Marian Anderson Studio
Danbury
Janet Hochsprung
Marian Anderson was born in Philadelphia in 1902 and as a young woman was noted for her singing ability. Finding few opportunities to perform in the United States, she won recognition in Europe. After her return to America, she sang in concerts in New York City and at the White House. When she was denied permission to sing at Washington D.C.'s Constitution Hall in 1939, the government arranged for her to perform at the Lincoln Memorial before some 75,000 listeners. A year later she purchased her home in Danbury, known as "Marianna Farms", where she and her husband raised five children. She lived here for some 50 years. Near the house is a small building that she used as her rehearsal studio. Named a delegate to the United Nations in 1958, Anderson received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1963. She retired from concert performances in 1964 but continued to be active in various issues and causes. Her autobiography, My Lord, What a Morning, was published in 1956. In 1999, the company developing Mariana Farm donated the studio to the Danbury Museum and it was moved to the Museum's property on Main Street. A permanent exhibit celebrating Marian Anderson's musical legacy is being installed.