Pilgrim Baptist Church

Infobox_nrhp | name =Kehilath Anshe Ma'ariv Synagogue
nrhp_type =nrhp

---

caption =Pilgrim Baptist Church, June 1964.
location= Chicago, Illinois
lat_degrees = 41 | lat_minutes = 50 | lat_seconds = 3.97 | lat_direction = N
long_degrees = 87 | long_minutes = 37 | long_seconds = 20.01 | long_direction = W
area =
built =1890
architect= Adler & Sullivan
architecture= Chicago
added = April 26, 1973cite web|url=http://www.nr.nps.gov/|title=National Register Information System|date=2007-01-23|work=National Register of Historic Places|publisher=National Park Service]
governing_body = Private
refnum=73000696

Pilgrim Baptist Church, formerly Kehilath Anshe Ma'ariv Synagogue, is a historic church located on the south side of Chicago, Illinois. The church was notable both as an architectural landmark and for the cultural contributions by the congregation of the church. Located at 3301 S. Indiana Ave, the church was in the heart of Chicago's Bronzeville neighborhood.

History

The building was designed as a synagogue by Chicago architects Louis Sullivan and Dankmar Adler, and built in 1890 and 1891. Originally, the structure was the home of Kehilath Anshe Ma'ariv [http://www.kamii.org/] , an important congregation in the development of Reform Judaism; Adler was a member, and his father was a rabbi. That congregation continues as K.A.M. Isaiah Israel Temple.

A Baptist congregation moved into the building in 1922, forming Pilgrim Baptist Church.

The church is credited as the birthplace of gospel music in the 1930s. Thomas A. Dorsey, the "Father of Gospel Music", was the music director at Pilgrim Baptist for decades. Albertina Walker, Mahalia Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Sallie Martin, James Cleveland, The Staples Singers, and The Edwin Hawkins Singers are among those who have sung at the church.

Famous members of the congregation include Bessie Coleman. The church also hosted the funeral service of boxer Jack Johnson in 1946, and was prominent in the Civil Rights Movement. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered sermons at the church during the height of the movement.

In 1973, the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the building was designated a Chicago Landmark in 1981.

Fire

On January 6, 2006, the church was gutted by fire. Investigators concluded that the fire was started accidentally by workers performing roof repairs during a $500,000 restoration. The roofers were fitting metal coping, which is sealed with a blowtorch. Consumed in the fire were decades of historical records, along with boxes full of Dorsey's original sheet music. An elementary school across the street had to be evacuated, and the nearby Illinois College of Optometry building had windows destroyed by the high temperatures of the fire. Cars parked alongside the church were "virtually incinerated." [cite news | title = A second chance for Pilgrim Baptist? | url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4155/is_20060328/ai_n16183382 | publisher = Chicago Sun-Times | first=Kevin | last = Nance | date = 2006-03-28 | accessdate = 2008-01-04 ]

After the fire, the brick and stone of the outer walls still stood near-complete and were determined to be structurally sound. A steel support skeleton was later attached to the outside to brace the walls for a possible later reconstruction of the interior of the building and restoration of the façade.

The congregation now meets in a building across the street from the burnt out structure.

In popular culture

Although some news reports confused the two buildings, this is "not" the same Pilgrim Baptist Church as that used as the "Triple Rock" church in the movie "The Blues Brothers", which stands on 91st Street several miles to the south.

See also

* Chicago architecture

References

External links

* [http://www.ci.chi.il.us/Landmarks/P/PilgrimBaptist.html Chicago Landmarks page]
* [http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-060106fire,1,5281826.story?coll=chi-news-hed Chicago Tribune news article on fire]
* [http://www.colum.edu/undergraduate/journalism/Brownzeville/bronzeville.htm Columbia College Bronzeville Project]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4590574.stm BBC: Fire destroys historic US church]
* [http://www.lynnbecker.com/repeat/pilgrim/pilgrim.htm Kaddish for a Legendary Church]