{"nrhp_refnum":"06000651","name":"Bluitt Sanitarium","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"2036 Commerce St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Dallas","county":"Dallas County","state":"TX","lat":32.78278993600003,"lon":-96.79270828499995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2006-07-26","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Health/Medicine","Black"],"significance_levels":["state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick commercial building at 2036 Commerce Street in downtown Dallas, Texas, constructed in 1904 as the medical offices and sanitarium of Dr. Benjamin R. Bluitt. The architect and builder are unknown.","why_significant":"The building was the first hospital and clinic for African Americans in Dallas and is tied to Dr. Bluitt, an African American physician reported as the first Black surgeon in Texas. It is also linked to the early commercial growth of the eastern edge of downtown Dallas. It is significant under Criterion A for commerce (local level) and Criterion B for health/medicine and ethnic heritage (state level).","narrative":"Built in 1904 at 2036 Commerce Street near the eastern edge of downtown Dallas, this three-story brick building served as the medical offices and sanitarium of Dr. Benjamin R. Bluitt, an African American physician and surgeon. It is described as the first hospital facility for African Americans in Dallas, and Bluitt occupied it until 1914, with a brief absence in 1910. After he left, Commerce Street shifted toward automobile-related businesses, and the building housed a succession of commercial tenants. The exterior keeps its tan brick front, limestone-capped columns, stepped parapet and wood windows, though the storefront was altered over time. The interior was lost to earlier damage and removal, and a 2002-2004 rehabilitation restored a storefront similar to the original. The building is now used as a photography studio. Its importance rests on its role in early downtown commerce and on Bluitt's place in Texas medicine and African American history.","period_of_significance":"1904-1956","architect_builder":"Unknown","architectural_style":"Late 19th and Early 20th Century American Movements / Commercial Style","criteria":["A","B"],"status_note":"Rehabilitated in 2002-2004 using federal tax credits; currently used as a photography studio. The interior had previously been removed, partly due to fire damage, and the storefront was rebuilt to resemble the 1904 design.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:23.836314-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/21/9717/40971721/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/06000651.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/06000651/0989e967c0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/06000651/0989e967c0-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Renelibrary","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bluitt_Sanitarium.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Renelibrary</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bluitt_Sanitarium.JPG"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"04000894","name":"Dallas Downtown Historic District (Additional Documentation)","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/texas/dallas-downtown-historic-district-additional-documentation-04000894/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40971721","wikipedia":null,"wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q110002748"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/dallas-county/bluitt-sanitarium-06000651/"}