InterestingFacts: Rosa Parks' House was Relocated to Germany and Italy

 

Original photo by NurPhoto SRL/ Alamy Stock Photo

Rosa Parks’ house was relocated to Germany and Italy

Civil rights icon Rosa Parks spent more than 40 years living in her home state of Alabama before moving to Detroit, Michigan, in 1957. There, she briefly resided in a house owned by her brother, located at 2672 S. Deacon Street. While there’s some debate over how long Parks lived there, what’s certain is she spent a great deal of time at the house with her family. Despite the house’s historic significance, however, it was set to be demolished by the city until Rhea McCauley — Parks’ niece — purchased the home from city officials in 2014 for $500. McCauley then gifted the home to artist Ryan Mendoza, and thus began its whirlwind adventure around the world.

After trying and failing to convince the city of Detroit to preserve the building, Mendoza dismantled the home and relocated it to his art studio in Berlin, Germany, where it was rebuilt. The house returned to the U.S. in 2018 as part of the Rosa Parks House Project, an art installation that honored the legendary activist. It was then briefly exhibited in the WaterFire Arts Center in Providence, Rhode Island, before it was sent back overseas to Europe. In 2020, the house found its way to Naples, Italy, where it was displayed in the courtyard of the Royal Palace of Naples for several months as part of an art exhibit. While the future status of the home is currently unclear, Mendoza has repeatedly expressed hope for it to permanently return to the United States and be converted into a national monument.


Note:  The above comes directly from their website.

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