Daniel Hale Williams House

The Daniel Hale Williams House is a one-and-a-half-story wood-frame building in Bronzeville with a gabled roof and polygonal window bay located at 445 East 42nd Street. The structure displays the residential architecture of the late 1800s with features that reflect how people of that era lived and worked.

The house belonged to a surgeon who performed the first documented successful heart surgery in 1893 and established an African American-led medical facility. These achievements transformed the medical landscape of the nation and opened doors for future generations of professionals.

The residence represents a breakthrough in medical practice through a surgeon who challenged racial barriers in healthcare during segregation. Visitors can see here how a prominent African American doctor shaped his life and work.

The house can be visited with guided tours that focus on medical history and African American achievements in early medicine. The location is in Bronzeville and relatively easy to reach, with visitors having time to explore the rooms and exhibits thoroughly.

The house contains an original laboratory space where the owner continued medical research while creating opportunities for African American medical professionals. This room shows how medical innovation and education were advanced under the difficult conditions of segregation.