“In late 2024, Roseland’s historical Reformation Lutheran Church faced demolition. Dilapidated after years of being vacant, the church was embroiled in a lengthy legal battle to determine its ownership and future.

“More than a year later, the late 19th-century church — designed by famed Pullman architect Solon S. Beman — is on the verge of a new life thanks to a Black-women-led health collective that plans to make it their home for health services in the Far South Side neighborhood. Dr. Maya Green and pharmacists Tonya Payton-Campbell and Ramona Burress lead the Onyx Health Collective, which includes Onyx Medical Wellness and Onyx360 nonprofit.

“In November, they assumed ownership of Reformation Lutheran Church, 11310 S. Forest Ave., following multiple court hearings over the past year with concerned neighbors and Metropolitan Chicago Synod, the Chicago arm of the national Lutheran Church, about the future of the property. The church campus has been vacant since 2018, when a water boiler failure flooded the church’s basement.

“Now, the trio are gearing up for a massive project to restore Reformation Lutheran to its former glory and retrofit it to serve as a medical clinic and community center in the neighborhood where Green and Burress grew up.

“‘It’s phenomenal,’ said Arlene Echols, a Pullman resident who regularly attended hearings regarding Reformation Lutheran Church and advocated for more than a year for the church to be saved from demolition.

“Burress, also a board chair for the Onyx360 nonprofit, said the organization and collective are committed to stabilizing and restoring Reformation Lutheran and the adjoining two-story school building, reactivating them as a hub for community health, wellness and education for Roseland and surrounding neighborhoods.

“‘We see this project as more than a real estate transaction,’ Burress said. ‘It is a long-term community investment and a response to the very concerns raised by neighbors, historians and preservation advocates. Our goal is to ensure the building’s history is not lost while giving it a sustainable future rooted in service, care and community ownership.”

“In addition to restoring the church and school building to provide health services, Onyx will work to establish landmark status for the property, where the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and former President Barack Obama are said to have done organizing work.

“The church, which has at times been known as Elim Lutheran Church and Swedish Lutheran Church, was once a Swedish American congregation at 113th Street and Calumet Avenue, where Palmer Park now stands.” (McDonald, Block Club Chicago, 2/5/26)

Preservation Chicago mounted a Rapid Response advocacy effort to save Elim/Reformation Lutheran Church from demolition together with community and preservation partners. We have appeared in building court over a dozen times to advocate for a transfer of ownership and to prevent an emergency demolition order.

We have finally achieved our goal of facilitating the transfer of ownership to a preservation-oriented, community medical nonprofit organization Onyx360 NFP which has the capacity to stabilize, restore and reactivate this important neighborhood asset. Onyx360 NFP is a Roseland based nonprofit committed to uplifting Black communities by providing educational resources and support centered on holistic health and wellness by improving life quality, fostering resilience, and laying the groundwork for enduring positive transformation within the community.

We have requested a Chicago Landmark Designation of the building and have asked the Commission on Chicago Landmarks to consider during a future Commission on Chicago Landmarks meeting. We have formally suggested Elim/Reformation Church to become a Designated Chicago Landmark.

Preservation Chicago researched and wrote a “Preliminary Landmark Recommendation” report for the building in our effort to advance a Preliminary Designation for this important building. The building was overlooked by the Chicago Historic Resources Survey-CHRS, so is not subject to the 90 Day Demolition Delay Hold. Time is of the essence.

We are relieved that the frequent Building Court appearances delayed any potential emergency demolition order until the process was able to play out. Vacant for a number of years and suffering from deferred maintenance, Elim/Reformation Lutheran Church was at risk of demolition to avoid the cost of repair by its owner, the Metropolitan Synod -ELCA – Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. Elim/Reformation Lutheran Church was designed by architect, Solon S. Beman in 1888 and is located at 11310 S. Forest Avenue in Roseland.

Together with our community partners, preservation organizations, we attended the first Building/Demolition Court at the Daley Center on November 6, 2024, There was unanimous opposition to demolition from those of us who appeared at court. At our request, the judge issued a “Stop Work Order” on the building and site, which includes prep work for demolition, as well as a Court Order to halt the City of Chicago and the Department of Buildings from issuing a Demolition Permit. Additionally, the judge issued a ruling on the ownership which paves the way forward for the sale of the church building.

The significance of the Elim/Reformation Church links to the legacy of architect, Solon S. Beman, Chicago industrialist George Pullman, “Pullman Lands,” the Swedish-American Community of craftsmen and everyday workers at Pullman, Also, to the Pullman Strike and Labor History, in addition to the legacy of community organizer and later U.S. President, Barack Obama.

Read the full story at Block Club Chicago

• Historic Roseland Church, Once On Verge Of Demolition, To Become Black-Women-Led Medical Center; Onyx Health Collective, led by Dr. Maya Green and pharmacists Tonya Payton-Campbell and Ramona Burress, assumed ownership of Reformation Lutheran Church in November with plans to convert it into a health care hub called Onyx Commons, Maia McDonald, Block Club Chicago, 2/5/26
• Historical Roseland Church Where Obama Once Worked Set To Be Demolished. Can Neighbors Save It? Cook County judge has issued a stop work order for Reformation Lutheran Church as the city’s Commission on Chicago Landmarks determines whether the nearly 140-year-old church building is eligible for landmark distinction, Maia McDonald, Block Club Chicago, 12/6/24