1936 - The M.D. Anderson Foundation, funded from the estate of Monroe Dunaway Anderson, was created for "the promotion of health, science, education and advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding among people."

1938 - The Jefferson Davis Hospital, a 500-bed, 11 story hospital, was built near downtown Houston.

1940 - The City of Houston and Harris County began working together to establish a hospital district.

1942 - The University of Texas Board of Regents announced that the Texas State Cancer Hospital, created by the Legislature in 1941, would be located in Houston, and the M.D. Anderson Foundation acquired a six acre temporary site for the hospital. The hospital was named the M.D. Anderson Hospital for Cancer Research of the University of Texas.

1943 - The M.D. Anderson Foundation and Baylor University in Waco reached an agreement for the Baylor University College of Medicine to move from Dallas to Houston. The first classes were convened in Houston this same year.

The University of Texas assumed buildings, equipment and all rights and privileges of the Texas Dental College located in Houston, and the first classes of the School of Dentistry of the University of Texas were convened in Houston.

The M.D. Anderson Foundation purchased 134.359 acres of land located south and east of Hermann Hospital for use as a medical center.

1944 - President Roosevelt approved the acquisition of 118 acres from the Hermann Estate for the construction of a 1,000-bed naval hospital in Houston.

1945 - The Texas Medical Center was chartered under the laws of the State of Texas.

Ground breaking was held for the construction of the Baylor University College of Medicine in the Texas Medical Center.

1946 - a list of projects that had been approved for inclusion in the Texas Medical Center included: Baylor University College of Medicine, the M.D. Anderson Hospital for Cancer Research of the University of Texas, the School of Medicine Preceptoral Training Program, the Postgraduate and Graduate Schools of Medicine, the School of Dentistry, the College of Dental Nursing, the Postgraduate and Graduate School of Dentistry, the Institute of Orthodontics, the School of Public Health, the Institute of Geographic Medicine, the Hermann Hospital, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, The Methodist Hospital, Tuberculosis Hospital, The Shriners Crippled Children's' Hospital, and the Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library. The United States Naval Hospital opened.

1947 - The Texas State Legislature authorized a School of Public Health within the University of Texas System (not implemented until 1967).

1948 - The College of Pharmacy was established at the University of Houston.

The Texas Medical Center deeded 6 acres of land for the building of a new hospital to be called Texas Children's Hospital.

1949 - The United States Naval Hospital was renamed the United States Veterans Administration Hospital, and it became the first hospital to become a teaching facility for the Baylor College of Medicine.

The Robertson Pavilion of the Hermann Hospital, reported to be the first air-conditioned major hospital in the United States, was opened.

The Hermann Professional Building was opened.

The Houston Academy of Medicine moved its medical library to the Texas Medical Center where it was consolidated with the Baylor College of Medicine Library.

Ground breaking for The Methodist Hospital was held.

1950 - The M.D. Anderson Hospital for Cancer Research of The University of Texas held its Ground breaking ceremony.

1951 - Corner-stone ceremonies for the Crippled Children's Clinic Building were held.

Ground breaking for Texas Children's Hospital was held.

Construction on St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital began.

The 300-bed Methodist Hospital building was completed.

1952 - The University of Texas Dental Branch held a Ground breaking ceremony for its new facility.

Prairie View A&M University College of Nursing was approved to offer a collegiate nursing program.

The Arabia Temple Crippled Children's Clinic Building was dedicated.

1953 - The M.D. Anderson Hospital for Cancer Research of the University of Texas held cornerstone ceremonies.

1954 - Texas Children's Hospital admitted its first patient.

The Jesse H. Jones Building for the Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library was completed.

St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, with 300 beds and 218 physicians, admitted its first patient.

The M.D. Anderson Hospital for Cancer Research of the University of Texas dedicated its new facility.

The Harris County Medical Society became a member of the Texas Medical Center.

The Texas State Hospital Board approved a bill for the creation of the Houston State Psychiatric Institute.

The Doctors' Club was opened on the third floor of the Jesse H. Jones Library Building.

1955 - The University of Texas Dental Branch building was opened.

Prairie View A&M University College of Nursing graduated its first baccalaureate class.

1957 - The Texas Institute for Rehabilitation and Research was incorporated, assuming the functions of the Southwestern Poliomyelitis Respiratory Center.

1958 - The Houston State Psychiatric Institute moved into temporary quarters provided by the Texas Medical Center, Incorporated.

