The Getty Foundation has completed its $4.85 million Conserving Black Modernism initiative, helping protect 26 historically and culturally significant buildings designed by Black architects and designers across the United States. The program, launched in partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, aims to preserve important examples of modern architecture while strengthening community engagement.
The final round of funding supports five landmark sites located in Wisconsin, Texas, Tennessee, Massachusetts, and Indiana. The grants will fund preservation planning, conservation studies, and documentation to safeguard these architecturally significant buildings while increasing public awareness of the contributions Black architects have made to modern design.
Among the projects receiving support are Central City Plaza in Milwaukee, the first Black-owned, designed, and operated shopping center in the city; the Martin Luther King Jr. Humanities Center at Texas Southern University in Houston; Park-Johnson Hall at Fisk University in Nashville; Boston’s Southwest Corridor, designed by the Black-led architectural firm Stull & Lee; and St. Mark AME Zion Church in East Chicago, Indiana.
Since its launch in 2022, Conserving Black Modernism has expanded beyond its original scope, preserving a diverse collection of academic, religious, residential, civic, cultural, and commercial sites across 17 states and Washington, D.C. The initiative has helped communities protect buildings that were previously at risk of neglect or demolition.
The Getty Foundation said the program has broadened recognition of Black architects’ contributions to modern architecture while supporting local preservation efforts. The initiative also strengthens the skills of conservation professionals and encourages community participation to ensure these historic landmarks remain protected for future generations.
The Conserving Black Modernism initiative forms part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s broader African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund, which has invested in hundreds of projects dedicated to preserving sites that represent Black history and culture throughout the United States.
