Mayor Coleman Young cut a bandage draped across the front door of Southwest Detroit Hospital on Oct. 4, 1974, to mark the official opening of the $21 million facility, the equivalent of about $136 million in 2024, when adjusted for inflation.

Leading up to the civil rights movement of the 1960s, health care was a segregated industry. Black patients were sent to Black hospitals operated by Black doctors. This hospital was built primarily to serve the city's Black community, and was the first hospital in Detroit to hire and accredit Black medical professionals.

Situated at the corner of Michigan and 20th St., the five-story, 250-bed hospital was the result of a merger of four smaller Black hospitals — Boulevard General, Burton Mercy, Delray General, and Trumbull General. Construction on the new hospital, designed by the architectural firm of Eberle M. Smith Associates, began in 1971.

Designed for the health care needs of a community of 200,000 residents in southwest Detroit, an area then already plagued by a chronic shortage of medical facilities, the new hospital offered an array of services including satellite and urgent care clinics, nuclear medicine, intensive care, cardiac care, intermediate care units, and inhalation therapy. The site consisted of a five-story building, a steam plant and a two-story structure that was used for offices.

The funding for this project came from from various sources, including the United Foundation's Capital Fund Division, the federal Hill-Burton hospital construction program, the Kellogg Foundation, the Kresge Foundation, and the local community.

The hospital would unfortunately be marked by mismanagement and scandal.

In 1977, Dr. Leonardo Lopez was charged with illegal distribution of amphetamines. And Lopez was far from alone - over its relatively short life, nearly 90 Southwest Hospital doctors were involved in legal issues, with most being tied to unethical medical practices.

Because of such issues, and because of the integration of the health care system, the hospital filed for bankruptcy and closed its doors in 1991. A small portion of the building remained open and provided health care-related services until 1993.

In 1996, the hospital was acquired for $1.5 million by Harley K. Brown and his company, Ultimed HMO of Michigan. The next year, it reopened as the United Community Hospital, and underwent a $6 million renovation two years later.

But much like its predecessor, United Community Hospital would be mired in scandal, including the misuse of millions in county tax dollars and corporate misconduct regarding fraudulent use of company credit cards and neglecting insurance claims. The State of Michigan's Office of Financial and Insurance Regulation seized Ultimed on Jan. 25, 2006, citing $2.5 million in unpaid claims. This led to Ultimed being dissolved and to the hospital's abandonment. The building was then bought out of foreclosure in 2016 for $7,779 by notorious Detroit slumlord Dennis Kefallinos, who allowed it to rot and become a blight on the community. City records showed nearly 100 blight violations against the property, though not all of them were issued under Kefallinos' ownership.

In 2021, amid attempts by the City to knock the hospital down as a nuisance, Kefallinos listed the building for sale for $17.5 million.

On May 16, 2024, the Detroit City FC minor league soccer team announced that it had purchased the hospital for $6.5 million on March 15, 2024, as well as surrounding land, with the intent of building a new soccer stadium. Demolition was expected to begin in July 2025, with the club hoping to open the new facility for the 2027 season.

The team plays its home matches at the historic Keyworth Stadium in Hamtramck, which it leases. Previously, the club played at Cass Tech High School in Detroit.

"This is a huge step for our organization to build a modern venue to serve our club and community," Sean Mann, CEO of Detroit City FC, said in a news release announcing the purchase of the hospital site. "As longtime residents of the city, with a few of us even living within walking distance of the site, the leaders and founders of the club view this project not only as an opportunity to grow our organization and sport, but as a civic endeavor to give back to the city we love."

More on this building coming soon.