsored by the nearby Boylan Industrial Home and School, a private institution for Black American girls. One of the earliest nurse training programs in Florida, Brewster’s students were welcomed by the community and in its first year the nurses made 1,230 house calls!
The hospital soon outgrew its first facility and relocated to a different part of LaVilla in 1910. 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 subsequent loss of funding due to integration, Brewster Hospital closed in 1966. It was later renovated and reopened as the Methodist Hospital in 196. In 2005, the Old Brewster Hospital building was moved to its present location at 843 West Monroe Street from its original site across the street at 915 West Monroe Street.
With the need for more office space NFLT identified the old Brewster Hospital as an ideal location that also aligned with our mission. In 2017 we started negotiations with the City of Jacksonville to move into the 5,700-square-foot historic building, which had been sitting vacant for years, and in 2018 began renovations. Danis Construction LLC helped us modify the building into a more traditional office interior. Interior rooms were reconfigured, the building was painted, new lighting was added, and the original wood floors were refinished. Danis also modified restrooms and constructed a ramp system to bring the building into compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and they added a steel staircase to the back of the building. We added a parking lot and landscaping, and in 2019, we held a ribbon cutting to make our new headquarters official.
While the historic space is now our center of operations, Brewster Hospital still has a special place in our building. On the first floor is a room that serves as the Brewster Nurses Gallery, a memorial to the history of Brewster Hospital. It features photographs, documents, medical uniforms, and medical equipment that showcases the history of Jacksonville’s first Black American hospital. Visitors can view the exhibit by emailing Info@NFLT.org and setting an appointment.
Do you have a story about how NFLT has touched you, or was there an acquisition or specific impact we made that resonated with you? We would love to hear it! Please email our Communications Officer, Sarah Hande, at shande@nflt.org with anything you want to share. It is our followers, readers, members, and supporters who make all of this possible – it’s now or never!
