‘It’s been a long road’: Marian Anderson Museum reopens after flood damage

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After five years of large-scale renovations, the Marian Anderson Historical Society & Museum in South Philadelphia opened its doors to visitors Saturday.

The rowhouse, where the famous opera singer and civil rights icon once lived, shut down to visitors in March 2020 because of the pandemic. While the museum was closed, a water pipe burst, causing significant flooding in the basement where historic artifacts were displayed.

“It’s been a long road, there have been many partners and supporters who have brought us to a point where not only is the flood damage repaired, but the entire structure has been renewed,” said Paul Steinke, executive director of Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia. “And that is a tribute to all of you. It is a tribute to our elected leaders who stepped  forward when the call went out for help.”

The renovations cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and the money was raised through donations from local and historical groups. The museum also received city and state funds.

At Saturday’s reopening, officials gathered for a ribbon cutting and a patriotic medley performed by the Marian Anderson Museum & Historical Society Instrumentalists & Local 77 AFM Instrumentalists. On display is a new exhibit titled “Marian: The Philadelphia Story”, showcasing letters, photos, music and artifacts from the singer’s life. The exhibition runs through November.

Visitors also had the opportunity to view numerous artifacts that were nearly ruined by flood damage but have since been restored.

“Everything that she dreamed she could be, everything that she suffered because of Jim Crow segregation, even in our city of Philadelphia, all of that story gets told through this beautiful brand new exhibit.” said Jillian Patricia Pirtle, the museum’s CEO. “And I think at the time when our voices continue to be silenced, our history continues to be ignored and women are not uplifted like they should be, as the great leaders that we are, it is essential to tell this story now.”

Pirtle said she hopes women leaders in Philadelphia will champion the exhibit and show their support.

Virginia Storage, the first vice president general of the Daughters of the American Revolution, said her organization donated money toward the restoration project and preserved two of Anderson’s gowns that were housed at DAR’s museum.

“As an organization dedicated to historic preservation, education and patriotism, it has been important to the DAR to support the museum’s restoration efforts, so they may return to sharing the legacy and history of this incredible treasure to our nation, Marian Anderson,” Storage said. “The history of the DAR will be forever intertwined with one of Marian Anderson’s defining moments which took place on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial after being denied the opportunity to sing at DAR Constitution Hall because of her race.”

Storage said she is grateful for Anderson’s impact on the nation’s conscience.

“It helps the DAR to recognize the important changes for our own organization,” she said.

DAR presented the museum with two framed photos of Anderson, one of which captured her farewell tour of the United States at Constitution Hall in Washington on Oct. 24, 1964. The performance was part of a series of concerts that raised money for the American Red Cross. The second photo showed one of Anderson’s restored dresses damaged by the flood.

City Council President Kenyatta Johnson, who supported the renovation project, said the museum’s reopening is another opportunity  to continue celebrating Anderson’s  life and legacy.

“She was more than just an opera singer, she was a civil rights activist and so for her to grow up in South Philadelphia and us to have this opportunity to not only exemplify but most importantly promote all that she represented in this area means a lot to me,” Johnson said.

Johnson emphasized that the museum’s opening comes at a time when African American history is being challenged.

“Nationally in our country there’s a movement to erase black excellence and so this event for me is special because it provides us an opportunity and allows us to exemplify the greatness of Marian Anderson,” he said.