Conserving Black Modernism: New Grants Support Preservation of Historic Buildings Designed by Black Architects

Founder’s Church of Religious Science, Los Angeles, Calif. | Photo by Mark Clennon, Courtesy African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund

FOUNDER’S CHURCH OF RELIGIOUS SCIENCE in Los Angeles was designed by renowned architect Paul R. Williams in 1960. Featuring a white, curvilinear facade fronted by an ornate concrete block wall, its “sleek, elliptical design was inspired by geometric forms.” Critical funding will enable the historic church to implement a new accessibility and interpretation plan. In Chicago, pioneerng architect Walter T. Bailey transformed a former hat factory into an Art Moderne church whose “smooth surfaces, continuous lines, terracotta tiles, and glass blocks accentuate its streamlined form.” Redesigned in 1939, First Church of Deliverance will soon undertake its first comprehensive preservation and campus stewardship plans.

Five historic buildings designed by Black architects are getting a new lease on life thanks to the Conserving Black Modernism initiative. The Getty Foundation and the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund announced the support earlier this week.

New 2025 grants are going to Founder’s Church of Religious Science in Los Angeles, Calif.; Interdenominational Theological Center, Administration Building in Atlanta, Ga.; First Church of Deliverance in Chicago, Ill.; McKenzie Hall at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore.; and the 2500 New Hackensack building at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Each site is receiving $750,000.

“Each year Conserving Black Modernism has expanded the number of architects recognized through the initiative, and we’re excited to include five new designers whose innovative buildings enriched communities from coast to coast,” Getty Foundation Director Joan Weinstein said in a statement. “Working in tandem with the National Trust, our goal is to help tell a more complete story of the trailblazing contributions of Black architects to the modern movement, which in turn reframes the movement itself.”

Five historic buildings designed by Black architects are getting a new lease on life thanks to the Conserving Black Modernism grant initiative.

First Church of Deliverance, Chicago, Ill. | Photo by Morgan Forde, Courtesy African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund

The architectural preservation grants were announced as part of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund’s annual grant program. Across the country, $3 million in grants is supporting 24 sites. Along with the Conserving Black Modernism grantees, 2025 sites include Berry College African American Cemeteries in Mount Berry, Ga.; Jewel Theater in Oklahoma City, Okla.; and Harlem’s Apollo Theater in New York, N.Y. Grantees also include the first cohort of the Descendant and Family Stewardship Initiative, seven awardees, Muddy Waters Mojo Museum in Chicago, Ill.; Clemmons Family Farm in Charlotte, Vt.; and the Dr. James & Janie Washington Cultural Center in Seattle, Wash., among them.

The African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund’s national grant program is supported by the Ford Foundation and Robert D.L. Gardiner Foundation. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation funds the new Descendant and Family Stewardship Initiative and the Conserving Black Modernism program is underwritten by the Getty Foundation.

Conserving Black Modernism focuses on the preservation of historic modern buildings created by Black architects and designers. Since the program was launched in 2022, 21 buildings have benefitted from the grants supporting an array of preservation plans, personnel who manage and care for the sites, documentation and interpretation projects, and community engagement. The initiative is saving historic sites and shedding light on the legacy of Black architects whose work is under-known and representation in the profession barely registers after generations of participation.

The 2025 projects recognize Williams, the first Black person to become a member of the American Institute of Architects (1923); Bailey, Illinois’s first licensed Black architect; Edward C. Miller, the first Black architect licensed in Georgia; DeNorval Unthank Jr., the first Black graduate of the University of Oregon’s architecture school; and Jeh Vincent Johnson of New York, a co-founder of the National Organization of Minority Architects (1971).

“Today, only two percent of registered architects in the United States identify as Black. The Conserving Black Modernism program is ensuring the historic contributions Black designers have made to this field are celebrated and can inspire current and future generations,” Brent Leggs said in a statement. Leggs is executive director of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund and senior vice president at the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

“This year’s cohort includes sites by architectural giants, and names the world may be learning about for the first time. I’m thrilled that through our partnership with the Getty, the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund is helping to ensure their legacy and support the communities that are stewarding these sites today.” CT

The Conserving Black Modernism Grantees for 2025 are featured below, along with supplied descriptions of the sites and projects:

McKenzie Hall, University of Oregon, Eugene, Ore. | Photo by Brian Davies, Courtesy African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund

McKenzie Hall, 1968
University of Oregon | Eugene, Ore.
Architect: DeNorval Unthank Jr.

The University of Oregon’s McKenzie Hall was designed in 1968 by DeNorval Unthank Jr., the first Black graduate of the university’s architecture school. Grant funding will support a Preservation and Interpretation Plan to recognize Unthank’s contribution to the campus’ design through an interpretive display in the building and inform the future conservation of McKenzie Hall as an historic resource.

