On December 5, 2024, the City of Chicago Landmarks Commission approved more than $2.4 million in Adopt-a-Landmark funds today to support renovation projects at First Baptist Congregational Church, and Greater Union Baptist Church, and Wicker Park Lutheran Church in West Town.
Preservation Chicago testified in support of all three churches
Preservation Chicago strongly supported the Chicago Landmark Designation of Greater Union Baptist Church. For over seven years, Preservation Chicago worked with the Greater Union Baptist Congregation, Board of Directors, and both Pastor Dr. McCray and former pastor Willie Morris towards the designation of the church as a Chicago Landmark.
We were grateful to assist the City of Chicago’s Historic Preservation Division of the Department of Planning and Development to capture oral histories of the Pastor and many of the longtime members of the Congregation. We are extremely grateful for this opportunity to assist with the Preliminary and later Final Landmark Recommendation and bring this great honor to this amazing West Side institution.
Special thanks to the DPD-Historic Preservation Staff, Pastor Dr. McCray and the many members of Great Union Baptist Church for their help, commitment, dedication and stewardship towards this important moment in our collective history.
“A 137-year-old Near West Side church was granted landmark status Wednesday following a City Council vote. The church has stood since 1886 after members of the Church of the Redeemer congregation established themselves there. The congregation was founded in 1858 by A. C. Barry and comprised mostly Union soldiers and volunteers from the Civil War, taking a staunch abolitionist stance, according to the city’s report on preserving of the church.
“Ownership changed hands in 1928 after a Black Baptist congregation bought it for about $37,400 and turned it into the Greater Union Baptist Church. The church was active during the Civil Rights Movement, staying active in the NAACP and raising funds for victims of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama, that killed four Black girls in 1963, officials said. Church members also supported a boycott of Chicago Public Schools to oppose racial segregation and overcrowding of schools.
“The building was designed by William Le Baron Jenney, the creator of the skyscraper. It has been their place of worship for the last 94 years” for Great Union Baptist Church as the building has had church services since the 1880s.—over 140+ years. (Arline, Block Club Chicago, 4/19/23)
Read the full story at Block Club Chicago
- Near West Side’s Greater Union Baptist Church Is A Chicago Landmark; The church, which dates back to 1886, has promoted civil rights and progressive policies throughout its history, Trey Arline, Block Club Chicago, 4/19/23
- Landmark status for historic West Side church should be first step of many to preserve houses of worship; Greater Union Baptist Church is poised for landmarks designation and a reminder of the need to preserve the city’s old and architecturally noteworthy worship spaces, Chicago Sun-Times Editorial Board, 1/11/23
- Preliminary landmark approved for Greater Union Baptist Church; The church stands near the United Center at 1956 W. Warren, Lukas Kugler, Urbanize Chicago, 1/4/23