The District of Columbia General Hospital was a hospital located in

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It was operational from 1806 to its controversial closing by mayor Anthony A. Williams in 2001, as the city was trying to cut costs while recovering from bankruptcy. At the time of its closure, it was the only public hospital located within the District.

History

The hospital was founded as the Washington Infirmary in 1806, using a $2,000 grant from

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

, and was located at 6th and M Street NW. Originally located in

Judiciary Square Judiciary Square is a neighborhood in Northwest Washington, D.C., the vast majority of which is occupied by various federal and municipal courthouses and office buildings. Judiciary Square is located roughly between Pennsylvania Avenue to the s ...

it moved to 19th and Massachusetts, SE in 1846. At the turn of the century, efforts to open a new public hospital at 14th and Upshur were opposed by residents. The final hospital site was first developed in the 1840s as a consolidated hospital, poorhouse and workhouse complex known as the Washington Asylum Hospital. It was renamed Gallinger Municipal Hospital in 1922, after U.S. Senator

Jacob Harold Gallinger Jacob Harold Gallinger (March 28, 1837 – August 17, 1918), was a United States senator from New Hampshire who served as President pro tempore of the Senate in 1912 and 1913. Early life and career Jacob Harold Gallinger was born in Cornwall ...

. ''

Washington City Paper The ''Washington City Paper'' is a U.S. alternative weekly newspaper serving the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. The ''City Paper'' is distributed on Thursdays; its average circulation in 2006 was 85,588. The paper's editorial mix is focu ...

'' described the hospital in 1994 as a "city poorhouse" that "provided de facto

universal health care Universal health care (also called universal health coverage, universal coverage, or universal care) is a health care system in which all residents of a particular country or region are assured access to health care. It is generally organized ar ...

to the residents of the District... typically, only people with no alternative."

Post-closure

Shortly after its closure, the facility was used as a homeless shelter, with a capacity of around 270 families. In 2014, 8-year old

Relisha Rudd Relisha Tenau Rudd (October 29, 2005disappeared March 1, 2014) was an 8-year-old girl who went missing in Washington, D.C., in February 2014 and has not been found. Rudd had been living in the D.C. General Shelter with her mother, when she wa ...

went missing after her family was staying in the facility. In the days before her disappearance she was seen with a janitor from the facility who killed his wife and a few days after, himself. Rudd had not been found as of July 2021. In 2016, Mayor

Muriel Bowser Muriel Elizabeth Bowser (born August 2, 1972) is an American politician serving since 2015 as the eighth mayor of the District of Columbia. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously represented the 4th ward as a member of the Counci ...

announced a plan to replace the D.C. General shelter with six smaller facilities located around the city while transitioning families to subsidized housing. D.C. General was officially closed by Mayor Bowser on October 30, 2018. Reservation 13, the area encompassing the hospital site, was offered as part of Washington's bid to host Amazon HQ2.

External links

National Institutes of Health website on the hospital

References

{{Authority control Hospital buildings completed in 1806 Hospitals established in 1806 Defunct hospitals in Washington, D.C. 1806 establishments in Washington, D.C. 2001 disestablishments in Washington, D.C. Homeless shelters in the United States