Marian Anderson House
historic home located in the Southwest Center City neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Marian Anderson House is a historic home located in the Southwest Center City neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Built circa 1870 in the same neighborhood where opera singer and civil rights activist Marian Anderson was born 27 years later, this two-story, brick rowhouse dwelling was designed in the Italianate 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.
This historic residence was added to the National Register of Historic Places in April 2011.
Marian Anderson Museum and Historical Society
The property currently houses the Marian Anderson Museum and Historical Society.
The public source identifies “Marian Anderson House” as historic home located in the Southwest Center City neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Marian, Anderson and House.
Why this record matters
A short description can identify a subject without explaining its stakes. For “Marian Anderson House”, the useful work is to connect “historic home located in the Southwest Center City neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania” to the records capable of establishing context and consequence.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 5, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2949230. Authority coordinates are 39.942, -75.175. 1 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1870, 1924, 1943 and 1925.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
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Three-step research path
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Questions for further research
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This entry incorporates text from “Marian Anderson House” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.