Friends of the Tanner House Acquire Historic Home of Artist Henry Ossawa Tanner

In August 2026, the nonprofit preservation group Friends of the Tanner House acquired the Henry Ossawa Tanner House in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Located in the city’s Strawberry Mansion neighborhood, the Tanner House was the former home of Henry Ossawa Tanner, a 19th-century Black painter whose work received international acclaim. The house, a National Historic Landmark, was owned by the Tanner family from 1872 until 1950.

In 2022, Friends of the Tanner House launched a fundraising campaign to save the historic rowhouse, which was at risk of demolition. In 2023, the National Trust included the Tanner House on its list of America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. That same year, the Tanner House received a $100,000 grant from the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund to fund emergency repairs and stabilize the site. In summer 2023, the grant enabled the installation of shoring posts and walls, replacement of framing and sheathing, removal of deteriorated roof areas, and installation of a temporary roof covering. The Tanner House was successfully stabilized.