A Home Away from Home 1816 12th street nw
the thurgood marshall center for Service and Heritage occupies the historic Italian Renaissance-style building of the former 12 th Street YMCA at 1816 12 th Street, known after 1972 as the Anthony Bowen YMCA . It was the first African American YMCA in the nation, formed in 1853 by Anthony Bowen, a former slave who became a civic leader in the nation’s capital. This YMCA met in various places for decades until it raised $100,000 to build this structure between 1907 and 1912 . The architect was W. Sidney Pittman, one of America’s first African American architects, and the son-in-law of Booker T. Washington. President Theodore Roosevelt laid the cornerstone in 1908 . The 12 th Street YMCA became a community center for black Washingtonians across the city. It was a place to play sports, learn to swim, meet friends, start organizations and mobilize for a cause, includ- ing important civil rights initiatives. For many, including travelers to segregated Washington, the Y dormitories were a home away from home. Poet Langston Hughes lived here in the early 1920 s. Dr. Charles Drew, who pioneered the pres- ervation of blood plasma, was an active member. The basketball skills of Coach John Thompson of Georgetown University were discovered here, and boxing-champion Joe Louis was a frequent visitor. Today, the building houses the U Street/Shaw Heritage Museum and Exhibition Center and an array of nonprofit organizations that make it, once again, a center of community activity. It is named for Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, who met here with colleagues to develop legal strategies for the landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education civil rights case.
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