Harlem in the 1920s was not well served by hospitals. One public
hospital was located in the neighborhood, but continued to be
dominated by whites throughout the decade. Blacks did operate
four small private hospitals, but they charged fees beyond the
resources of most blacks and were not well-supported by those
who could afford them. The public institution, Harlem Hospital,
stood on the block between 136th and 137th Streets, on the east
side of Lenox Avenue, one block north of its current location.
It opened on April 13, 1907, providing 150 beds, facilities that
were proving inadequate as early as 1911. An additional wing and
a Nurses Home were added in 1915, increasing the capacity to 390
beds. Although by 1926 the hospital was again overcrowded,
further expansion was not undertaken until the 1930s. (The
building on the block between 135th and 136th Streets did not
open until 1969). Despite its location near the heart of Harlem,
the hospital remained essentially a white space. It had no black
staff until so