CPCRS is working with Friends of The Henry O. Tanner House and project partners Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia and Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates, Inc. on sustainable long-term preservation plans for the Henry Ossawa Tanner House in the Strawberry Mansion area of North Philadelphia. Goals for the project include a building assessment, repairs to the exterior and interior of the building, and plans for rehabilitation and future management of Tanner House as a community-based institution. In Fall 2022,  graduate students in historic preservation explored the possible futures of the Tanner House in a semester-long Preservation Studio.

// Read about the Tanner House Studio in the Philadelphia Inquirer

Significance

The house at 2908 W. Diamond Street in the Strawberry Mansion area of North Philadelphia was home to distinguished 19th-century African American painter, Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-1937). The property was purchased by Henry O. Tanner’s father, Benjamin Tucker Tanner, and mother, Sarah Tanner, in 1872 after his father accepted a position as bishop at Mother Bethel African Episcopal Methodist Church. It was in Philadelphia where Henry O. Tanner fell in love with painting and later went on to study at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts under renowned artist, Thomas Eakins. After graduating from PAFA, Tanner went on to paint notable works of art, such as The Banjo Lesson. [1] 

Tanner House
Henry Tanner
Tanner_Banjo Lesson
Tanner Mossell Family

Though Tanner spent much of his later life abroad, his homestead in Philadelphia served as important place during his developmental years. Moreover, the house on Diamond Street was also home to Tanner’s sister, Dr. Hallie Tanner Dillon Johnson. Dr. Johnson who went on to become the first women of any race to be a licensed physician in the state of Alabama and was invited to practice by Booker T. Washington at Tuskegee Institute. Records show that Henry O. Tanner’s niece, Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander, was also born in his home. Alexander would go on to be one of the first three Black women in the U.S. to obtain a Ph.D. and the first Black woman to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania’s Law School. She and her husband, Judge Raymond Pace Alexander, championed civil rights within the Greater Philadelphia region for much of their life. [2] 

The possibilities for the Tanner House also represent the growth, development, and rich cultural life of Black North Philadelphia — a community of which the greater Tanner family was part of, and which continues to evolve and thrive. Planning a next life for the Tanner House is part of the continuing evolution of Tanner House as a cultural and community landmark, acknowledging the broader story of Strawberry Mansion and North Philadelphia in an effort of nurturing thriving neighborhoods where development refuses displacement.

Project Summary

In August 2021, the Department of Licenses and Inspection (L&I) deemed the Henry O. Tanner House at 2908 W. Diamond Street in North Philadelphia as an unsafe structure with a potential to be salvaged. [3] Though listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, the house's condition had greatly deteriorated due to years of neglect. Recognizing the importance of the Henry O. Tanner House in not only art history, but also Philadelphia history, an all-volunteer group of local African-American preservation advocates came together to spearhead preservation efforts for the house. The group, now known as the Friends of The Henry O. Tanner House, includes beloved community advocates such as: Mary Enoch Elizabeth Baxter, Award-Winning Philadelphia- based Artist, 2021 Frieze Impact Prize Award Winner, 2022 Corina Mehiel Fellow; Deborah Gary, President, DHEx Enterprises, and Co-Founder, Society to Preserve Philadelphia African American Assets (SPPAAA); Tyler A. Ray, Republican Leader for the 16th Ward, Docent & Historical Researcher for Church of the Advocate; Judith Robinson, Historic Preservationist, Community Advocate, Real Estate Broker; Christopher R. Rogers, Philly Black History Preservation Advocate & Ph.D Candidate, University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education; and Jacqueline Wiggins, Wiggins Tours and More, Longtime African-American Preservation Advocate in Philadelphia.

