Getty Caps Off $4.85M Initiative to Protect Buildings Designed by Black Architects

The Getty Foundation and the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund announced today five Conserving Black Modernism grants as part of the culminating round of funding for this initiative dedicated to preserving significant works of architecture by Black architects and designers.

Initially launched in 2022 as a two-year initiative, Getty expanded Conserving Black Modernism to support a total of 26 historic modern sites, including buildings that once faced uncertain futures and possible demolition.

This year’s grants will preserve unique and culturally significant sites in five different states. From a major urban park and transit route that bridges historically Black neighborhoods in Boston to the first Black-owned, designed and operated shopping center in Milwaukee, Getty funding will support preservation plans for sites and strengthen the skillset of professionals who care for them. Grants also foster community engagement and elevate public awareness of the trailblazing Black architects and designers who contributed to the modernist architecture movement.

Grantees include Central City Plaza in Milwaukee, designed by Wisconsin’s first licensed Black architect Alonzo Robinson Jr.; Martin Luther King Jr. Humanities Center at Texas Southern University, designed by Texas’ first licensed Black architect John Saunders Chase Jr.; Nashville’s Park-Johnson Hall at Fisk University, designed by Moses McKissack III and his firm, McKissack & McKissack; components of Boston’s Southwest Corridor, designed by Black-led architecture firm Stull & Lee; and St. Mark AME Zion Church in Indiana, designed by Wendell Campbell.

“Conserving Black Modernism has helped communities in nearly every region of the U.S. protect the work of Black architects and has helped broaden the very definition of modernist architecture,” said Joan Weinstein, director of the Getty Foundation. “Teaming up with the National Trust over the past five years has allowed us to take actionable steps to preserve underrepresented sites that embody Black excellence in design, activism and resilience.”

Conserving Black Modernism is part of National Trust’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, the largest preservation campaign to support the longevity of African American sites. Today, the Action Fund also announced funding for a total of 27 sites representing Black history across the U.S., which includes the five sites supported by Getty funding. Since its founding in 2017, the Action Fund has raised more than $200 million and supported over 400 preservation projects dedicated to protecting Black heritage nationwide.

“Getty’s grants have supported our larger effort with the Action Fund to invest in communities that are preserving the full American story—from the struggles for freedom and civil rights to the achievements of Black educators, architects, entrepreneurs, faith leaders, and culture bearers,” said Brent Leggs, President and CEO of the National Trust for Historic Preservation and founder of the African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund. “By supporting local stewards and communities, we are helping ensure these stories endure for generations to come.”

Since 2022, Conserving Black Modernism grants have supported a diverse array of building types across 17 states and D.C., including academic, spiritual, residential, civic, cultural and commercial sites of historic importance. Notable past grantees include the Spanish Rancho- and Japanese-influenced Carson City Hall designed by the oldest Black American architectural firm in Los Angeles; Ira Aldridge Theater in Washington D.C. named after the first Black actor to play leading roles in Shakespeare plays and an award-winning swimming pool and pool house in Wichita, Kansas, designed by Charles McAfee and recently listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Conserving Black Modernism grants for 2026:

Central City Plaza

Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Completed in 1973, Central City Plaza was designed by Wisconsin’s first licensed Black architect Alonzo Robinson Jr. and is the first Black-owned, designed and operated shopping center in Milwaukee. The complex is one of few examples of the New Formalist style in Milwaukee, consisting of three separate buildings with arched porticos, fluted concrete panels and arcaded storefronts. The Salvation Army leased and acquired title to one of the structures, a former motel, in 1983 and utilizes the space for humanitarian work, including 24/7 emergency housing, meals and services. Getty funding will support a historic structures report and related studies will guide the rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of the site, expanding its shelter and support services.

Martin Luther King Jr. Humanities Center, Texas Southern University

Houston, Texas

Designed by John Saunders Chase Jr. and completed in 1969, the Martin Luther King Jr. Humanities Center is the long-standing home of Texas Southern University's School of Communications. Chase, Jr. was the first licensed Black architect in Texas, a founding member of the National Organization of Minority Architects and the first African American to serve on the U.S. Commission of Fine Arts. The building was constructed in 1969 and dedicated shortly after the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. It features a distinctive cylindrical form with extended wings, which are thought to symbolize Dr. King’s legacy and enduring influence. Getty funding will support a historic structures report documenting the building's historical significance, existing conditions and preservation priorities.

Park-Johnson Hall at Fisk University

Nashville, Tennessee

Park-Johnson Hall, located in the Fisk University Historic District and built in 1954, is a three-story brick and glass modernist building, housing classrooms, a lecture hall and offices designed by Moses McKissack III and his firm, McKissack & McKissack, the oldest Black-owned architecture firm in the U.S. Getty funding will support a comprehensive conservation and management plan for the site, including documentation that situates the building within the broader portfolio of McKissack & McKissack's architectural contributions to Fisk University's campus.

Southwest Corridor

Boston, Massachusetts

The Southwest Corridor Project, including the Metro Boston Transit Authority (MBTA)’s Ruggles Station, was built on land initially cleared for the 1-95 Southwest Expressway. After community activism cancelled the highway’s construction in 1969, Black-led architecture firm Stull & Lee, Inc. led the planning for the extension of MBTA’s Orange Line and a 52-acre park along its route. The Southwest Corridor Project prioritized community participation and included recreational facilities, community gardens and paths connecting to other Boston park systems. Ruggles Station opened in 1987 with an iconic barrel vault with sunburst windows and cast-in-place concrete featuring art by local artists. Getty funding will support a historical documentation study of significant Stull and Lee projects along the Southwest Corridor through archival research, photography, 3D modeling and engagement with architect M. David Lee to preserve knowledge about their design and cultural history.

St. Mark AME Zion Church

East Chicago, Indiana

Completed in 1973, St. Mark AME Zion Church was designed to evoke interlocked praying hands with a multi-planed triangular roof and ribbon windows. Designed by Wendell Campbell, a co-founder and the first president of the National Organization of Minority Architects, the church is an example of modernist and neo-expressionist religious architecture. Getty funding will support a conservation management plan to document existing conditions, establish preservation priorities and guide the future rehabilitation of the site.

Conserving Black Modernism is one of several efforts by Getty to broaden awareness of and preserve Black cultural heritage, including initiatives like African American Historic Places Los Angeles, Black Visual Arts Archives, African American Art History Initiative and its joint acquisition of the archive of Paul R. Williams, one of the best-known 20th-century Black architects in the U.S.