DAR Constitution Hall and the Marian Anderson controversy

Constitution Hall, completed in 1929 and owned by the Daughters of the American Revolution, is one of Washington, D.C.'s largest traditional concert halls and has hosted presidential inaugural balls and major public events. In 1939 the DAR denied African American contralto Marian Anderson permission to perform at Constitution Hall, a decision that led to her historic open-air concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. The hall continues to serve as a performance and event venue and is documented in histories of civil rights and cultural life in the city.