The final phase of renovations for the historic home of women’s advocate Mary Church Terrell in D.C.’s LeDroit Park neighborhood has been completed, transforming it into a rental property.
“There are so many significant events in Terrell’s life while living in this home,” said Ashley Preston, associate professor of history at Howard University. “She was the founding member and first president of the National Association of Colored Women’s Club while living in this home.”
Terrell was a staunch supporter of social justice and women’s suffrage. She also helped found the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, an organization formed in 1909 and still advocating for civil rights today.
At 86 years old, Terrell challenged segregation in public places.
“A fascinating person to study, and I think we all could be inspired by the work that she did,” Preston said.
The prominent social justice and women’s rights advocate lived in the home with her family for decades. After a fire left part of the historic house damaged, it sat vacant for years — until Howard University stepped in to restore it.
“LeDroit Park was not in the greatest of shape. We had the crack cocaine epidemic going on in this area, and there were a lot of vacant and boarded up houses in this area,” Derrek Niec-Williams, executive director of architecture and development of Howard University, told News4 in March.
Now the property belongs to Howard University and has undergone several renovations to the kitchen, bathrooms, and much of the original woodwork to preserve the historic home’s original look and interior.
“We captured a lot of those historical elements before more deterioration occurred,” said Niec-Williams.
The university says the two-unit residential rental property is ready for tenants, and a portion of the proceeds will go to the causes that Terrell supported.
“I think they’ve done a beautiful job with just modernizing this historic home,” said Preston.