Physical / Mobility

Please be aware that the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House has no elevator or lift and visitors must ascend stairs to access inside.

General information

• There are no wheelchairs available for loan in the home.
• Staff are available to offer programming to visitors that cannot access the first or second floor of the home. Please contact us at least three weeks before your visit to request and learn more.
• The only restroom in the home is on the second floor.
• Explore the home's virtual tour.

Parking and Entrance

The home is on Vermont Ave where there is street parking. There are no spots designated as accessible parking. There are no curb cuts from the parking spaces to the brick sidewalk.

There is a sign embedded into the sidewalk in front of the home.

The path from the sidewalk up to the home is paved and about 55 inches wide. There are 10 stair steps leading up to the entrance. The stairs are cracked and uneven in areas. There is no ramp or alternative entrance.

Getting Inside

There are two sets of double doors that can be heavy to open. The first set of doors has circular doorknobs that visitors must turn to the right and pull open. There is a small atrium between the sets of doors.

Visitors can either press the call button on the left (about 57 inches off the ground) or knock on one of the doors. A ranger will open the second set of doors. Each set of doors is about 53 inches wide and have thresholds.

First Floor

The first floor of the home has hard wood floors with a thin, low-pile carpet covering some sections.

There is a passport stamp station and a shelf of park brochures to the left of the entrance.

Next to the staircase leading to the second floor, there's a hallway that is about 43 inches wide. This hallway leads to the dining room, bookstore, and courtyard.

Parlor

To the left of the hallway there is an open doorway leading to the parlor. The doorway to the parlor is about 68 inches wide and has a threshold.

The parlor has items such as a menorah, flags, posters, and more. Visitors are not permitted to touch any items within the parlor. There are six chairs in the parlor room for visitors to sit, three on the left side of the doorway and three on the right side.

Dining Room

The dining room is connected to the parlor by an open doorway that is about 50 inches wide and has a threshold.

There are eight wood chairs on the left side of the dining room for visitors to sit. There is a large dining table with chairs and signage surrounding the table.

Visitors are not permitted to touch any items in the dining room.

Bookstore

Behind the dining room and to the left is the bookstore. The open doorway to the bookstore is 33 inches wide and has a small threshold. There is not much room to navigate around in the bookstore.

Courtyard

Behind the dining room and to the right is the courtyard, which is not typically open to the public.

If a ranger permits you to enter the courtyard, you go through a door, descend a set of stairs, and then through another door leading outside. The first doorway is about 33 inches wide. There are five stairs with a handrail on the left side. The door leading outside is 31 inches wide and has a tall threshold.

Once outside, there is one more step down to enter the courtyard. The courtyard ground is brick and concrete. There is a table surrounded by chairs to the left.

Visitors must exit the courtyard the way they entered. The path through the dining room leads to the hall and is about 35 inches wide. The hall leads to the base of the staircase.

Second Floor

There are 23 stairs leading up to the second floor. There is no elevator or lift. The second floor is entirely carpeted.

Visitors are not permitted to touch anything in the rooms on the second floor except for the interactive activities.

Each room has furniture to imitate the time period. In the bedroom and the President's office, the furniture is blocked off by ropes.

From the top of the staircase, straight ahead is the bedroom and to the left is the bathroom. Farther down the hall are the President's and Secretary's offices. The Secretary’s office has an interactive activity and cases with artifacts.

The doors to each room stay open and doorways range from 30 to 34 inches wide.

Restroom

There is a restroom on the second floor. The light switch is on the outside of the door to the right. The doorway entrance to the restroom is about 28 inches wide and has a tall threshold. The door has a round knob and opens inward. The floor is tiled and is uneven and cracked in places.

A non-functioning bath is on the right, the sink is in the back right corner of the room, and the toilet is on the left. The sink is 23 inches off the ground. The toilet is about a foot from the wall and has no grab bars. From the ground, the toilet seat is 18 inches.

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