At 711 E. Fayette Street in Syracuse, a deteriorating white building sits boarded-up with few signs of life. It looks like any other abandoned building in the city.
But its history sets it apart.
The church is considered to be the “center for African American life in Syracuse” throughout the 20th century, said Judith Wellman, a former history professor at SUNY-Oswego and now head of her own business, Historical New York Research Associates.
The building is the oldest standing black church in Syracuse and, with the help of a new grant, preservationists expect to restore the historic church to its original state.
The Preservation Association of Central New York recently won a $6,000 grant from The Preservation League of New York State. Members of the restoration project hope the money will help to get the church listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The grant is only a starting point for the money to complete the restoration, said Angela Williams, librarian of the Martin Luther King Library at Syracuse University. The process would require acquisition of small funds in order to attract larger amounts from sources within the state and federal government, she said. There is still no final estimate for the cost of the project.
The $6,000 dollars is being used to start research efforts on the project and to protect the church for the upcoming winter. And the money is already helping to uncover important information about the church’s history, said librarian Williams, who is heading the restoration project.
“In the course of dusting away debris from this church, we found the cornerstone with the date that it was erected,” said Williams.
The church was finished in 1911 and is coming up on its 100th anniversary. It was originally the home of the People’s AME Zion Church. The congregation is the oldest black congregation in Onondaga County and was led by Rev. Jermain Loguen. Loguen, an abolitionist, was a runaway slave and what was known as a “conductor” of the Underground Railroad in Syracuse. The Underground Railroad was a network of houses designed to help slaves escape to the North during the 1800’s and “conductors” guided the escaping slaves along the route.
The congregation, which now has over 500 members, left the old church building in 1975. The worshippers now attend services at a newer building on South Salina Street.
(C.J. Baker is a junior majoring in broadcast journalism.)
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