The Marian Anderson House is a historic home located in the Southwest Center City neighborhood of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

. Built circa 1870 in the same neighborhood where opera singer and civil rights activist

Marian Anderson Marian Anderson (February 27, 1897April 8, 1993) was an American contralto. She performed a wide range of music, from opera to spirituals. Anderson performed with renowned orchestras in major concert and recital venues throughout the United S ...

was born 27 years later, this two-story, brick

rowhouse A terrace, terraced house ( UK), or townhouse ( US) is a type of medium-density housing which first started in 16th century Europe with a row of joined houses sharing side walls. In the United States and Canada these are sometimes known as row ...

dwelling was designed in the

Italianate The Italianate style was a distinct 19th-century phase in the history of Classical architecture. Like Palladianism and Neoclassicism, the Italianate style combined its inspiration from the models and architectural vocabulary of 16th-century It ...

style. Purchased by Anderson in 1924, the same year she became the first African-American concert artist to record spirituals for a major American recording company, she continued to reside here until 1943. The house is currently home to the Marian Anderson Museum and Historical Society.

History and architectural features

The Marian Anderson House was built circa 1870 as a two-story, brick terraced dwelling in the Italianate style. A studio was added above the previously one-story rear kitchen ell sometime around 1925. The home was then extensively renovated circa 1940. It served as Anderson's residence from 1924 to 1943. ''Note:'' This includes This historic residence was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in April 2011.

Marian Anderson Museum and Historical Society

The property currently houses the Marian Anderson Museum and Historical Society. The organization was founded by Blanche Burton-Lyles. Its current CEO is

Jillian Patricia Pirtle Jillian Patricia Pirtle (born 1983) is an American soprano, historian, nonprofit executive, and former beauty pageant winner. She won the title of Miss Black Pennsylvania USA 2011 and went on to compete in the Miss Black USA Pageant. Pirtle is th ...

Flood damage and restoration

In 2020, pipes burst in the home, causing significant damage to both the structure and Anderson's memorabilia. In July 2021, the

National Trust for Historic Preservation The National Trust for Historic Preservation is a privately funded, nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that works in the field of historic preservation in the United States. The member-supported organization was founded in 1949 ...

announced plans to grant the Marian Anderson Museum and Historical Society $75,000 to repair the home's exterior. The Marian Anderson Memorial Fund Task Force, a group that is working to erect a monument to Marian Anderson at the Academy of Music, has stated that it plans to use some of the funds raised to assist with additional repairs to the home. In December 2022, the

Daughters of the American Revolution The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (often abbreviated as DAR or NSDAR) is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a patriot of the American Revolutionary War. A non-p ...

donated $150,000 to the museum to help with restoration costs.

References

External links

Marian Anderson Historical Society website

Visions 2018: Touring the Marian Anderson Museum
(video). Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: ABC-6 TV, February 12, 2018. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Anderson, Marian, House Historic house museums in Philadelphia Marian Anderson African-American history in Philadelphia Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Philadelphia Italianate architecture in Pennsylvania Houses completed in 1870 Women's museums in the United States Anderson, Marion Music museums in Pennsylvania Southwest Center City, Philadelphia African-American historic house museums Historic American Landscapes Survey in Pennsylvania Historic house museums in Pennsylvania

History and architectural features

Marian Anderson Museum and Historical Society

Flood damage and restoration

See also

References

External links