Strengths- The layered history The recent history (1925- 1970) of historic Sharswood as an African American hub of arts, theater and activism which thrived from strong economic activity situated along the main corridors of Ridge and Columbia Avenue (now Cecil B. Moore Ave). This activity was supported by the…
Community Outreach
While community discourse surrounding the historical legacy of Dox Thrash and his house is critical for this study, just as important was the need to have community conversations surrounding the possible futures of the house.This building is caught between the past and the continuous narrative of Sharswood that is actively changing the fabric of the…
Conditions
Because title issues have prevented us from gaining access to the site we have been unable to explore the interior of the building and assess its overall condition. This setback has prevented the National Register nomination from proceeding and also makes it difficult to project the overall scope and cost of repairs necessary to inhabit…
Dox Thrash: A Brief Tour Through His Life
The complete biography of Dox Thrash’s life should be read in The Philadelphia Museum of Art’s ‘Dox Thrash: Revealed’ published in honor of the 2005 retrospective on his work. This is a shorter biography that relied heavily, and is indebted and very grateful, to that publication. (‘Cabin Days’ featured, PMA owned, created by Thrash 1938-1939…
“Untangling” Title
Although the Dox Thrash house is a historically designated property, as has been mentioned before it currently sits vacant, and has been for some time. Since Shaykh Muhammad (A.K.A Abysinnia Hayes) died in 2002, the property has had no permanent owner or inhabitant. Interviews with his descendants indicated that no will was left and no…
A Sharswood Story
Philadelphia has always been a city built through neighborhoods. There is a strong pride and recognition of where you live, and of course, how long you’ve lived there. Sharswood, Philadelphia is no different, with a long history and a strong community identity. Of course, conflict can arise when there are different opinions about how the…
Shaykh Muhammad House
In 1959 Dox Thrash sold his home at 2340 Cecil B. Moore to Shaykh Muhammad Ali Hassan, an an activist and community leader in Sharswood. Since his death the house has largely sat vacant, today his granddaughter Ameera Sullivan has been working to preserve the house along with the other properties in the neighborhood that…
PRESERVATION PHILADLEPHIA
In the wake of the Jewelers Row debacle, it became alarmingly clear that many of the policies and institutions that were relied upon to protect historic assets within the city were inadequate. While the growing real estate market has left many historic resources vulnerable to development pressures, there is another pressure that has already seen…
Featured in Hidden City
The Dox Thrash House Project was featured in an article by Starr Herr-Cardillo in Hidden City! Read about our project here and the challenges that the Dox Thrash House is facing, including recognizing African American history and culture, and a tangled title issue that is not unique in Philadelphia. Thanks for the article Starr! Read…
Welcome!
Welcome to the home of “The Dox Thrash House”! This house is located on Cecil B. Moore in Philadelphia and was home to the innovative printmaker Dox Thrash (1893-1965), as well as activist Shaykh Muhammad Ali Hassan (1931-2002). The Dox Thrash House is one of the many historic assets the neighborhood has to offer, but…
Dox Thrash House 