Blair Sanitarium, a private hospital at 1212 Liberty, now Rothwell, Street, circa 1915. Dr. John Marquiss Blair was the president of the Houston Academy of Medicine in 1915 and served for a while as editor of Southwestern Medicine.
This would now be 1212 Rothwell, midway between White Oak Bayou and the St. Arnold’s Brewery, but the lot is occupied now by support pillars for I-10 eastbound. The building in the distance with the arch over the doorway is 1302 Nance Street (at Richey Street) and houses the restaurant Oxheart. Sta Blair Sanitarium.

The McGovern Historical Center (MHC) is the historical and special collections department for The TMC Library. The MHC maintains rare book and archival collections. Artificial collections have been created to provide access to materials without clear provenance in order to increase discoverability. Soon after his arrival in Houston, Dr. McGovern became one of the Library’s most staunch supporters, annually supplying funds for the purchase of rare books and travel support for the librarians to attend meetings of the American Association for the History of Medicine. In 1977, The Library formed a new department with new quarters to collect historical materials and to enhance the rare book collections. In 1982, Dr. McGovern donated his personal collection of rare and historical books to the Library. In 1996 the Library’s Board of Directors named the historical department in his honor.