Records of the Northern Dispensary
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Abstract
The Northern Dispensary of the City of New York was founded in 1827, and incorporated a year later by a group of private citizens to offer medical care at minimal or no cost to the poor in lower Manhattan. The Dispensary moved to a triangular-shaped building (which is a historical landmark) at the intersection of Christopher Street, Waverly Place, and Grove Street in Manhattan's Greenwich Village in 1831. The Northern Dispensary records span from 1827 through the 1950s and include annual reports, minutes of the board, executive committee meetings, logs of applicants who applied to work as physicians and visiting committees, as well as photographs and illustrations.
History of the Northern Dispensary
The Northern Dispensary of the City of New York was founded in 1827 and incorporated in 1928 by a group of private citizens to provide medical care at minimal or no cost to the needy and indigent in lower Manhattan. In 1831 the Dispensary moved to a tringular-shaped building, located at the intersection of Waverly Place, Grove Street and Christopher Street, in Manhattan's Greenwich Village. After World War II the Dispensary became a dental clinic and remained open until 1989, at which time it closed due to a funding shortage. Subsequently, the building, which is an historical landmark, was transferred to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in two series: Series I: Administrative Records and Series II: Photographs and Etchings.
Series I is further arranged into four subseries: Subseries I.A.: Minutes of the Board; Subseries I.B.: Annual Report of the Board of Trustees; Subseries I.C.: Applications for Position as Physician to the Northern Dispensary; and Subseries I.D.: Executive Committee Record, Minutes f Regular and Special Meetings.
Scope and Contents
The Dispensary records consists of documents from the inception of the Dispensary in 1827 through the 1950s, and they include minutes of the board (minutes of regular and special meetings, reports of the treasurer, visiting doctor, donor and staff listings); executive committee minutes; a log of visiting committees that visited the Dispensary; another log of applicants for the position as physicians to the Nothern Dispensary with resume synopses; and annual reports. There are also photographs of board members and physicians treating patients at the Dispensary and illustrations of the Dispensary building, as well as the surrounding area from the Dispensary.
Access Restrictions
Open for use without restrictions.
Use Restrictions
Permission to publish materials must be obtained in writing from the:
New York University Archives
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012
Phone: (212) 998-2646
E-mail: university-archives@nyu.edu
Preferred Citation
Published citations should take the following form:
Identification of item; date (if known); Records of the Northern Dispensary; MC 99; box number; folder number; New York University Archives
Location of Materials
Physical Condition
Annual Report, Volume 1 - 20 (1827-1847) is extremely fragile and may require mediated access.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Processing decisions made prior to February 2019 have not been recorded. The bulk of the collection was rehoused by the Barbara Goldsmith Preservation and Conservation Department in Feburary 2019. The finding aid was subsequently updated.