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She created a place for herself in history and paved the way for a great many others who emulated her musical talent and bravery.
So it is only fitting that Marian Anderson — the hometown diva who made her worldwide mark in opera at a time when blacks were seldom granted entry — get her own place in the South Philly sun.
The house where she was born now finally bears her name, and a historical designation.
"God, what an absolutely historical day!" said former Marian Anderson Scholar Issachah Savage, moments after the June 11 ceremony that officially dedicated the house on the 1800 block of South Webster Street as Marian Anderson Place.
City Council President Anna Verna and District Attorney Lynne Abraham led the celebration, less than a month after Council unanimously approved the resolution introduced by Verna.
"It was just lovely," Verna said of the dedication. "Marian opened the gates for so many talented people. It is an honor that is well deserved."
Savage, the first-ever Marian Anderson Scholar, kicked off the ceremony by belting out a stirring rendition of God Bless America. The tenor and recent graduate of Morgan State College also joined world-renowned vocal coach Sylvia Olden-Lee in the touching finale, O What A Beautiful City.
The singing kept the crowd on its feet, including students from Stanton Elementary, Anderson’s alma mater. The students later toured the house that heard the first note to come out of Anderson’s mouth: a newborn’s cry.
The house offered a riveting image of what life must have been like for Anderson and her parents. The homes on Webster Street, originally used as slave quarters, had no bathrooms or kitchens.
Anderson and her family spent only 18 months in the two-story home, which cost her parents $6 a month in rent.
The house, in dire need of repair, would become essential to what Marian Anderson Historical Society founder and president Blanche Burton-Lyles hopes will become part of a walking tour to all of the area’s Anderson sites.
"It’s important to have history that can be physically embraced, and the residents of Webster Street have been so supportive of our efforts thus far," Burton-Lyles said.
What’s needed most to shore up Anderson’s former home is financial support.
"We haven’t been really successful in getting grants," said Phyllis Sims, director and curator of the Marian Anderson Historical Society. "We’re still trying to get the proper funding, but our primary purpose remains to support young people who are pursuing an opera career."
That support has done wonders for scholars like Savage, who has benefited from both the professional aid offered by the Historical Society and the example set by Anderson, the legendary contralto who came to be adored around the globe.
Now on a full scholarship at Catholic University in Washington, D.C., Savage had these final thoughts to offer on the singer who has so impacted his life: "She was just a great woman who did so much for so many — and continues to. [It’s] a wonderful honor for a wonderful person."
