Memphis Moment: Baptist Memorial Hospital

By Steve Pike

Baptist Memorial Hospital, by Steve Pike.

Memphis, TN – Memphis has long been a center of medical care and training in the Mid-South. One of our largest hospitals, Baptist Memorial, opened on July 20, 1912. It was located on Union Avenue in what was then the heart of Memphis. Plans for the hospital had been made in 1906. People of all faiths helped to finance construction and have continued to support it. The seven-story Baptist Hospital cost about $500,000 in today's money.

Today, Baptist Memorial Health Care has developed into a multi-hospital system that reaches into Mississippi. The original building was imploded several years ago to make way for a new bio-tech park, which is currently under construction.