Sixteenth Street Baptist Church has been deliberate in preserving its historic building and the church’s ties to history.
“We’ve been intentional about preserving our history here at Sixteenth Street Baptist Church,” the Rev. Arthur Price said, “making sure other people are able to remember, reflect and retell the stories of what happened here in the Civil Rights Movement in 1963.”
That intentional effort to preserve the structure on the corner of 16th Street and Sixth Avenue North in downtown Birmingham made it one of 10 recipients honored today with a 2024 National Preservation Award.
The National Trust for Historic Preservation bestowed the Trustees’ Emeritus Award for historic site stewardship to Sixteenth Street, the only institution in the country to receive this recognition. The National Trust cited the church’s successful restoration efforts and its role as a “shining example” of preservation, cultural revitalization and social activism.
An awards ceremony took place Monday morning, kicking off the PastForward 2024 National Preservation Conference, held this year in New Orleans.
“It’s an honor to have this award,” Price told BirminghamWatch. “It honors the sacrifice of those who fought for justice and equality. I think it highlights the church as a symbol of resilience and hope. I think the award reflects the church’s legacy and commitment to our community and our faith in our Lord and savior Jesus Christ.”
Carol Quillen, president and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, said that organization has made a continued effort to celebrate the power of place.
“We gather at this PastForward Conference to honor some of the most effective leaders in the field of preservation,” Quillen said. “Whether preserving and honoring African American burial grounds or repurposing a former newspaper headquarters into a thriving downtown center, the efforts of our 2024 awardees have activated meaningful sites to serve the public good.”
During the civil rights movement of the 1960s, Sixteenth Street served as the organizational headquarters, site of mass meetings and rallying point for African Americans protesting widespread institutionalized racism in Birmingham. The Ku Klux Klan bombing of the church in September 1963, which killed four young girls, was followed by President Lyndon Johnson’s signing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act into law.
Price said frequent knocks at the church door prompted a group of former teachers at the church to start the church’s tour ministry 29 years ago.
“There was an interest about what happened in Birmingham, what happened at Sixteenth Street Baptist Church,” the pastor said. “They got together and put up some photos in a memorial nook to retell the story of what happened Sept. 15, 1963, April and May of ’63, of how we got there.”
Later, the tour ministry was expanded to include a video about what happened in 1963.
“In 2019, we went full-out, doing a gallery in the basement so that people can get a better understanding of that particular history,” Price said. “It’s kind of tricky because we’re still an active church. We didn’t want to turn the church into a museum because it’s an active ministry. We had to make sure everything was interactive because we do get tens of thousands of visitors to Birmingham to see the (civil rights) district and to see the church.”
The pastor acknowledged that retelling the story can be painful.
“It can be painful,” he said, “but as Frederick Douglass says, paraphrasing, without pain there is not progress. To quote him directly, ‘Without a struggle, there can be no progress.’
“Retelling the story can be painful but retelling the story can be enlightening, encouraging and impactful and empowering for people,” Price continued. “When Nelson Mandela was released from prison and he saw what happened in Birmingham, Alabama, he was empowered to run for president of South Africa. Look at what happened in India. They studied the Birmingham Movement and they were empowered on their quest for equality and justice.
“Yeah, it can be painful, but at the same time I think it’s more educational, impactful and empowering to see the resiliency of the citizens of Birmingham who refuse to be treated as second-class citizens.”
Beyond its ties to the fight for civil rights, Sixteenth Street Baptist Church is tied to history since the structure was designed by the second licensed African American architect in the country, Wallace Rayfield.
“The parsonage was also designed by him and there are very few parsonages and churches that are side by side,” Price said. “A lot of architectural students – especially in these past few years from Auburn and Tuskegee – have taken great interest in Wallace Rayfield’s work and tout Sixteenth Street Baptist Church as an example of his work.
“We are deeply honored to accept this recognition on behalf of the Birmingham community,” the pastor said. “Our sanctuary is a sacred space in every sense, and we are proud to continue on its legacy and history.”
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