Juneteenth 2026 will mark the 100th anniversary of the historic Riverside Hospital’s founding.
And though the city of Houston, especially its Black community, has every right to revel in nostalgia and pass down stories of Riverside’s past, the future may hold a story equally compelling. And important.
On Juneteenth 1926, nearly 100 years ago, the hospital was dedicated as the Houston Negro Hospital.
Harris County Precinct One Commissioner Rodney Elli noted that 100 years ago, Black physicians were barred from working in “white” hospitals and Black patients were regularly denied care or received grossly inadequate care within “Negro Wards” of Houston’s hospitals.
“[Riverside] became one of the few places where families could turn. It operated under segregation and with limited resources, but it provided health care and trained generations of medical professionals who served the city,” said Ellis.
On June 19 of this year, the county will mark 100 years to the day that dedication took place.
“Healthcare is a human right in my judgment. It should not depend on income,
Rodney Ellis, Harris County Commissioner, Precinct One
neighborhood, or race.”
“Healthcare is a human right in my judgment,” Ellis said. “It should not depend on income, neighborhood, or race.”
From shuttered hospital to health hub
Buzz about Riverside’s renovation has been an on-again, off-again reality for years.
Riverside closed in 2015 after serious financial challenges.
“There were stops, and there were starts and real uncertainty about its future,” Ellis recalled.
In 2018, the Harris County Commissioners Court approved the acquisition of the campus so it could once again serve underserved communities. Before and after that acquisition, several plans for the property were floated, but none materialized. Until the current move to repurpose the space as a health hub.
The project has drawn broad support. The Houston Endowment provided $7 million. The Qatar Harvey Fund contributed $2.5 million from the $30 million it committed to the region after Hurricane Harvey. The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development provided $750,000 secured by the late Sheila Jackson Lee.
“More than $40 million has already been invested in the restoration of this project,” Ellis said. “When complete, there will be over $200 million in the revitalization project.”
The work will unfold in two phases. Phase one — set to be completed by late spring and open to the public on Juneteenth 2026 — restores Riverside’s three historic buildings: The hospital, nursing school, and utility building. The goal is to preserve the legacy while modernizing the structures to support healthcare services, community programs, and public health initiatives.
Phase two, projected at roughly $160 million and slated for completion by December 2028, will construct a new four-story headquarters for Harris County Public Health (HCPH).
But Riverside will not be a reopened Third Ward hospital. Instead, the complex has been dubbed the Riverside Health Hub — home to multiple Harris County Precinct One programs, health-related and beyond.
“This site has always been about leadership, representation, and trust,” said Leah Barton, HCPH executive director. “I’m proud to say that these qualities will endure as these doors reopen to the community.”
On the first floor, residents will have access to vaccinations, dental care, HIV and STI screenings, and warm handoffs to mental health services through HCPH’s Community Health and Wellness Division.
The second floor will house a chronic disease prevention program focused on diabetes prevention and long-term wellness.
“And on the third floor, our outreach team … will connect people to HCPH programs, services, and community resources,” Barton said.
The team anticipates moving in by late spring, with services opening shortly thereafter.
“Our presence here is not only about health services,” Barton added. “It’s about being a trusted partner and resource. It’s about breathing new life into a historic gem and ensuring that everyone in this county has the opportunity to achieve their full potential for health and well-being.”
With rooms too small by modern hospital standards, Riverside is set for its second act as a healthcare hub. The former laundry room is being refitted to host community events. The first floor of the old nursing school will house a commercial kitchen. Its second floor will provide conference space and large meeting rooms, according to HCPH’s Dr. Kimberly Henderson.
“This is a strategic investment to strengthen preventative care and reduce health disparities,” Ellis said. “We’re restoring history while building lasting public infrastructure. A ribbon-cutting marks progress, not completion.”
The restoration was led by architecture firms Kirksey and Harrison Kornberg. Nicola Springer, partner and managing director of Kirksey’s PK-12 practice, called the project “a labor of love.”
“When we got to these buildings, they were in great disrepair,” Springer said. “This is a huge part of the Third Ward, the Houston community, and African American history in the entire United States.”
History reflecting forward
In the 1910s and 1920s, Black death rates in Houston were double those of white residents, according to reporting by the Houston Informer. Black Houstonians paid taxes but could not fully use the city hospitals their dollars helped fund.
“We had 50,000 Black residents at the time,” said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. “They had very much subpar care in white hospitals, and for the most part would prefer to stay home rather than be treated the way they were treated there.”
In 1918, oilman John S. Cullinan, founder of Texaco, donated $80,000 — about $1.7 million today — to build the original hospital. In his will, he left $524,496.57 in trust for maintenance, roughly $11.8 million today. Ellis said Cullinan would have been the Ken Lay or the Kinder of his day.
“He forced the city of Houston to donate the entire block to a not-for-profit to create this hospital,” Ellis said. “It makes a profound statement … that African-Americans had to struggle in this country for a very long time, but we didn’t get to where we got to alone.”
Cullinan endured criticism from white peers but stood his ground. At its founding, Riverside had an all-Black board and staff during an era of intense racial discrimination. Beyond care, it became a training ground for generations of Black healthcare workers, detailed in Carlton Houston’s forthcoming book Houston Negro Hospital: The Untold Legacy of Riverside General.
Houston’s grandfather, Dr. William M. Drake, was one of Riverside’s top surgeons.
John Arcidiacono, Cullinan’s great-great-grandson, said the family is proud of that legacy, but clear-eyed about the present.
“That was 100 years ago,” Arcidiacono said. “The challenge is that today, there are still disparities in health. The life expectancy difference in Houston is about 20 years, depending on what zip code you live in. That’s horrifying. Properties like this … are gonna hopefully help people in the neighborhood and reduce that disparity.”
Collaborative resurrection
Ann B. Stern, president and CEO of Houston Endowment, said the project succeeded because the community never gave up.
“Riverside wasn’t just a building,” Stern said. “It was where people were born … where Black physicians were able to practice during segregation. And when the hospital closed, it left a significant hole — yes, a hole in access to care, but also a hole in the history and identity of this neighborhood.”
“The work … wasn’t easy, and it certainly wasn’t quick,” she added. “We listened first, and then brought flexible resources … helping move Riverside out of bankruptcy and into Harris County’s very capable hands.”
Riverside began in a time of exclusion. As Ellis put it: “Today it stands as a commitment to equity and access to generations to come.”
