The Phyllis Wheatley House was a settlement house and boarding house for Negro girls called the Heart Center, started in 1922. In 1924, with support from the Community Chest, a former Talmud Torah building at 808 Basset Place was purchased. It was named for a slave who was purchased for four bundles of tobacco and who went on to become an accomplished poet. The facility opened on October 17, 1924, with the goal to “foster a wholesome leisure time program for men, women and children through its four departments: recreation, education, music, and dramatics.” In 1929 a new building was built at 809 Aldrich Ave. No. It provided many services, classes, entertainment, and more to the community. When black acts came to town and the hotels would not allow them to stay, they would stay at the Wheatley House. Many dances were held at the facility. The building was demolished when Interstate 94 was built through the neighborhood in about 1984. The present address is 1301 – 10th Ave. North.

The building on Aldrich