Charity Hospital, Former teaching hospital in New Orleans, United States

Charity Hospital is a former public teaching hospital at 1532 Tulane Avenue in New Orleans, Louisiana. Its sixth building, completed in 1939, was then the second-largest hospital in the United States, with 2,680 beds. The H-shaped plan was modified to comply with the segregation laws of the time, each wing assigned to the Tulane or LSU medical service. Its cornerstone names the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works as building authority.

A French shipbuilder provided funds in 1736 for a hospital that became one of the oldest public medical centers in North America. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, operations ceased and the building has remained empty since then.

The hospital's name comes from L'Hôpital des Pauvres de la Charité, the Charity Hospital for the Poor, endowed by French shipbuilder Jean Louis in his 1735 will. On the 1939 building, look for Enrique Alférez's two stone bas-reliefs and the cast-aluminum screen Louisiana at Work and Play.

The 1939 building at 1532 Tulane Avenue stands across I-10 from the former Interim LSU Hospital and cannot be entered. It is best viewed from the Tulane Avenue side, where the cornerstone names the Federal Emergency Administration of Public Works. Redevelopment by 1532 Tulane Partners into housing and retail was planned.

During its operational years, this hospital held several thousand beds and ranked among the largest medical facilities in the country. Today it stands on the list of endangered historic places in America and awaits a new purpose.