Paul Robeson House to be Restored

(Photo Credit: Nate Clark, 1994)

The Paul Robeson House in West Philadelphia is the recent recipient of a restoration grant from a partnership between the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Save America's Treasures and Home & Garden Television. HGTV will showcase the Robeson House during its 2005 TV season as one of twelve of America's most important historic places being restored.

The Robeson House (4951 Walnut Street) is the last home of Paul Robeson, the legendary African-American scholar, athlete, actor, singer and human rights activist. The house has been recognized as National Historic Landmark as well as an African-American historic site and tourist destination of both national and international importance.

On February 3rd representatives from HGTV, the National Trust, Save America's Treasures and co-sponsor Urban Cableworks of Philadelphia/Time Warner Cable will present Frances Aulston, executive director of the Robeson House with a commemorative quilt block designed by artist Tom Russell and a $100,000 check.

The property is owned by the West Philadelphia Cultural Alliance (WPCA) whose mission is, in part, "to heighten the awareness of the life, legacy and philosophy of Paul Leroy Robeson ‹ and his historical significance to the Philadelphia region, the State of Pennsylvania, the nation and the world." WPCA's director, Frances Aulston, was instrumental in acquiring the Robeson House when it went up for sale. After Robeson's death in 1976, the house suffered from nearly twenty years of abandonment and damage by squatters.

WPCA is currently in the midst of a capital campaign to raise nearly $3.1 million for the restoration work, interpretive exhibits, and new public amenities and offices for WPCA.

The project will entail three phases established by a master plan developed by Philadelphia architectural firm Kelly/Maiello and exhibit designers Ueland Junker McCauley Nicholson (UJMN): the restoration and stabilization of the exterior; the design of new exhibits to tell the story of Robeson; and the re-creation of the interior spaces to reflect the last ten years (1966-1976) of Robeson¹s life when he lived with his sister Marian Forsythe at the West Philadelphia house.

The exterior has remained essentially the same from when Robeson lived at the house, but some work is needed: structural repairs to the roof system, restoration and/or replacement of windows and doors, addition of a second means of egress, a porch and minor masonry repairs.

Restoring the interior will include recreating the décor of the 1966-1976 era, including the wallpaper and furnishings. It is hoped that visitors to the Robeson house will be able to enjoy recordings of Robeson's concert, theatrical, and movie performances that will be "broadcast" from period-era radios and TVs in the house.

New interpretive exhibits will be designed by UJMN Architects, replacing the existing traveling exhibit that was never intended to serve as a permanent exhibit in a residential space. Architect Mark Ueland says "there is no lack of source materials for the exhibit". In addition to materials held by Robeson's son Paul, Jr., there are Robeson collections at Rutgers University and the Charles Blockson Collection at Temple University.

Finally, WPCA will re-locate its offices and new reception, lecture and exhibit spaces, and public restrooms to the adjacent property (4949 Walnut) which will have an internal connection to the Robeson House.

Paul Robeson was born in 1898, the son of Reverend William Drew Robeson and Maria Louisa Bustill. Rev. Robeson as a teenager escaped slavery on the Underground Railroad, and later earned a theological degree, and used the pulpit to advocate for equal rights.

Paul Robeson was renowned for his rich baritone voice, superb acting ability, and passionate zeal for racial and human justice. He was a gifted student and athlete while attending Rutgers University in New Jersey. He won honors in debating and oratory and graduated from Columbia Law School. He left the practice of law to pursue a career in singing and acting. Robeson performed on Broadway, and is noted for his leading roles in Othello and Eugene O'Neill's play, Emperor Jones, and his stunning rendition of the song -Ole Man River- in the musical Showboat.

In 1934, he visited the Soviet Union, where he felt fully accepted as a black artist. During World War II, he entertained troops and sang battle songs on the radio. Despite his war efforts, he was labeled "subversive" by McCarthyites who were wary of his earlier trip to the Soviet Union, his support of the 1947 St. Louis picketing against segregation of black actors, and a Panama effort to organize the mostly-black Panamanian workers.

Robeson received death threats from the Ku Klux Klan while campaigning for the Progressive Party candidate in the 1948 presidential election. In March 1950, NBC barred Robeson from appearing on a television show with Eleanor Roosevelt. Concert halls closed their doors to him, and his records began to disappear from stores. Finally, the U.S. State Department canceled his passport. Robeson sued and the case went to the Supreme Court. After eight years and an international outcry, his passport was returned.

During the 1960s and 1970s, dozens of prominent leaders and world-renown performers visited the classic, 1911 row house in the Walnut Hill community of West Philadelphia. 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.