Scottish Rite Hospital for Crippled Children (Boundary Decrease)
Why it's listed
This campus in Decatur, Georgia, began as the Scottish Rite Convalescent Hospital for Crippled Children, which opened in 1915 in two rented cottages. A 50-bed hospital designed by Neel Reid of Hentz, Reid and Adler was completed by 1920, funded by Masons, with doctors serving without pay. It became the first nationally renowned Scottish Rite or Shriners' children's hospital, and later Shriners' hospitals trace their roots to it. The hospital grew through the polio epidemics of the 1940s and 1950s and the rise of pediatric orthopedics. A maintenance and laundry building, paid for by a local women's club, was added in 1948, and a nurses' residence followed in 1957. The hospital began accepting paying patients in 1966 and moved to a new facility in 1976. The listing was amended to extend the period of significance to 1948, count the 1948 building as contributing, and remove newer housing from the boundary. The campus now hosts community tenants.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the campus is significant under Criterion A in medicine as a charity hospital for children, and under Criterion C in architecture for its intact group of hospital buildings. It was the first nationally renowned Scottish Rite or Shriners' children's hospital, and all current Shriners' hospitals trace their beginnings to it. The period of significance is extended to 1948 to cover the hospital's growth.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 04000929, listed September 4, 2004. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 321 W. Hill St., Decatur |
|---|---|
| County | DeKalb County |
| Listed | September 4, 2004 |
| Reference number | 04000929 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Period of significance | 1918-1948 |
| Architect / builder | Neel Reid of Hentz, Reid and Adler |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Health/Medicine, Architecture |
| Level of significance | National |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The hospital complex kept its original use until 1976, when a new hospital was built. The campus now houses community-oriented tenants including a YMCA, a community center and a gallery. The maintenance building was rehabilitated under the federal tax incentives program. |
| Acreage | 4.8 |
| Coordinates | 33.76009, -84.30229 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 04000929.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7084946
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.