The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute at Houston added the five-story Gimbel Research Wing.

1959 - The Texas Institute for Rehabilitation and Research officially opened.

1960 - Baylor University College of Medicine began construction on three new research wings and student center.

Texas Woman's University Nursing Program began holding classes in its new building.

The Institute of Religion opened its own building.

1961 - The Houston State Psychiatric Institute building was completed.

1962 - The Texas Heart Institute was chartered and became affiliated with St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital and Texas Children's Hospital.

1963 - The University of Texas Postgraduate School of Medicine reorganized as the University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

The Ben Taub Hospital opened.

1964 - The Jesse H. Jones Hall, M.D. Anderson Hall, and the Jewish Institute for Medical Research were built adjacent to the Baylor University College of Medicine.

1965 - The Harris County Hospital District was created replacing the City-County Hospital System.

The City of Houston Health Department facility was established in the Texas Medical Center.

The University of Texas Division of Continuing Education established a Medical Community Television System to serve the Texas Medical Center institutions.

The Methodist Hospital opened its Annex.

1966 - The Texas Medical Center, Inc. acquired 24 acres of land on the south side of Holcombe Boulevard with the provision that a three-acre park within the tract be preserved forever.

1967 - The Texas Institute for Rehabilitation and Research opened a three-story 30-bed addition..

The Houston State Psychiatric Institute's name was changed to Texas Research Institute for Mental Science.

1968 - Baylor College of Medicine separated from Baylor University at Waco.

1969 - The University of Texas School of Public Health, operating in rented quarters, admitted its first graduate students.

The Harris County Medical Society's Museum of Medical Science opened in the Houston Museum of Natural Science.

1970 - The clinical faculties and hospital staffs for Baylor College of Medicine and The Methodist Hospital were merged.

St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital added a 26-story patient tower, increasing the number of beds to 823.

A 36-acre tract between Old Spanish Trail and Braeswood was acquired by the Texas Medical Center.

1971 - The Houston Speech and Hearing Center became a division of the University of Texas Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

Phase I of the University of Texas School of Public Health Building was opened.

1972 - The University of Texas Board of Regents established the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, merging six schools and programs into the new organization, which now included the Dental Branch established in 1905; Division of Continuing Education, established in 1948; Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, established in 1963; Medical School, established in 1967; and the Speech and Hearing Institute, established in 1951.

The University of Texas System School of Nursing was established.

The John H. Freeman Building, part of the University of Texas Medical School was completed.

Houston Independent School District opened the High School for Health Professions.

Following a major expansion and renovation, the original Hermann Hospital building was renamed the Roy and Lillie Cullen Pavilion of Hermann Hospital.

The University of Texas School of Allied Health Sciences was organized as a unit of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

The University of Texas Medical School at Houston graduated its first class of 22 physicians.

1974 - The University of Texas acquired the 19-story Prudential Building with 25 acres of land.

The first class graduated from the University of Texas System School of Nursing in Houston.

1975 - A Ph.D. degree curriculum in nursing was established by Texas Woman's University.

The High School for Health Professions graduated its first class of 32 students.

The Harris County Medical Society established the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center to ensure an adequate and safe blood supply for Harris County and the 17 counties near Houston.

1976 - The Texas Medical Center, Inc. acquired 25 acres of land located east of the original campus. The University of Texas School of Nursing became a unit of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

Hermann Hospital initiated Life Flight, the first private hospital air ambulance service.

The University of Texas School of Public Health completed Phase II in its building program and occupied a total of 235,000 square feet.

1977 - The Methodist Hospital Total Health Center was completed.

The Jesse H. and Mary Gibbs Jones Pavilion, the third major expansion for Hermann Hospital was opened.

1978 - The University of Texas acquired 105 acres of land south of Old Spanish Trail to be used for student housing and other facilities.

The Texas Medical Center, Inc. acquired 3.2 acres of land.

The Methodist Hospital completed the Alkek Tower and a six-floor addition to the Fondren Building.

The University of Texas Medical School's main building was completed.

The Eastwood Health Careers Center of the Houston Community College opened.

1980 - Baylor College of Medicine completed building the Michael E. DeBakey Center for Biomedical Education and Research.

The University of Houston moved part of its College of Pharmacy to the Texas Medical Center.

The Methodist Hospital dedicated the 21-story Scurlock Tower.

The Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center opened a new 36,000-square foot building.

