Omaha Emergency Hospital

The Omaha Emergency Hospital was located at 912 Douglas Street in downtown Omaha, Nebraska. Originally used as a brothel, there was a great deal of debate about whether the building was an appropriate donation to the city when Anna Wilson, a notorious madam, willed it to the city upon her death.^[1]

History

Originally planned to be opened in 1889,^[2], the hospital was not opened until the late 1890s. Located in the city's original Sporting District, it was a three-story building with double-bay windows on the first and second floors, the house was equipped with 46 beds. The hospital was used exclusively for contagious diseases, and included a venereal clinic.

Anna Wilson, Omaha's most notorious and very rich madam, willed the building to the city upon her death. Built as a brothel, city officials and the public openly argued whether it was appropriate for the city to accept the mansion as a gift. The city left much of the original ornamentation, minus the exterior stone porch columns, which were originally carved as nude women to advertise services inside the building.^[3] Racy artwork remained in the facility's bathrooms until the building was razed in the 1940s.^[4]

Students from the Creighton University School of Medicine were encouraged to intern at the hospital for many years.^[5]

See also

• History of Omaha
• List of hospitals in Omaha, Nebraska

References

1. ^ Federal Writers Project. (1939) Nebraska. Nebraska State Historical Society. p 233.
2. ^ (1891) The Medical Counselor. Medical Counselor Publishing Company. p 239.
3. ^ Federal Writers Project. (1939) p 233.
4. ^ Palmer, J. (2006) "Omaha's Hidden History," Omaha World-Herald. 9/3/06. Retrieved 7/18/07.
5. ^ (1937) The Creighton University: Its story. Creighton University. Retrieved 4/5/08.