23rd Street Baptist Church in Birmingham , Alabama . Christopher S . Hunter
Rayfield was likely influenced in his use of masonry , a material quality of Romanesque Revival , by the buildings of Tuskegee Institute , where the students made the bricks . Similar Birminghamarea examples of work include the 23rd Street Baptist Church ( 1908 ), the South Elyton Baptist Church ( 1940s ), and the 16th Street Baptist Church ( constructed between 1909 and 1911 ). All these churches remain standing and provide worship services .
Moving Forward
The architecture of these buildings I visited is inherently worthy of study , but the need for deeper examination of the value these buildings have had to their parishioners and community cannot be
understated . Many of the congregations have moved on from these churches — built more modern buildings and vacated their original structure — or they are dwindling and cannot afford to maintain these buildings . There are many stories that surround these churches , and they must be captured and preserved , providing depth and substance to the buildings they occupied , while it is still possible .
1 . Wright , Richard . 12 Million Black Voices . New York : Basic Books , 2008 , p . 130-131 .
2 . Hunter , Christopher . “ The First African Baptist Church : A Study of the Architectural Design and Construction of a 19th Century Church House .” Masters Thesis , Texas A & M University , 2015 . Texas A & M University Libraries http :// oaktrust . library . tamu . edu / handle / 1969.1 / 155727
3 . First African Baptist Church Website . https :// firstafricanbc . com / history . php
4 . Hunter , Christopher . “ The First African Baptist Church : A Study of the Architectural Design and Construction of a 19th Century Church House .” Masters Thesis , Texas A & M University , 2015 . Texas A & M University Libraries http :// oaktrust . library . tamu . edu / handle / 1969.1 / 155727
Notes
5 . McDonogh , Gary Wray . Black and Catholic in Savannah , Georgia . Knoxville , Tennessee : The University of Tennessee Press , 1993 .
6 . Savannah Morning News Timeline 1800s ( 2010 ) Savannah Morning News . http :// savannahnow . com / 1800s-anniversarystories / 2010-03-26 / savannah-morningnews-timeline-1800s .
7 . Thompson , Robert Farris . Flash of the Spirit : African and Afro American Art and Philosophy . New York . Vintage Publishing , 1984 .
8 . 2020 United States Census 9 . Ibid .
10 . Allen R . Durough . “ The Architectural Legacy of Wallace A . Rayfield .” Tuscaloosa , Alabama . The University of Alabama Press , 2010 , 1 .
11 . “ African American Architects A Biographical Dictionary 1865-1945 ”. Edited by Dreck Spurlock Wilson . New York , New York , Routledge Publishing , 2004 , 338 .
12 . Ibid ., 338 .
13 . Ashley Boyd . “ Work of Tuscaloosa ’ s first black architect shines in churches ,” Tuscaloosanews . com . Posted on January 31 , 2010 . http :// www . tuscaloosanews . com / news / 20100131 / work-of-tuscaloosasfirst-black-architect-shines-in-churches . Accessed May 29 , 2018 .
14 . Allen R . Durough . “ The Architectural Legacy of Wallace A . Rayfield .” Tuscaloosa , Alabama . The University of Alabama Press , 2010 , 32 .
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