1981 - The University of Texas properties were declared a part of the Texas Medical Center, adding approximately 140 acres to the campus.

The Ronald McDonald House opened to provide "a home away from home" for the families of children undergoing treatment for cancer or other serious illnesses.

1982 - Prairie View A&M University College of Nursing began classes in its new building.

The Center for Ethics, Medicine, and Public Issues was established by Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University, and The Institute of Religion.

1983 - The Office of the Medical Examiner of Harris County became a member institution.

The New Age Hospice was invited to become a member of the Texas Medical Center.

1984 - The Positron Diagnostic and Research Center located in The University of Texas Medical School, was dedicated.

Harris County Psychiatric Center held its Ground breaking ceremonies.

1985 - St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital and Texas Children's Hospital separated and established independent management.

Texas Medical Center acquired the former Shamrock Hilton Hotel buildings and 22.6 acres of land.

Operation of the Texas Research Institute for Mental Sciences was transferred to The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and the name was changed to The University of Texas Mental Sciences Institute.

The Veterans Administration Medical Center at Houston became a member institution of the Texas Medical Center.

St. Anthony Center, a geriatric nursing and rehabilitation center, run by the Sisters of Charity, became a part of the Texas Medical Center.

1986 - The Harris County Psychiatric Center opened four of its hospital units.

Ground was broken for the new Ben Taub General Hospital and the new Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital, both owned and operated by the Harris County Hospital District.

The Texas A&M University System Board of Regents voted to establish the Texas A&M University Institute of Biosciences and Technology in the Texas Medical Center.

1987 - The Children's Nutrition Research Center was completed.

The University of Texas System Cancer Center M.D. Anderson Hospital and Tumor Institute dedicated the expanded R. Lee Clark Clinic Building.

The Harris County Psychiatric Center's 250-bed hospital was completed.

1988 - The Young Men's Christian Association of the Greater Houston Area became a member institution of the Texas Medical Center.

The Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center became the 40th member of the Texas Medical Center.

The Methodist Hospital dedicated and opened the new 26-story Smith Tower.

1989 - The New Age Hospice changed its name to The Hospice at the Texas Medical Center.

The 324-bed Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital was opened.

Construction of the 11-story Institute of Biosciences and Technology Research and Education facility for Texas A&M University was begun.

The Ronald McDonald House became a member institution of the Texas Medical Center.

1990 - The Harris County Hospital District opened its new 578-bed replacement facility adjacent to the old Ben Taub General Hospital.

St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital opened the St. Luke's Medical Tower.

The Veterans Affairs replacement hospital in Houston was dedicated as a 1,037-bed facility.

1991 - Texas Children's Hospital dedicated its 509,650-square foot, 12-story Critical Care Center and its 524,673-square foot, 5-story West Tower.

The Edna B. Dunn Tower opened at the Institute for Rehabilitation and Research.

1992 - Texas A&M University's Institute of Biosciences and Technology opened its 11-story research building.

1993 - The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center began a new era of construction with the Ground breaking of its $248.6-million expansion project.

Ground was broken for The Hospice at the Texas Medical Center Patient Care Center.

The Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center dedicated the new Jesse H. Jones Pavilion.

1994 - Texas Children's Hospital celebrated its 40th anniversary.

1995 - The Hospice at the Texas Medical Center opened the Margaret Cullen Marshall Hospice Care Center, the first freestanding, inpatient hospice facility in the state.

The Methodist Hospital celebrated its 75th year.

Diagnostic Center Hospital, a 297-bed medical and surgical facility, became a Texas Medical Center member institution.

1996 - The Harris County Medical Society and the Houston Academy of Medicine opened the Museum of Health and Medical Science.

Shriners Hospital for Children opened its new facility on 2.1 acres of land granted by the Texas Medical Center corporation.

The August 12 issue of U.S. News and World Reports stated that many Texas Medical Center institutions - the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, TIRR, The Institute for Rehabilitation and Research, Texas Heart Institute, St. Luke's Episcopal Hospital, Texas Children's Hospital, The Methodist Hospital, and Hermann Hospital - were named among "America's Best Hospitals" in various specialties.

Hermann Hospital's Life Flight air ambulance program marked 20 years of service, during which it has flown over 50,000 rescue missions. It was the first air ambulance service in Texas.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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E-Mail: tmcinfo@texmedctr.tmc.edu
URL: http://www.tmc.edu/tmc-chronology.html