U Street Corridor in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
Washington Conservatory of Music and School of Expression
⎯⎯⎯
Harriet Gibbs-Marshall
⎯⎯⎯
Mary P. Burrill
902 T Street, NW
| | African American Heritage Trail, Washington DC | |
Inscription.
The Washington Conservatory of Music and School of Expression, which operated in this building from 1903 until 1960, was one of DC's earliest African American arts institutions.
Harriet Gibbs-Marshall (1868-1941), the first African American to graduate from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, founded the school to inspire and train African American musicians and to preserve the rich heritage of African American music. Mary P. Burrill (ca. 1884-1946), a native Washingtonian, directed the school and taught from 1907 until 1911. Burrill is credited with writing the first feminist play by a black woman, They That Sit in Darkness (1919).
Erected by Cultural Tourism DC.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Arts, Letters, Music • Women. In addition, it is included in the African American Heritage Trail series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1903.
Location. 38° 54.93′ N, 77° 1.442′ W. Marker is in Northwest Washington in Washington, District of Columbia. It is in U Street Corridor. It is at the intersection of T Street Northwest and 9th Street Northwest, on the left when traveling west on T Street Northwest. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 902 T St NW, Washington DC 20001, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area. It is also in the American Northeast, in the Upper South, in the Mid-Atlantic, in the Tidewater, and in the Chesapeake Bay Region. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: A different marker also named Chris Pyrate + The Shay (about 500 feet away); Scurlock Studio Site (about 500 feet away); Men of Color, To Arms! (about 600 feet away); Dunbar Theater / Southern Aid Society (about 600 feet away); Evans-Tibbs House (about 600 feet away); Daniel A.P. Murray Residence (about 600 feet away); Seventh and T (about 600 feet away); The Howard Theatre Walk of Fame (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Northwest Washington.
Other markers no longer nearby. Chris Pyrate + The Shay (was about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line but has been confirmed missing); Howard University Sets the Standard (was about 500 feet away but has been confirmed missing).
More about this marker.
Caption:
Harriet Gibbs-Marshall
Moorland-Singarn Research Center, Howard University

Photographed by Devry Becker Jones (CC0), October 22, 2017
4. Washington Conservatory of Music and School of Expression Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on July 29, 2016, by J. Makali Bruton of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 934 times since then and 41 times this year. Last updated on October 23, 2017, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on July 29, 2016, by J. Makali Bruton of Washington, District of Columbia. 4. submitted on October 23, 2017, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.


