The Dunbar Memorial Hospital Museum is located at 580 Frederick Douglass Drive. This hospital was named after Paul Laurence Dunbar, America’s first prominent Black poet and novelist. This building was one of the first African-American hospitals in the city of Detroit. Dunbar was created to care for Black patients and their doctors. These citizens were routinely turned away for admittance at white hospitals. This hospital also taught medical interns and had a nursing school connected to it. This building was saved from the wrecking ball by Hilanius H. Phillips, a local historian and city of Detroit planner. Through his efforts it was purchased and renovated by the Detroit Medical Society. This museum stands next door to the Bertha Hansbury School of Music. Maurice Roberts, Dorothy Aldridge and Halanious Phillips 44 Michigan Coalition for Human Rights Detroit Based Freedom Tour are available for presentations and guided tours of this historic area. Other buildings and sites in the immediate area include: the Fritz Funeral Home, the Detroit Association of Women’s Clubs, Omega Psi Phi Fraternity House, and the original Lewis Business College site. |
