PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Restoration work is still ongoing at the National Marian Anderson Museum and Historical Society after a devastating flood wrecked the museum nearly two years ago.
The rowhouse on Martin Street — where Marian Anderson, the famed opera singer and civil rights icon, lived — closed to the public in March 2020 due to the pandemic. Then suddenly, a month later, a pipe burst and flooded the house, resulting in a prolonged closure.
"The Marion Anderson Museum suffered a horrible flood disaster that left us with 3 ½ feet of standing water on all three floors of the museum," said CEO Jillian Patricia Pirtle. "It left us with damage to the structure itself and to Marion Anderson's artifacts in the total of $491,000."
Having raised only a portion of the cost of repairs, the fundraising effort is still underway. Pirtle said they are three-quarters short of the nearly $500,000 needed.
And, what better time to ask for help from the community than at the start of Black History Month, she said, to maintain the home of one of Philadelphia's Black civil rights icons.
"We are praying that with the support we could reopen in the spring of 2022," added Pirtle.
