KVII Amarillo, Texas — AMARILLO, Texas — The Black Historical Cultural Center is calling on the community to help preserve a vital piece of Amarillo’s history. The center is fundraising to renovate the nursing quarters of what was once the only hospital providing life-saving care for the Black community in Amarillo.

Chris Jackson, Director of Development at the Black Historical Cultural Center, said, “It was the first hospital in Amarillo that allowed for Black patients, and then just to the right of it over here behind me is the nursing quarters in which there’s two nurses on staff. This was back in the 1940s, 1950s, all the way through operation, and it was a pillar not just for emergency medical needs, but also promoting health within the Black community.”

The center aims to raise $6,000 to repair the roof, windows, and siding of the nursing quarters, which housed Dr. James Wyatt and two nurses. Plans include displaying historical documents, pictures, and medical apparatus.

“The history is there. We just have to make it available and accessible for everyone to view it,” Jackson said. “I think that the nursing quarters is something that instills pride within North Heights in terms of history and culture, but I think at large, the city as a whole can get a piece of historic Amarillo history that hasn’t yet been made accessible. We have volumes of books and literature that we just want to share.”

To support the renovation efforts, the Black Historical Cultural Center will be selling plates of soul food for $15 at the center from noon to 6 p.m. tomorrow.