A historic South Side church has been selected for a renovation grant.
Bright Star Church was one of 178 organizations that applied for funding from the National Fund for Sacred Places, and one of only 14 that were selected.
Bright Star is headquartered on East 44th Street, but holds services at Roberts Temple, a city landmark at 4021 South State Street.
Roberts Temple (via Apple Maps)
You may not know the name, but you know the place if you have an interest in the history of the civil rights movement in America. This is the place where Emmitt Till’s funeral was held in 1955. If you still don’t get it, here’s a 36-page PDF put together by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks that will spell it out for you.
The church now has access to grants up to $250,000 for capital improvements at Roberts Temple.
The program is funded by the Lillly Endowment and administered by Partners for Sacred Places and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Here’s the full list of this year’s winners:
16th Street Baptist Church — Birmingham, AL
2. St. Mary & Archangel Michael Coptic Orthodox Church — Nashua, NH
3. Old First Reformed Church — Brooklyn, NY
4. Arlington Street Church — Boston, MA
5. Broad Street Ministry — Philadelphia, PA
6. Patronato San Xavier — Tucson, AZ
7. St. Paul the Prospector — Virginia City, NV
8. Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church — Milwaukee, WI
9. First Congregational Church of Detroit — Detroit, MI
10. First Presbyterian Church — Stamford, CT
11. Nueva Vida Norristown New Life Mennonite Church — Norristown, PA
12. Bright Star Church — Chicago, IL
13. Vancouver Avenue First Baptist Church — Portland, OR
Location: 4021 South State Street, Bronzeville
Editor founded the Chicago Architecture Blog in 2003, after a long career in journalism. He can be reached at chicagoarchitectureinfo@gmail.com.
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