[1] The building housing the Dunbar Hospital was built in 1892 by the Guy W. Vinton Company as a home for real estate developer[2] Charles W.

[2] The structure is a three-story home of mixed Romanesque Revival and Queen Anne style,[4] built of red brick and rough-cut ashlar.

During his subsequent re-election campaign, Pingree actively courted the black vote, in part by supporting Ames's bid for election to the Michigan state legislature.

[5] The nationally famous black poet Paul Laurence Dunbar, popular in both the black and white community, visited Detroit and lent his voice to those supporting Pingree, penning the poem "Vote for Pingree and Vote for Bread".

[2] The area around Frederick Street was at the cusp of becoming the center of social and cultural life for Detroit's black community,[3] and the AMS purchased the Warren home on Frederick[2] They opened their own non-profit hospital in the building, the first in the city to serve the black community, as well as an associated nursing school.

[6] In 1928, demand led Dunbar Hospital to move from its first home to a larger facility several blocks to the east.