Ralph J. Bunche House
Ralph J. Bunche House | |
Los Angeles, California | |
Coordinates | 34°0′37″N 118°15′9″W / 34.01028°N 118.25250°W |
---|---|
Built | 1919 |
Architectural style | Victorian-Bungalow |
NRHP reference No. | 78000686[1] |
LAHCM No. | 159 |
Significant dates | |
Added to NRHP | May 22, 1978 |
Designated LAHCM | July 27, 1976 |
Ralph J. Bunche House, also known as the Ralph Bunche Peace & Heritage Center and located in South Los Angeles, United States, was the Victorian-Bungalow style boyhood home of Nobel Peace Prize winner Ralph Bunche. It was declared a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument (No. 159) by the Los Angeles Cultural Heritage Commission in 1976, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.
Bunche's boyhood home
Bunche was born in
Restoration and museum
Bunche's boyhood home fell into disrepair and suffered from vandalism and graffiti in the 1980s and 1990s. The house sat vacant for a decade, "used only by squatters, taggers, gang members, and vagrants."[6]
In 1996, the home was acquired by the Dunbar Economic Development Corp., a nonprofit group with plans to turn it into a museum. The group's plans were delayed by a lack of funding until the California Community Foundation issued a $100,000 interest-free loan in 1999.[7]
After a 1999 news report about funding delays and graffiti covering the home, Mayor Richard Riordan donned a hardhat and joined a work crew in cleaning up the home.[8][9]
Dr. Ralph J. Bunche Peace & Heritage Center
The home was preserved and furnished with photographs and memorabilia from Bunche's life. It operated as the Dr. Ralph J. Bunche Peace & Heritage Center, an interpretive museum and community center to promote peaceful interaction of all groups within
Oral history project
The Dr. Ralph J. Bunche Peace and Heritage Center Oral History Project was a joint venture with UCLA intended to collect oral histories on Bunche's life in Los Angeles as well as the Central Avenue and Dunbar Hotel community in South Los Angeles. The oral histories collected by the project were displayed at the Ralph J. Bunche House until about 2011, when they were moved to UCLA.[13]
The house now operates as a private residence.
See also
- List of Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monuments in South Los Angeles
- List of Registered Historic Places in Los Angeles
- Queens, New York, where Bunche lived for 30 years until his death in 1971.
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. April 15, 2008.
- ^ John D. Weaver (1975-09-21). "In Pursuit of a Peacemaker". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "UCLA Names Building for Ralph Bunche". Los Angeles Times. 1968-06-30.
- ^ Benjamin Rivlin, "Vita: Ralph Johnson Bunche: Brief life of a champion of human dignity: 1903-1971", Harvard Magazine, Nov. 2003.
- ^ Ralph Bunche, PBS.
- ^ "Bunche House: Dr. Ralph J. Bunche Peace and Heritage Center". Congressman Xavier Becerra.
- ^ "Foundation Makes Loan to Restore Bunche Home". Los Angeles Times. 1999-03-10.
- ^ "Riordan Cuts Red Tape to Begin Restoration of Nobelist's Home". Los Angeles Times. 1999-03-12.
- ^ Samudio, Jeffrey. "2006 LA Conservancy Preservation Award". Facebook. Jeffrey B. Samudio, Principal. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
- ^ "2006 PRESERVATION AWARD DELIBERATIONS UNDER WAY". Los Angeles Conservancy.
- ^ Andre Coleman (2006-05-18). "(Kid)space preserved". Pasadena Weekly.
- ^ Erin Aubry Kaplan (2006-04-19). "On and off Central Ave". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ "The Dr. Ralph J. Bunche Peace and Heritage Center Oral History Project". UCLA.