Looking back at Christian Hospital history: 1903-1914

Happy anniversary! Christian Hospital is marking 115 years of service, so we're celebrating with a retrospective of our history throughout 2018. Read about years 1903-1914 below, and check back to learn more about the people, places and events that shaped the hospital we all know today.

written by Bret Berigan

St. Louis in 1903 was the fourth largest city in the nation, and its citizens were busy preparing to host the World’s Fair the following year to celebrate the centennial of the Louisiana Purchase. All the while, a small group of women in north St. Louis was focused on a different purpose. Fannie Hamilton Ayars, above left, had long devoted her time and efforts to help the poor and indigent women and children of St. Louis, as well as the sick and the elderly. In the late 1800s, Ayars and a group of church women formed the Christian Women’s Benevolent Association with a mission that included providing personal medical care to the north St. Louis community — and with the dream of one day opening a hospital.

That dream was realized in 1903 when the Christian Women’s Benevolent Association secured the purchase of a modest home at 2835 Lawton Ave., above center, for use as a hospital. In August 1903, the doors were opened to patients and Christian Hospital took its first step toward a remarkable history. Within a short time, Christian Hospital expanded its reach within the community and took control of the Centenary Hospital at Garrison and Lawton in 1911, named it Christian Hospital and reorganized the staff to the new location. In September 1914, the O’Bar Sanitarium, a 35-bed hospital at Grand and Palm, pictured above right, was purchased, and Christian Hospital again relocated services, reorganized the staff and set its sights on the future.