As of Fall 2022, the house is still in need of immediate repair. To date, the project has amassed $30,000 of the $300,000 needed for building stabilization and restoration through a fundraising effort spearheaded by the Friends of The Henry O. Tanner House. Funds will go toward repairing the building foundation, rehabilitation of the exterior wall, replacement of the roof, and restoration of the home's interior. In July 2022, the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia agreed to serve as a temporary local fiduciary sponsor for the Friends of The Henry O. Tanner House until a long-term non-profit steward has been identified. This partnership will allow for swift repairs to be made to the house as well as additional fundraising support. [4] The group is currently working with various partners to develop a rejuvenation plan for the house and are seeking a long-term steward for the house. [5]

In Summer 2022, CPCRS engaged Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates to conduct a building assessment for the Tanner House. Additionally, during the summer, CPCRS undergraduate intern Zhangyang (Charlie) Xie conducted preliminary research on the Tanner House, laying the groundwork for a future Philadelphia Register of Historic Places nomination. In Fall 2022, students in Penn's historic preservation program will study the history and condition of the site and propose future scenarios for rehabilitating Tanner House as a community-serving heritage place. CPCRS has also hired Christopher R. Rogers of the Friends of Henry O. Tanner House as its Fall 2022 Research Fellow to help further support his work on the Tanner House and his dissertation on neighborhood storytelling practices.

The possibilities for the Tanner House also represent the growth, development, and rich cultural life of Black North Philadelphia — a community of which the greater Tanner family was part of, and which continues to evolve and thrive.

Summer 2022 CPCRS Intern Reflection

My name is Zhangyang (Charlie) Xie, and I am an undergraduate student majoring in Africana Studies and Science, Technology, and Society at the University of Pennsylvania. During my summer internship at the Center for Preservation of Civil Rights Sites, I worked as a research assistant with a primary focus on the Henry Ossawa Tanner residence in the western section of north Philadelphia, the life and work of Sadie Tanner Mossell and Raymond Pace Alexander, as well as various additional African American civil rights sites and events in Philadelphia. I gained valuable property and archival research experience through this internship by working with institutions such as the Philadelphia City Archives, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, and the University Archives of the University of Pennsylvania. I also broadened my knowledge of African American history in Philadelphia through a detailed exploration of the success, struggles, and strife of prominent Black Philadelphians. I believe understanding African American history such as that of civil rights is particularly important for the residents of Philadelphia, temporary or permanent. It serves as the basis on which we deal with institutional racism, uplift historically disadvantaged groups, and, perhaps more importantly, try to understand and appreciate each other with whom we share the city. Preservation of civil rights sites allows us to create centers of calculation, in Bruno Latour’s words, that serve pivotal functions in the accumulation and dissemination of knowledge regarding African American history.

Sources:
[1] "Henry Ossawa Tanner," Smithsonian American Art Museum. Accessed September 23, 2022. https://americanart.si.edu/artist/henry-ossawa-tanner-4742 
[2] University Archives & Records Center, "Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander (1898-1989)", PennLibraries, University of Pennsylvania. Accessed September 2, 2022. https://archives.upenn.edu/exhibits/penn-people/biography/sadie-tanner-mossell-alexander/
[3] Valerie Russ, "Beacons of Black History in Peril", The Philadelphia Inquirer (December 19, 2021). Accessed September 6, 2022. https://www.inquirer.com/news/henry-tanner-house-philadelphia-20211216.html 
[4] Friends of Henry O. Tanner House, "Save the Henry O. Tanner House", loby. Accessed September 7, 2022. https://ioby.org/project/save-henry-o-tanner-house
[5] Naiser Warren-Robinson, "Philly's Historic Tanner House Faces Threat of Destruction", The Philadelphia Tribune, Accessed September 17, 2022. https://www.phillytrib.com/news/local_news/phillys-historic-tanner-house-faces-threat-of-destruction/article_dc3b0b87-5a40-530e-9434-00c80637f0c4.html
Lead image (L)
Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator. Henry O. Tanner House,West Diamond Street, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA. Pennsylvania Philadelphia County Philadelphia, 1933. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/pa0926/.
Lead image (R)
Historic American Buildings Survey, Creator. Henry O. Tanner House,West Diamond Street, Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, PA. Pennsylvania Philadelphia County Philadelphia, 1933. Documentation Compiled After. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/pa0926/.
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