Good Samaritan-Waverly Hospital
National Register Listing
Street Address:
2204 Hampton St., Columbia, SC (Richland County)
Alternate Name:
"Good Sam" Hospital; Waverly Hospital
NRHP Nomination
Record Number:
S10817740143
Description and Narrative:
During its operation from 1952 to 1973, Good Samaritan--Waverly Hospital served as an alternative institution for black residents in Columbia and was the culmination of a string of local hospitals and clinics built for the African American community. During the Jim Crow era in Columbia, the middle class, professional population of the historically-black Waverly residential district worked to develop for themselves what the city and county refused to provide. The Good Samaritan-Waverly Hospital is an example of the alternative spaces African Americans built in the face of discrimination at Columbia’s hospitals. The hospital’s construction represents the result of a historical tradition among Columbia’s black community and philanthropic efforts to establish modern, independent health care facilities. The hospital was the only training facility exclusively for black nurses in Columbia, and was built as a state-of-the-art medical facility. The new facility had a pharmacy, laboratory, X-ray room, staff dining room, two operating rooms, and fifty beds. Unfortunately, Good Samaritan-Waverly Hospital was struggling under massive debt. The hospital routinely served as an overflow facility for charity patients from Columbia Hospital and other hospitals in the surrounding counties, but was often forced to absorb the cost as the local governments failed to reimburse the hospital for treatment. As a result, there was no money to maintain the facility or modernize its equipment. Ironically, the biggest challenge to Good Samaritan-Waverly Hospital was the Civil Rights Act and the integration of Columbia’s hospital facilities. Good Samaritan-Waverly Hospital struggled to attract white patients to keep its eligibility for Medicare funding. In 1972, the integrated Richland Memorial Hospital was constructed, and Good Samaritan-Waverly Hospital could not compete. In August of 1973, Good Samaritan-Waverly Hospital was forced to close its doors. Listed in the National Register July 28, 2008.
Period of Significance:
1952 – 1973;1952;1973
Level of Significance:
Local
Area of Significance:
Social History;Ethnic Heritage: Black;Health/Medicine;Community Planning and Development
National Register Determination:
listed
Date of Certification:
July 28 2008
