Established in 1971, the Northern Dispensary in Greenwich Village provided medical care for the poor. This was an alternative to hospital admission, so people would not be taken from their jobs or families for too long. Though it began with great intentions, the Northern Dispensary is currently wasting away due to the restrictions put in place by the city.
This non-profit public clinic first rented quarters in a myriad of locations until 1831. They were then given a location by New York City on the condition that the site remain a dispensary. The dispensary was a massive success. In 1886 over 13,000 patients were admitted and 20,245 prescriptions were written. By 1920, the dispensary’s number of patients declined to less than 5,000. In the annual report of that year, the board reestablished their mission by stating “We treat anybody and everybody who is sick and poor; if they can’t come to us we go to them, just the same as your doctor goes to you [3].”
The dispensary’s quantity of patients remained low over the next twenty years. In 1940, half of the patients at the Northern Dispensary came in for dental work. This spike of popularity in dental work and the dispensary later led to the change in the dispensary’s sole mission. Originally for the poor and ill, the dispensary transformed into a place for solely dental work [3].
Though the dispensary transformed itself, it continued to struggle financially [4]. In 1986, at the height of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (widely known today as AIDS) epidemic, George Whitmore went to get dental work done at the dispensary. While he was at the clinic, he mentioned to the doctor that he had AIDS so the dentist can be careful with his teeth, as his immune system takes a longer time to recover. In a telephone interview with the New York Times, Whitmore stated that the dentist discussed with his colleagues then told Whitmore that “it was not their policy to treat people with AIDS [2].”
Whitmore, a freelance writer, corresponded with the city’s Human Rights Commission. The Human Rights Commission sued the dispensary and Whitmore was rewarded $20,120 (1988). Whitmore went on to spend the remainder of his life writing a myriad of works discussing AIDS patients’ profiles and how you should speak to those with the condition [1]. Another patient, David Whittacre, was refused dental care from the dispensary on account that he had HIV, gained $26,647 from the lawsuit [2]Following these financial losses, the Northern Dispensary closed their doors in 1989 [1].
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York took over the building and planned to reopen the former dispensary as a clinic for HIV patients. The idea was to take fifteen rooms and fill each room with one patient. This plan was faced with some protest due to its exclusivity. With thousands of HIV and AIDS patients in New York, housing fifteen will not provide much relief. The Northern Dispensary is not such a small space that it can only hold fifteen people. Therefore, many wanted The Northern Dispensary to serve as many people as possible. Kenneth Ranftle, member of the Coalition for the Northern dispensary, would rather the dispensary be transformed into a dental clinic for HIV patients or a women’s health center.
Ranftle noted that the fifteen patients who would be occupying the dispensary would be given leases to their rooms. This would “convert a public mission into a private purpose.” Therefore, the city can choose to disapprove of the conversion. A spokesman for the Archdiocese, Joseph Zwilling stated that they “don’t anticipate it being a big deal [3].”
The plans for the dispensary were never brought to life. Instead, the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York sold the Northern Dispensary for $750,000 to Mr. Gottlieb in 1998. Mr. Gottlieb did not flip properties. He was rather known for buying properties and allowing them to languish. Due to the restrictions placed on the Northern Dispensary by the city, there are not many legal uses for the property. The dispensary was one of the last properties bought by Mr. Gottlieb, as he passed away in 1999. Today, his nephew, Neil Bender has control over the property as well as Gottlieb’s real estate company. The company must work to determine the definition of the restrictions and figure out what to do with this property. Experimenting by planning and placing a profitable business in the former dispensary can likely end in a lawsuit.
The Northern Dispensary is located in a prime real estate location and has yet to be put into use. The building has been closed and uncared for for thirty years with the exception of a roof repair in 2013 [4]. This historically significant building continues to have no known plans for the future.
Citations:
- Susan Heller Anderson, “George Whitmore, 43, an Author Who Wrote on the Impact of AIDS,” The New York Times, April 20, 1989 https://www.nytimes.com/1989/04/20/obituaries/george-whitmore-43-an-author-who-wrote-on-the-impact-of-aids.html
- The Associated Press, “A Dental Clinic is Fined 47,000 for Refusing to Treat AIDS Cases” The New York Times, September 29, 1988 https://www.nytimes.com/1988/09/29/nyregion/a-dental-clinic-is-fined-47000-for-refusing-to-treat-aids-cases.html
- Christopher Gray, “Streetscapes/ The Northern Dispensary; Plan to House Homeless With AIDS Stirs A Protest” The New York Times, October 10, 1993 https://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/10/realestate/streetscapes-northern-dispensary-plan-house-homeless-with-aids-stirs-protest.html
- Elizabeth A. Harris, “At High-Priced Corner, a Building Forlorn” The New York Times, March 25, 2013 https://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/26/nyregion/former-village-dispensary-must-untangle-restrictions.html
