Mercy Hospital (St. Petersburg, Florida)

Mercy Hospital was a hospital located at 1344 22nd Street South in the city of St. Petersburg, Florida. The hospital served as the primary care facility for the African-American community of St. Petersburg from 1923 to 1966. It was designed by local architect Henry Taylor and constructed by Edgar Weeks in July 1923. Mercy Hospital not only provided medical care but also became a site for protesting against the segregation of other hospitals during the Civil Rights Movement. In 1994, it was declared a Historic Place and later purchased by the city in 1998. The facility was then leased to Community Health Centers of Pinellas, Inc. for operation. Before Mercy Hospital, African-Americans relied on a small health care facility named the Good Samaritan. The building was initially built in 1910 to serve whites only but was moved in 1913 to serve blacks, becoming the first hospital to cater to African-American residents in the community.