Gone But Not Forgotten

Whittaker Memorial Hospital

First opened in 1917 on 29th Street, Whittaker Memorial Hospital was the city’s first full-fledged hospital for Blacks. In 1943, a new four-story hospital opened on 28th Street, the first hospital in the nation designed by Black architects. Later, a third Whittaker Memorial Hospital was built on Marshall Avenue.  

Location: 29th Street

Smith's Pharmacy

Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, Smith’s Pharmacy was a fixture in the East End community for decades. Originally opened in 1946, it served as an after-work gathering place for shipyard workers in the Jim Crow era.

Location: 3134 Chestnut Avenue

The Moton

The Moton Theater, or Moton Community House as it is now known, dates back to 1940 when it opened as a cinema house. Records indicate that it closed around 1965. In 1978, it was purchased and later renovated as a multipurpose facility. Pearl Bailey was featured at its re-opening. It is named after Robert Russa Moton (1867-1940), an 1890 graduate of Hampton Institute who served as president of Tuskegee Institute from 1915-1935 and was instrumental in establishing the United Negro College Fund.

Location: 29th Street

Phillis Wheatley Branch of the YWCA

The Phillis Wheatley branch of the YWCA was a staple in the East End community dating back to 1942. It began operations in the Women’s Community House at 842 Hampton Avenue. In 1948, an expanded center at 2702 Orcutt Avenue was dedicated. Destroyed by fire in 1961, it was rebuilt at a cost of $60,000. It was named after America’s first Black published poet. The facility closed in 2018 and was sold at auction; however, the interpretive panel is still there.

Location: 2702 Orcutt Avenue

Swantown

Swantown was a 41-unit segregated housing development built in 1935, mostly for Black shipyard workers and their families. Newport News Shipyard, the city’s leading employer, supported the project. With federally backed mortgages, many urban Black families enjoyed a rare opportunity at Swantown to purchase their own house; however, the opportunity was short-lived when several local white residents attempted to convert the project to white occupancy. Swantown succumbed to those efforts and eventually the houses were re-sold to white homebuyers. The neighborhood today is known as Warwick Village.

Location: Main Street and Jefferson Avenue

Huntington High School

Huntington High School, one of the first African American high schools in Newport News is being re-envisioned as a one-stop-shop community campus nearly 100 years after its doors first opened. The new Huntington Middle School will be joined by a library and community center on a 7-acre site in Newport News’ Southeast Community known as the  Southeast Community Resource Area .  

Location: 3401 Orcutt Avenue

Ridley's Service Station

In operation by 1937, this East End service station was owned by Hannibal Ridley, son of John H. Ridley (one of the founders of Crown Savings Bank).  The business was located first at 953 30th Street.  In the early 1960s, it moved to 3001 Orcutt Avenue, closing in 1963.  This location was featured in the Green Book. Scroll to the end of the tour to learn more and see additional Green Book locations.