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Black History Month: McLendon Hospital
During segregation in Atlanta, only two hospitals served African Americans. The former Harris Memorial Hospital and McLendon Hospital.
ATLANTA – At one time, during segregation, the McLendon Hospital was one of just two places in Atlanta where African Americans could get medical care. The hospital has been gone for many years, and now there’s concern the hospital is at risk of being forgotten forever.
“It’s like a part of me. That was where I first entered the world,” said Melonie Michael.
Melonie Michael is proud to be called a McLendon Baby. She was born in McLendon Hospital in the Hunter Hills neighborhood.
“It’s a piece of history in Atlanta. One of the first and only hospitals that African Americans could use or could go to during those times,” said Michael.
“It means so much, especially to Black people in Altanta during a period of time when we didn’t have access to quality health care, McLendon hospital was one of those institutions where we could be served,” said Stacey D Steward.
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Stewart has a deep connection to the hospital. She and her sister were born at McLendon. Their father was a physician.
“He was on the staff there and he delivered many babies there,” said Stewart.
Dr. Frederick Earl McLendon opened the hospital in 1946 to serve the African American community.
“Before desegregation, this is a space where Black people can come and have medical treatment, from bumps and bruises all the way up to surgery, births. I mean, it really was a multipurpose facility,” said David Yoakley Mitchel, Executive Director of the Atlanta Preservation Center.
As times changed, and medical services became desegregated, McLendon Hospital eventually closed in the 80s.
At one point there was an effort to save the structure, but time and neglect have taken a toll on the building, and that opportunity has passed.
“It no longer really has that resonance and that identity,” said Mitchell.
It is now in private hands. We’ve reached out to the owner, asking what his plans for the building are, but have not received a response.
The goal now for many is to find a way to preserve the memory of McLendon Hospital.
“We have a duty to really protect these things. Because that means whoever else comes in here has a guideline of understanding who we are as a city and as a culture,” said Mitchell.
As Melonie Michael watched its decline over the years, she was hurt.
“It’s heartbreaking that they didn’t restore it into something others could have known about. All the historical things in Atlanta and you all didn’t preserve this part? This is where people’s lives began,” said Michael.
Stacey D Stewart now lives in Washington DC, but comes home to Atlanta often. She has taken her daughters to the hospital to show them where she was born.
“It’s very much a part of Atlanta history and it’s an institution that a lot of us felt close to and very fond of and it’s been sad to see its decline,” said Stewart.
More than just a medical facility, Stewart says it was a gathering spot for churches and community groups. She is hoping somehow the memory of McLendon Hospital will live on.
“It’s one of those institutions where the story of Black Atlanta needs to be told and we need to continue to tell that for generations to come,” said Stewart.
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