Kenney Memorial Hospital

Kenney Memorial Hospital

Community Hospital

New Salem Baptist Church

Located in the Central Ward of Newark, west of the Central Business District, Kenney Memorial Hospital was built in 1927 by Dr. John A. Kenney. This was the first hospital in New Jersey to train African-American doctors and nurses in the era of Jim Crow. In 1935, the building was renamed the Community Hospital when Dr. Kenny donated the hospital to the Booker T. Washington Community Hospital Associations of Newark. The hopital closed in 1953 and was purchased by the New Salem Baptist Church to serve the spritual needs of the community.

1927

extant

Since its purchase in 1953, New Salem Baptist Church has maintained the Community Hospital and no considerable transformation has been implemented in the building. The exterior and second floor has remained the same as when Dr. Kenny occupied the building.

Books:

Gordon, Mark W., and Anthony Schuman, editors. Newark Landmark Treasures: A Guide to the Landmark Buildings, Parks, Public Art & Historic Districts in New Jersey’s Metropolis. Newark Preservation and Landmarks Committee, 2016, p. 31.

Freedom not far distant
Price, Clement A. Freedom not Far Distant. Newark: New Jersey Historical Society, 1980. 

Afro-Americans in New Jersey: A Short History
Wright, Giles R. Afro-Americans in New Jersey: A Short History. Trenton: New Jersey Historical Commission, 1988

Articles:

Philips, A. A. "The Negro Physicial in New Jersey and the Early History of the North Jersey Medical Society" Undated, typewritten Report in the Newark Public Library vertical file collection.

Price, Clement A. "The Beleaguered City as the Promised Land: Blacks in Newark,1917-1947." in Urban New Jersey Since 1870. Trenton: New Jersey Historivcal Commission,1975.  


Files: (See attachment)

National Register of Historic Places, Community Hospital, also known as New Salem Baptist Church, Newark, Essex County, New Jersey, National Register #04000224.

Italian Renaissance Revival