Ciere Boatright commissioner of the Chicago Department of Planning and Development (DPD) | LinkedIn
Ciere Boatright commissioner of the Chicago Department of Planning and Development (DPD) | LinkedIn
Grand Boulevard's Morning Star Baptist Church in Chicago may soon receive official landmark status. A proposal for this designation was introduced to the City Council today.
The church, located at 3993 S. King Drive, was originally built in 1912 as an auto garage. It underwent remodeling in 1939 and again in 1968 to accommodate its congregation. The church's expansion coincided with Bronzeville's development during the Great Migration, serving as a central place of worship for Chicago’s Black community.
Renovations were led by Walter Thomas Bailey, a pioneering Black architect, along with the architectural firm Hunter, Konn & Duster and Associates. The building’s design showcases the evolution of 20th-century church architecture.
If granted landmark status, the designation would protect all exterior elevations of the property and historic interior spaces such as the nave and entrance vestibule.
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