Paul Robeson House

WINDOWS MEDIA VIDEO Click to watch a short video about the Paul Robeson house.

During the 1960s and 1970s, dozens of prominent civil rights leaders visited this classic, 1911 row house in the Walnut Hill community of West Philadelphia. They were seeking the endorsement and blessing of legendary African-American political activist Paul Robeson.

A Rhodes scholar, four-star athlete, stage and screen performer, and world-renowned singer, Robeson was a fierce champion of social justice. The Paul Robeson House was his last residence, and during the 10 years that he lived here with his sister, ill and in retirement after nearly two decades of enforced silence and political persecution, both he and his home became powerful symbols of the African-American struggle for equality and civil rights.

Abandoned after Robeson’s death in 1976, the house was severely damaged by squatters. Today, though, thanks in part to a partnership between the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Save America’s Treasures, and HGTV, repairs have been made to the masonry and slate roof, as well as to interior plaster and wood trim. This touchstone of the Civil Rights movement is being restored as an interpretive center and museum dedicated to the legacy of this magnificent American and his overwhelming love of humanity.

Sites in the 2004-2005 Restore America: A Salute to Preservation campaign.

• Leo Carrillo Ranch
  
• Hakone Gardens and Retreat Center
  
• Drayton Hall
  
• Edison & Ford Winter Estates
  
• Paul Robeson House
  
• Sewall-Belmont House
  
• Molly Brown House
  
• Pabst Mansion
  
• Val-Kill
  
• First Hermitage
  
• Dunn Gardens
  
• Ashton Villa

Resources
The National Trust for Historic Preservation—Paul Robeson House
Website: www.nationaltrust.org

West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance—The Paul Robeson House
Website: www.u-city.com/wpca