Christian Church Hospital
Lumber baron Robert A. Long was known throughout the land as a self-made millionaire who regularly gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to local causes he deemed worthy. Those causes included the (then) new Independence Boulevard Christian Church and the capital funds drive to build the Liberty Memorial (see article below), which Long spearheaded almost single-handedly.
One lesser-known cause was the building of the Christian Church Hospital just west of Troost Park. Long donated $200,000 towards building the hospital, which opened in April of 1916. Another $150,000 was raised by local church members to an endowment fund, the income to insure that one-third of the beds would be used by charity patients, a stipulation of Long’s gift. The hospital was a part of a grand plan hatched by Long to make Kansas City the national headquarters for the Christian Church.
About five years earlier, Long had purchased a tract of land between Hardesty and Brighton, from 17th to 20th and directed noted architect Henry Hoit to draw up plans for a number of church buildings for the site. This area is now the Saint Paul School of Theology.
In 1926, Christian Church Hospital was commissioned as an official Veterans Hospital, housing disabled World War I veterans. After being operated as a neurological clinic, the facility later became the Robinson Memorial Hospital, named for Neurologist Dr. Wilse Robinson. Today the building is undergoing a complete rehabilitation and will be used for senior housing.
Michael Bushnell
Northeast News