Educator, writer, and suffragist Mary Church Terrell (shown at top) served as a powerhouse of civil rights activism for most of her life, cofounding the National Association of Colored Women and the NAACP. But in recent decades the condition of the house she once owned in Washington, D.C., failed to reflect her historical importance. This year, building owner Howard University completed a full rehabilitation of the Victorian-era structure and will soon begin using it as a two-unit residential rental property. A portion of the income it produces is intended to support programming that aligns with the principles of Terrell’s work. “We thought a lot about, ‘What issues would Mary Church Terrell want to pursue today?’” says Derrek Niec-Williams, Howard’s executive director of campus planning, architecture, and development.

Architect Ronnie McGhee, a Howard alum and retired associate professor, had led the house’s stabilization and mothballing in 2008. He and his firm also oversaw the recent rehabilitation, which was partly funded by an African American Civil Rights grant from the National Park Service. Work entailed reconstructing a former entry porch; repointing exterior brick; replacing the roof; restoring more than 30 original wood-framed windows; repairing much of the original interior woodwork; and renovating the interior to accommodate modern systems, kitchens, and bathrooms.