Birthplace Of Gospel Music Destroyed
On Friday, January 6th, in the afternoon, a fire tore through the Pilgrim Baptist Church in Bronzeville, completely destroying the historic building that had so long been a cornerstone of Chicago’s African-American community.
According to the Chicago Tribune, the fire started at roughly 3 p.m. and quickly got out of hand. The paper reports flames burned so hot that nearby cars also caught fire. Investigators announced Monday (January 9th) the fire was caused by workers using blowtorches to repair the roof.
Completed in 1891, the church served as a Jewish synagogue before it became home to Pilgrim in 1922. The building was historic for many reasons, one of them being that it is often credited as the birthplace of gospel music. In the 1930s, as the congregation grew, Thomas A. Dorsey was brought aboard as Pilgrim’s music director. Dorsey had the idea to apply jazz and blues to church music: That fusion was eventually coined gospel. Dorsey’s music, along with high energy sermons, made Pilgrim a popular destination come Sunday. Among those said to have sang at Pilgrim during Dorsey’s (who died in 1993) 55-year tenure were Mahalia Jackson and Sam Cooke. Many priceless artifacts were lost in the fire, and original sheet music written by Dorsey was likely among them.
The building (designed by architect Louis H. Sullivan) was designated a city historic landmark in 1981 and had been in a state of deterioration for many years. The church’s current membership is only 200, but only a day after the tragedy Alfonso Carrington, chairman of the church’s deacon board, said the church will rebuild. Carrington’s hope might just be reality, as only a few days after the fire Governor Blagojveich awarded a $1 million state grant to help rebuild the non-church (to maintain separation of church and state) portions of the facility such as the administration building and school housed in the church.
If you are interested in contributing to the rebuilding, donations can be sent to this address:
Pilgrim Baptist Church Rebuilding Fund
P.O. Box 94433
Chicago, IL 60690
— Trevor Fisher
