HistArch:

Here is some more info on the church proposed for demolition and Maxwell Street in Chicago.

Misty

Misty Jackson, Ph.D., RPA
Arbre Croche Cultural Resources
214 South Main Street
Leslie, Michigan 49251
517-589-2467
517-525-3060


MAXWELL STREET FOUNDATION
The Maxwell Street Foundation (MSF) organized in 1997 to preserve the
history of the Maxwell Street neighborhood and advocates today for the
preservation and repurposing of the Gethsemane Missionary Baptist
(M.B.) church building at 1352 S. Union through a viable and
sustainable plan.

WHY IS THE BUILDING AT RISK?
It is vacant on nine parcels of property that are For Sale and
currently under contract
by the John Paul II Newman Foundation at the University of Illinois at
Chicago for a student residence that would raze the building. In 2012
it became one of the city’s Chicago 7 most endangered architectural
treasures listed by Preservation Chicago.

WHY IS THE BUILDING IMPORTANT?
The Gethsemane M.B. church is a rare, pre-Fire building that survived
the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Built as a German school in 1869 by
the congregation of the Zion Evangelical church, it was used as a
Jewish synagogue in 1906 and then an African American Baptist church
in 1935 until that congregation moved in 2005. Its sequence of
continuous use reflects the ethno-cultural transition of the Maxwell
Street neighborhood. It is now the only non-commercial building left
from the original neighborhood and one of the few extant examples of
the architecture of Augustus Bauer who designed Old St. Patrick’s
Church and Tree Studios, both Chicago Landmarks on the National
Register of Historic Places. It is the only building in the Maxwell
Street neighborhood that remains witness to the complete unfolding of
an important social history and cultural phenomenon unique in Chicago.

WHY IS MAXWELL STREET IMPORTANT?
Maxwell Street was part of the city’s original geographic boundaries
when incorporated in 1837, and the Maxwell Street Market was
established there in 1912 as the city’s official open-air market.
Maxwell Street teemed with vendors and merchants who pitched their
wares from shops, pushcarts, and street stands and with shoppers
searching for bargains through to 1994 when it was relocated in the
city. During this time, Maxwell Street served as a port of entry for
virtually every ethnic group that comprised Chicago. Its Market was a
cultural mix of entrepreneurship, street entertainment, civility, and
freedom of expression for America’s immigrants and migrants. It was a
breeding ground for talent and ambition, and the birthplace of the
Chicago Blues. The building is an important piece of the
neighborhood’s historic fabric, and a cultural gem that can continue
to serve as an anchor in the local community.

To contribute to the MSF mission, please contact the Maxwell Street
Foundation at P.O. Box 6435, Evanston, IL, 60204, or send an email to
[log in to unmask] for more information. Donations may be made
online through PayPal with a PayPal account or any major credit card.
Just visit our website at maxwellstreet.org and look for the DONATE
button.