Charles Richard Drew House

Charles Richard Drew House

Dr. Charles Drew, who pioneered blood banking during the 1920s to 1940s, lived in a modest two-story frame house in North Arlington.

He was also the first African American to receive a Doctorate of Science in Medicine. As Chief of Surgery at Freedmen's Hospital (now Howard University Hospital), Drew passed on crucial training to a new generation of black surgeons, many of whom would continue on to integrate hospital work forces throughout the nation. He also opposed the American Red Cross’ policy of segregated blood banks.

Located just outside of Washington, DC, the Drew family home in Arlington, Virginia was the physician’s home base during his formative years of study from 1920 to 1939.

The Drew House in Arlington, VA serves as a reminder of Dr. Charles Drew’s years of persistent training and work and his extraordinary accomplishments in medicine and civil rights. It is a monument to Drew's achievements in education and science.

Drew's foundational research on plasma and blood banking helped modernize medicine and saved thousands of lives during World War II and later conflicts.

The National Park Service designated the house as a National Historic Landmark in 1976 in response to a nomination by the Afro-American Bicentennial Corporation.

This is a private residence and not open to the public.