16th Street Baptist Church wins $150,000 national grant

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Birmingham’s 16th Street Baptist Church has won $150,000 in grant money in a national competition to help preserve its cupola, bell towers and stained glass windows, according to an Oct. 29 news release from REV Birmingham.

The historic church — the site of a racist bombing in 1963 that killed four little girls and drew worldwide attention at the peak of the Civil Rights Movement — finished in the top 10 in public online voting in the 2018 Partners in Preservation campaign and earned its share of a total of $2 million in grant money.

“This grant will go a long way in helping us preserve this iconic site for future generations,” said Rev. Arthur Price, pastor of Sixteenth Street Baptist.

Partners in Preservation was created by the National Trust for Historic Preservation and American Express to raise awareness of the importance of preserving historic places and their role in sustaining local communities. The two organizations collaborate in the campaign with Main Street America.

This year’s Partners in Preservation competition focused on sites that celebrate diversity and the fight for equality.

Online public voting began Sept. 24 and continued through Oct. 26.

Birmingham residents and supporters of the church were encouraged to go online and vote for the church’s proposal.

The church is to use the $150,000 to install protective glass on the outside of its stained glass windows, which were restored recently. It would also make repairs to the cupola and twin bell towers.

“I join every resident of Birmingham in celebrating this huge award for 16th Street Baptist Church,” said Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin. “16th Street is so much more than a building – it symbolizes the resilience of those who fought tirelessly in the name of justice.”

REV Birmingham, which is a Main Street America organization, nominated the church for this year’s competition

In 2017, Birmingham’s Alabama Theatre won a $120,000 grant through the same competition. The money helped pay to replace the theatre’s vertical sign on 18th Street North.

Each year, 16th Street Baptist Church estimates more than 200,000 visitors come to see the church, and in 2006, the church was officially dedicated as a National Historical Landmark.

Since 2007, there have been other, continuing efforts to restore and preserve the iconic structure.

For more information about the church, go to 16thstreetbaptist.org or call 251-9402.