Alain Leroy Locke House

Neighborhood:South

Address:
2221 S. 5th St.
Philadelphia, PA 19148

Significance:
Born here, Alain Leroy Locke (1885-1954) graduated from Central High and Harvard University, and was the first African American Rhodes Scholar. After earning his PhD from Harvard in 1918, Locke was named chairman of Howard University's Philosophy Department, where he would stay until retirement. In addition to his career as an educator, Locke was a critic of the Harlem Renaissance, authored several important works on American culture, and founded Negro Folk Education.

Type of Historic Resource:dwelling

Historical Marker:PA Historical Marker (1991)

Text of Historical Marker:
Born here, Locke was an African-American critic and chronicler of the Harlem Renaissance. A Harvard graduate, Rhodes Scholar, and Howard University educator, he was a writer and promoter of Black art and culture.