McKenzie Hall, University of Oregon, Eugene, Ore. | Photo by Brian Davies, Courtesy African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund

McKenzie Hall, University of Oregon, Eugene, Ore. | Photo by Brian Davies, Courtesy African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund

Founder’s Church of Religious Science, Los Angeles, Calif. | © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10)

Founder’s Church of Religious Science, 1960
Founders Community Outreach Corporation | Los Angeles, Calif.
Architect: Paul R. Williams

Founders Church of Religious Science was established by Dr. Ernest Holmes in 1932. In the late 1950s, the congregation commissioned Paul R. Williams, the first Black member of the American Institute of Architects, to design its new building. Williams created a sleek, elliptical design in reinforced concrete, drawing on geometric forms that represented Holmes’s teachings. The nearly 20,000-square foot building was dedicated in 1960. Grant funding will support an accessibility and interpretation plan, enabling more efficient use of the building and opportunities for creative storytelling of the church’s architectural legacy.

Founder’s Church of Religious Science, Los Angeles, Calif. | Photo by Mark Clennon, Courtesy African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund

Founder’s Church of Religious Science, Los Angeles, Calif. | © J. Paul Getty Trust. Getty Research Institute, Los Angeles (2004.R.10)

Founder’s Church of Religious Science, Los Angeles, Calif. | Photo by Mark Clennon, Courtesy African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund

Founder’s Church of Religious Science, Los Angeles, Calif. | Photo by Mark Clennon, Courtesy African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund

Founder’s Church of Religious Science, Los Angeles, Calif. | Photo by Mark Clennon, Courtesy African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund

Founder’s Church of Religious Science, Los Angeles, Calif. | Photo by Mark Clennon, Courtesy African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund

Founder’s Church of Religious Science, Los Angeles, Calif. | Photo by Mark Clennon, Courtesy African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund

Administration Building, Interdenominational Theological Center, Atlanta, Ga. | Photo by Sheila Pree Bright, Courtesy African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund

Administration Building, 1961
Interdenominational Theological Center | Atlanta, Ga.
Architect: Edward C. Miller

The Administration Building at the Interdenominational Theological Center is the oldest building on the center’s campus, completed in 1961. It was designed by Edward C. Miller, the first licensed Black Architect in the state of Georgia. Funding will support a Historic Structures Report, building assessments, a reuse study, and greater historical documentation of Miller’s groundbreaking career.

Administration Building, Interdenominational Theological Center, Atlanta, Ga. | Photo by Sheila Pree Bright, Courtesy African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund

Exterior View of 2500 New Hackensack, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, N.Y. | Photo: Myles Pinkney, Myles Studio Photography, Courtesy African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund

2500 New Hackensack, 1963
Vassar College | Poughkeepsie, NY
Architect: Jeh Vincent Johnson

The 2500 New Hackensack Building was completed on Vassar College’s campus in 1963 and designed by Jeh Vincent Johnson, co-founder of the National Organization of Minority Architects. The building is also exemplary of Black architects’ contributions to the Modernist style, featuring a minimalist brick, steel, and glass construction. Grant funds will support a Facilities Management and Preservation Plan and support deeper engagement with and interpretation of Johnson’s legacy on campus. (The building houses the campus safety department and art department classrooms.)

Interior View of 2500 New Hackensack, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, N.Y. | Photo: Myles Pinkney, Myles Studio Photography, Courtesy African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund

Interior View of 2500 New Hackensack, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, N.Y. | Photo: Myles Pinkney, Myles Studio Photography, Courtesy African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund

First Church of Deliverance, Chicago, Ill. | Photo by Morgan Forde, Courtesy African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund

First Church of Deliverance
Chicago, Ill.
Architect: Walter T. Bailey

First Church of Deliverance was founded by Clarence Henry Cobbs in 1904, and moved into its current building, redesigned in 1939 by Walter T. Bailey. Bailey was the first licensed Black architect in Illinois. First Church of Deliverance’s main building was an innovative adaptive reuse project, repurposing a former hat factory, and is clad in glazed terracotta tiles. Funding will support the first comprehensive Preservation Plan for the church campus, including the main church building, the Maggie Drummond Community Center & Day Care, and the children’s church building.

First Church of Deliverance, Chicago, Ill. | Photo by Morgan Forde, Courtesy African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund

First Church of Deliverance, Chicago, Ill. | Photo by Morgan Forde, Courtesy African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund

First Church of Deliverance, Chicago, Ill. | Photo by Morgan Forde, Courtesy African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund

BOOKSHELF
Volumes of interest include “Black Built: History and Architecture in the Black Community” and the recent exhibition catalog “Reconstructions: Architecture and Blackness in America” (2021). Also consider, “Amaza Lee Meredith Imagines Herself Modern: Architecture and the Black American Middle Class” and “The Black Family Who Built America: The McKissacks, Two Centuries of Daring Pioneers,” which is forthcoming in August. Several books explore the life and work of Paul R. Williams. “Paul R. Williams Architect” and “Paul R. Williams: Classic Hollywood Style” showcase the legendary designs of Williams in lavishly illustrated volumes authored by Karen E. Hudson, the architect’s granddaughter. Also by Hudson, “The Will and the Way: Paul R. Williams, Architect” tells Williams’s story. “Regarding Paul R. Williams: A Photographer’s View” features photographs of the architect’s buildings by Janna Ireland. “Paul R. Williams: Master Architects of Southern California 1920-1940” was also recently published. For children, consider “Curve & Flow: The Elegant Vision of L.A. Architect Paul R. Williams.”