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newly discovered photographs capture the tragic loss of adler & sullivan's pilgrim baptist church

photo courtesy of the richard nickel archive and chicago art institute.

photo courtesy of the richard nickel archive and chicago art institute.

one of the most important objectives this year is to begin the arduous process of navigating through tens of thousands of folders populated with massive amounts of imagery taken - but never edited and/or shared - of seemingly endless facets of chicago architecture that would appear on my radar time and again over the course of ten years. i've largely avoided revisiting these images, since so many more are continuously added nearly everyday that are more relevant to the work i'm doing in the present. however, i have made a few attempts to break away from current projects to explore the evolution of my 'mind's eye" over the past decade. finally, one set of images generated enough inspiration to create a brief narrative assigning meaning to the collection of images, which in the case, pertains to the tragic loss of adler and sullivan's pilgrim baptist church, that suffered a horrific fire in the first week of january, 2006.

photo courtesy of the richard nickel archive and chicago art institute.

if memory serves me right, i arrived at the pilgrim baptist church within a day or two after the devastating fire was struck out. the ensuing chaos and/or utter shock over the loss of the historic church was everywhere, with rapid placement of barricades and the dizzying lights of squad cars employed to prevent people from wandering in or around the ruins. like others armed with cameras, i managed to get close enough where i could see a smattering of debris along with the gut-wrenching views of the smoldering interior where any and all ornament had essentially disintegrated.

photo courtesy of the richard nickel archive and chicago art institute.

i distinctly remember staring in awe at the heavily charred and crumbling art glass windows that barely hung to the wood sashes built to support them. the heavily fortified stone "shell" looked structurally sound, despite the surrounding disfigurement, so myself and others were at the very least, hopeful that an "emergency demolition" was not on the horizon. the moment i put down my camera, i walked away in shock and disbelief. i haven't been back there since.

it's unusual these days for a building to be struck down by a tragic fire rather than the wrecking ball, but that is what brought about the demise of the historic 115-year old church on chicago's south side. the pilgrim baptist church at 3301 s. indiana avenue was a landmark, sullivan and adler-designed building originally constructed  in 1890-1891 as a synagogue, k.a.m. isaiah israel temple. of note, dankmar adler was originally a member, and his father was a rabbi. the 10,500 square foot building was the site of experimentation for the revered architects, featuring vaulted ceilings, impressive acoustics, a horseshoe shaped oak balcony, and ornamental foliage designs in terra cotta panels.

though the jewish congregation continues, a baptist congregation that moved into the building in the early 1920's forms the building's namesake, and contributes to its historical value as the birthplace of gospel. the bronzeville church represented a pillar of the black community, especially during the 1920's and 1930's, during the great migration.

photo courtesy of the richard nickel archive and chicago art institute.

during the 1950's and 1960's the church's membership declined and the building itself began to reveal signs of disrepair. this brought about its landmark designation in 1981, and decades following, the restoration that led to its demise.

in that first week of 2006, a fire completely gutted the building and collapsed the roof and steeple, as a result of an accident during roof repair at the end of a 3-year, half-million dollar restoration. the disaster not only consumed the structure but destroyed rows of wall murals painted by william e. scott, and many historical records, including archives of old photographs and boxes of gospel sheet music from the era when thomas dorsey (i.e. "the father of gospel music") led the choir as music director. the damage was so immense that in the surrounding area, nearby parked cars even caught fire or melted. the brick and stone facade still stood at the end of the ordeal, but it was determined to be structurally unsound. since that time, a steel support skeleton has been attached to brace the limestone walls for a possible reconstruction. the building's death represents an unequivocal loss of multi-layered material history, for both the neighborhood and preservationists -- really anyone enthusiastic about chicago's nineteenth century architecture.

though sufficient documentation exists to aid in reproducing the old building, it has since ailed in its post-fire state. initial optimism toward re-building has more recently turned to frustration at lack of transparency on the church's part with regard to re-building funds. early on, structural engineers (wiss, janney, elstner assoc., inc) asserted that significant portions of the exterior could be restored. scaffolding was erected, but plans to move forward never gained traction. the surrounding community continues to push for an action plan to either rebuild or demolish the building after a decade of remaining stagnant. city historians and architects, for their part, hope to salvage the walls and potentially incorporate them into a park honoring the site's history.

note: in december of 2017, i returned to what was left of pilgrim baptist church, a largelyt abandoned site containing four bedford limestone walls still reinforced with extensive exterior metal bracing. much has changed since i was there over ten years ago documenting the aftermath of the disastrous fire that left pilgrim baptist a hulking shell with an uncertain future. i spent an hour wandering around the site feeling a lot like i did that day when i looked in horror as the building sat charred and still smoldering from within. it was oddly calming when i began to shoot it in its ruined state. no one was around to distract me. i was at peace, but thinking back to the time i was here last made that short-lived.

the rusticated indiana limestone walls and ornamental terra cotta are hidden behind a web of metal bracing.

the grand arched entrance concealed behind bracing, barriers, and fencing.

facing south.

facing east, with date plaque/cornerstone to the right.

the front facade with main entrance along south indiana avenue

a glimpse of the interior. the back wall is in the foreground.

one of the original surviving terra cotta panels. the buff-colored terra cotta originally had a gray slip to emulate the surrounding limestone. when the exterior was cleaned- long before the fire - the glaze was blown right off.

detail of one of several matching recessed terra cotta panels fabricated by the northwestern terra cotta company.

the only known surviving interior fragment - removed during restoration from arch located high above the stage. the panel was replicated by decorators' supply to replace ones that were badly damaged. collection of tim samuelson.

 

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