Lorraine Hansberry Historic Plaque Unveiled at 112 Waverly Place

Lorraine Hansberry by David Attie c. 1960 Gelatin silver print National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution © David Attie

On Tuesday, October 17, GVSHP and the Historic Landmarks Preservation Center unveiled our historic plaque marking the home of Lorraine Hansberry at 112 Waverly Place, just west of Washington Square. Watch the video of the unveiling ceremony here and see photos here; read coverage here.

We were joined by filmmakers, scholars, journalists, academics, and activists inspired and informed by her work, as well as scores of enthusiastic supporters. The plaque is a wonderful way to permanently commemorate Hansberry’s contributions to the stage, to literature, and to social activism on behalf of people of color, women, and the LGBT community, as well as to remember the role the Village played in her life. Hansberry was living in the Village when she wrote the award-winning ‘A Raisin in the Sun,’ the first play by an African-American woman ever produced on Broadway.

For more history and background about Lorraine Hansberry and her life in the Village, read here.

Lorraine Hansberry’s home is the 11th site upon which GVSHP has placed a historic plaque; find out more about all of them here. Her home is also one of over a hundred sites to appear on GVSHP’s Civil Rights and Social Justice Map of Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo – explore those sites here.