{"nrhp_refnum":"00001345","name":"Robeson, Paul, House","other_names":["Forsythe, Marion R., House"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"4951 Walnut St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Philadelphia","county":"Philadelphia","state":"PA","lat":39.95663955900005,"lon":-75.22136268299994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2000-11-22","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Black"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A three-story brick twin house with basement and a detached garage at the northeast corner of Walnut Street and 50th Street in West Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The house was designed by Philadelphia architect E. Allen Wilson and constructed in 1911 as one of three identical twins.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the house is significant for its association with Paul Robeson, who lived there during his retirement from about 1965 to 1976. It describes Robeson as a pioneering civil rights and peace activist, and says that activists seeking his endorsement visited the house. The house is presented as his last residence and as a physical link to his symbolic role in the civil rights movement.","narrative":"Brick twin house with basement at the northeast corner of Walnut and 50th Streets in West Philadelphia, designed by architect E. Allen Wilson and completed in 1911 as one of three identical twins. Its west half is the property. Paul Robeson, the actor, singer and civil rights activist, lived there in his sister Marion R. Forsythe's home from 1965 until his death in 1976, and it was his longest-occupied residence. Forsythe converted the third floor into an apartment in 1959, and Robeson occupied it. During these years many civil rights leaders visited, seeking his endorsement, despite his retirement and ill health. The nomination places its significance in that role as a symbol of the civil rights movement. The interior remains largely unchanged, retaining original stairs, woodwork, paneled doors and wallpaper from Robeson's residence, which the nomination says gives the house exceptional integrity for conveying his associations.","period_of_significance":"1965-1975","architect_builder":"Wilson, E. A.","architectural_style":"Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals","criteria":["B"],"status_note":"Virtually unchanged from the time of Robeson's residence; third floor converted into an apartment in 1959.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-haiku-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.1-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 17:11:36.015769-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_PA/00001345.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00001345/4eda7b6c63-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/00001345/4eda7b6c63-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Ekem","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Robesonhouse.Philadelphia.JPG\" rel=\"noopener\">Ekem</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Robesonhouse.Philadelphia.JPG"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/71997474","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Robeson_House","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7153274"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/pennsylvania/philadelphia/robeson-paul-house-00001345/"}