The house at 219 Paul Laurence Dunbar Street, then called North Summit Street, was built in 1894. Dunbar bought it for his mother, Matilda, in June 1904. He lived here until he died in the house in 1906.
Matilda lived here until her death on February 24, 1934. She kept his books, manuscripts and study just as he left them.
Ohio bought the house in 1936 and dedicated it as the first state memorial to an African American. It became a National Historic Landmark on December 29, 1962.