16th Street Baptist Church Wins 6-Figure Grant

BIRMINGHAM, AL - The grassroots efforts of the Birmingham community and beyond helped the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church become one of 11 historic sites to win grant funding from American Express and The National Trust for Historic Preservation. The 11 winning historic sites will receive a total of $1.6 million in grants to fund their respective preservation projects.

At the outset of the campaign, an additional $400,000 was allocated to the 20 Main Street communities that participated in the program to increase public awareness of the importance of these historic places and build grassroots support for the participating Main Street districts.

Related story: 16th Srteet Baptist Church Among Finalists For Preservation Grant

The church intends to use $150,000 to restore the church’s historic windows, cupola and bell towers installed in 1911. In 1963, the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church was the target of the infamous, racially motivated bombing in which four young girls were killed. It still functions as a house of worship and gathering space, as well as a tourist destination. (For more updates on this story and free news alerts for your neighborhood, sign up for your local Patch morning newsletter.)

The 2018 Partners in Preservation: Main Streets winning sites are:

• The Tabor Opera House, Leadville, CO
• The Women’s Building, San Francisco, CA
• City Hall Clock Tower, Biddeford, ME
• The Church of the Epiphany, Los Angeles, CA
• Bronzeville Cookin’, Chicago, IL
• Wah Chong Tai Mercantile, Butte, MT
• Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, Birmingham, AL
• Historic First Baptist Church, San Marcos, TX
• Spring Street, Danville, VA
• National Women’s Hall of Fame, Seneca Falls, NY
• The Arch Social Club, Baltimore, MD

Created in 2006 by American Express and The National Trust for Historic Preservation, Partners in Preservation has committed more $22 million in support of more than 200 historic sites across the country. Drawing on the success of the 2017 program, which saw Birmingham's Alabama Theater win a grant to restore its marquee sign, the 2018 campaign will award $2 million in grants to historic sites on America's Main Streets that reflect the fight for diversity, equality and inclusion.

Photo Credit: Erik Pendzich/Shutterstock