Henry Tanner is a key part of Philly’s history. (Philadelphia Inquirer, 8/3/2022)

Henry Tanner is a key part of Philly’s history. Don’t let his home be destroyed.

As home to generations of the Tanner family, 2908 W. Diamond St. once was referenced by eminent scholar and historian Carter G. Woodson “as the center of the Black intellectual community in Philadelphia.” The Tanner family is part of a Philadelphia lineage that helped to mold areas of law, medicine, civil rights, public service, theology, education — and, for our purposes, the arts.

The house has been designated a National Historic Landmark but is currently empty and falling into disrepair. If nothing is done, the building may become unsafe and need to be torn down.

This would be a great disservice to the legacy of Henry O. Tanner, whose work is foundational to the collections of two of the city’s great museums, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. And as leaders of the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s African American Collections Committee, we felt it our responsibility to highlight what Tanner has meant to our institution and the city’s cultural landscape — and underscore the critical call to action to help preserve this home of historic importance.