WASHINGTON, DC, Sept. 03, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - Country recording artist Ansel Brown has been named the featured artist for the National Mall Veteran Home Build, Purple Heart Homes' first-of-its-kind public construction event taking place September 27 through October 5, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., as part of America's 250th anniversary. Over seven days, in full public view, Purple Heart Homes will construct a fully accessible modular home before transporting it to Glasgow, Virginia, where it will provide safe, independent housing for a veteran in need. Brown will bring music, story, and appearances to the build, and will help rally national support behind the cause.
The announcement adds a national artist to what Purple Heart Homes has called its largest and most visible undertaking in more than 18 years of ending veteran housing insecurity, one home at a time. The build is supported by major corporate and media sponsors and will be filmed by Purple Heart Homes and will receive national media coverage.
“I was raised in a Navy family, and using a stage for something bigger than myself is the whole reason I do this,” said Ansel Brown. “To stand with Purple Heart Homes and help build a veteran a home, in public, on the National Mall, during America's 250th, is the honor of my career. This is what the music is for.”
Brown's connection to Purple Heart Homes runs deep, and personal. Long before this event, he came to know co-founders John Gallina and the late Dale Beatty through his work with veterans at Richard's Coffee Shop in Mooresville, North Carolina, a beloved veterans gathering place and military museum.
That bond deepened through music: Beatty, a double amputee who drummed and led his own band on prosthetic legs, was a featured act at a USO Coast Guard Day event in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, where Brown headlined. Watching Beatty chase his own dream as a performer while building a national movement for veterans left a lasting impression. While National Mall Veteran Home Build marks the first time Brown is officially working with Purple Heart Homes, it is the realization of a collaboration he has long hoped for. “This one means everything to me,” Brown said.
Purple Heart Homes, the veteran-founded nonprofit that has completed more than 1,800 projects for veterans nationwide, will design, build, transport, and dedicate the home.
"As our nation marks 250 years, there is no more meaningful way to honor those who defended our freedom than to turn gratitude into action,” said John Gallina, CEO and Co-Founder of Purple Heart Homes. “Ansel has a genuine heart for Veterans and a personal connection to Purple Heart Homes. By lending his voice to this build, he will help bring the country together, not simply to watch a home take shape on the National Mall, but to rally around the Veteran who will ultimately call it home."
About the Event
Over seven days on the National Mall, Purple Heart Homes will construct a fully accessible modular home in full public view. At the close of the build, the home will be transported to Glasgow, Virginia, and permanently gifted to a senior or housing-insecure veteran. As America commemorates 250 years of independence, the build stands alongside the America250 commemoration in honoring those who have defended the nation. Ansel Brown, as featured artist, will bring music, story, and appearances to the event, inviting businesses and community partners to stand behind a moment the whole country can rally around.
Event at a glance:
WHAT: A fully accessible modular veteran's home, built in public on the National Mall, then gifted to a veteran in need.
WHEN: September 27 through October 5, 2026
WHERE: The National Mall, Washington, D.C. (home transported to Glasgow, Virginia)
WHY: In honor of America's 250th anniversary
FEATURED ARTIST: Ansel Brown
About Ansel Brown
Ansel Brown is a country artist on a documented rise and a lifelong believer in using a stage for something bigger than himself. Recognized by the Country Music Association as a Debut Spotlight Artist and “Who's New to Watch,” and honored with the MusicRow Discovery Award, Brown has charted two singles on the national country radio chart, “The Whiskey Makes Her Miss Me” and “We Make America Run,” the latter currently climbing. He is the only national recording artist invited to perform at all of NASA's final Space Shuttle events and holds three United States Space Act Agreements for youth and veteran outreach.
Beyond Nashville, Brown is working on the Hollywood side with Carol Connors, writer of the Rocky theme “Gonna Fly Now,” and Lee Holdridge, a 17-time Emmy nominee who arranged John Denver's hit songs. New music, including the album GRAVITY, is arriving in 2026/2027. His music is produced by acclaimed Nashville producer Butch Baker, carrying forward work begun with the late Cliff Downs.
About Purple Heart Homes
Purple Heart Homes is a veteran-founded nonprofit that has completed more than 1,800 projects for veterans nationwide over more than 18 years, ending veteran housing insecurity one home at a time. Through its programs, Purple Heart Homes builds, modifies, and provides fully accessible homes that offer safety, accessibility, and independence for service-connected disabled and aging veterans.
Mike Burita Purple Heart Homes 202-420-9361 mike@buritamedia.com
