A tangible remnant is a historic building that left a mark on the built environment and tells the story of people who came before us. This episode explores the tangible remnant that is Villa Lewaro in Irvington, NY. Listen to learn about the building, architect, historical figure that commissioned the building, and how the building is being used today.

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Bio: Synopsis from the biography on Madame C.J. Walker that was written by her great-great granddaughter, A’Leila Bundles, in the book: “On Her Own Ground”:

“The daughter of formerly enslaved parents, Sarah Breedlove—who would become known as Madam C. J. Walker—was orphaned at seven, married at fourteen, and widowed at twenty. She spent the better part of the next two decades laboring as a washerwoman for $1.50 a week. Then—with the discovery of a revolutionary hair care formula for black women—everything changed. By her death in 1919, Walker managed to overcome astonishing odds: building a storied beauty empire from the ground up, amassing wealth unprecedented among black women, and devoting her life to philanthropy and social activism. Along the way, she formed friendships with great early-twentieth-century political figures such as Ida B. Wells, Mary McLeod Bethune, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Booker T. Washington.”

 

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