Ira Aldridge Theater | Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts at Howard University | Washington, D.C.
The Ira Aldridge Theater was named for a famed 19th century African American actor best known for his performances of Shakespeare. The theater was designed by acclaimed Black architects Hilyard Robinson and Paul R. Williams, and completed in 1961 as part of Howard University’s campus. Funding will support a historic structures report and an interpretation plan.

Masjid Mohammad, Nations Mosque | Masjid Muhammad, Inc. | Washington, D.C.
Completed in 1960, Masjid Muhammad, Nations Mosque was designed by David R. Byrd. The building represents one of the oldest Black Muslim congregations in the United States. Funding will support engineering and environmental studies for the building’s planned LEED-certified expansion, in addition to limited capital improvements.

Claude B. Dansby, Benjamin G. Brawley, and John H. Wheeler Halls at Morehouse College | Morehouse College | Atlanta, GA
Leon Allain, a prominent Black architect in the Atlanta area, designed Claude B. Dansby, Benjamin G. Brawley, and John H. Wheeler halls at Morehouse College through the early 1970s. Funding will support building assessments and a historic structures report for the three sites.

Kenneth G. Neigh Dormitory Complex at the former Mary Holmes Community College | Dream Center Golden Triangle | West Point, MS
Designed by the acclaimed Black architect J. Max Bond Jr. and completed in 1970, the Kenneth G. Neigh Dormitory Complex is currently in an advanced state of deterioration as Mary Holmes Community College has been closed since 2005. Funding will support an adaptive reuse feasibility study for the complex focused on transitional housing.

Robert T. Coles Home and Studio | Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House | Buffalo, NY
Robert T. Coles, the first Black Chancellor of the American Institute of Architects, designed and built his House and Studio in 1961. The two-story building is composed of prefabricated units set back in a garden and courtyard. Funding will support a historic structures report and a reuse and feasibility study.

John F. Kennedy Community Center | Preservation Buffalo Niagara | Buffalo, NY
The JFK Recreation Center was designed by Robert T. Coles as his thesis project at MIT and completed in 1963. The building currently hosts a range of nonprofits and multi-generational community activities. Funding will support a comprehensive preservation plan.

Universal Life Insurance Company Building | South Memphis Renewal Community Development Corporation | Memphis, TN
Designed in 1947 by McKissack and McKissack, one of the oldest Black-owned architectural firms in the United States, the Universal Life Insurance Company Building was completed in 1949. Funding will support a cultural interpretation plan and repairs to certain sections of the building.

Azurest South, Amaza Lee Meredith Home and Studio | Virginia State University Alumni Association | Petersburg, VA
Azurest South, completed in 1934, is the home and studio designed by the pioneering Black architect Amaza Lee Meredith. Located on the Virginia State University campus, where she established the Fine Arts program and lived with her partner Dr. Edna Meade Colson, the home is a colorful example of the International Style. Funding will support the implementation of a conservation management plan for the building.

Charles McAfee Swimming Pool and Pool House | City of Wichita | Wichita, Kansas
Constructed in 1969, the Charles McAfee Pool House, with its distinctive modular shade structures, was designed by Black architect Charles McAfee, one of the founding members of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA). Funding will go towards developing a preservation plan to guide the site’s future maintenance and long-term care.

Watts Happening Cultural Center | City of Los Angeles | Los Angeles, California
A design collaboration between African American architects Robert Kennard and Arthur Silvers, the Watts Happening Cultural Center is a centerpiece for Black arts and culture in the Watts neighborhood of South Los Angeles. Funding will enable the development of a Historic Structure Report and preservation plan to guide future rehabilitation and programming for this cultural anchor, home of the historic Mafundi Institute and other community organizations.

Carson City Hall Building | City of Carson | Carson, California
The Spanish Rancho- and Japanese-influenced Carson City Hall, with its organic, nautical-inspired forms, was designed by Black architect Robert Kennard, whose firm is the oldest Black American architectural firm in Los Angeles. A Historic Structure Report will provide information to address the preservation needs of the building and landscape as well as enhance public educational programming to raise awareness about the site’s importance.

First Baptist Church-West | First Baptist Church-West Community Services Association | Charlotte, North Carolina
Recognized as the oldest Black Baptist church in Charlotte, North Carolina, First Baptist Church-West was designed by Harvey Gantt, the first Black Mayor of Charlotte and the first African American student admitted to Clemson University. A comprehensive plan will allow the history of the sanctuary to be preserved with necessary repairs to the roof and baptismal area.

Fourth Baptist Church’s Educational Wing | Fourth Baptist Church | Richmond, Virginia
Established in 1859, Fourth Baptist Church is one of the oldest Black congregations in Virginia. The church’s Modernist educational wing was designed by Ethel Bailey Furman, the earliest known Black woman architect in Virginia. Furman was self-taught and designed an estimated two hundred residences and churches in Virginia as well as two churches in Liberia. A Historic Structure Report with limited capital repairs will give the congregation the information they need to preserve the educational wing and allow future generations to learn about Furman’s trailblazing legacy.

Morgan State University’s Jenkins Hall | Morgan State University | Baltimore, Maryland
Named after a former president of the University, Jenkins Hall was designed by Louis Edwin Fry, the first African American to receive a master’s degree in architecture from Harvard. Morgan State University will complete a conservation management plan and reuse study to determine the optimal future use for the building while preserving its monumental history.

Second Baptist Church of Detroit’s Education Building | Second Baptist Church of Detroit | Detroit, Michigan
Second Baptist Church of Detroit is home to the oldest Black congregation in Michigan. Established in 1836, the church played a significant role in the social and political lives of generations of Black Detroit residents. Renowned Black architect Nathan Johnson designed the Modernist education building in 1968, which allowed the congregation to further its educational impact. A comprehensive building assessment with limited capital repairs will equip the congregation with the necessary framework to preserve the educational building for generations to come.

Zion Baptist Church | Zion Baptist Church | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Renowned Black architect Walter Livingston, Jr. designed Zion Baptist Church in the early 1970s. Characterized by its dramatic clerestory walls composed of colorful staggered glass panels that rise above the brick first story, the church embodies a deep civil rights history, having been led by civil rights leader Reverend Leon Sullivan. A comprehensive building assessment and preservation plan will provide a roadmap for the protection and maintenance of this significant historic church and community treasure.