Montgomery Church Receives $500K Grant
The Mount Zion Center Foundation, Inc received another $500,000 grant.
Mount Zion A.M.E Zion Church is one step closer to curating the next Civil Rights attraction in Montgomery.
Officials have announced that the church has received a $500,000 grant to restore the Mount Zion A.M.E. Zion Church Memorial Annex.
The award represents the second $500K grant the group has received.
Plans are in the works to restore the church, built in 1899, and turn it into a Civil Rights Museum.
The museum  will preserve and promote the political, religious, social , and economic impact of the Mount Zion A.M.E. Church in the fight for civil rights.
Mount Zion A.M.E Zion church is known as the place where the Montgomery Improvement Associated was founded, and Dr. Matin Luther King Jr. was elected to his first leadership role in the civil rights movement as President of the MIA.
The church has played a significant role in Civil Rights and community advocacy since it was built in 1899.
In the Selma to Montgomery March, the Holt. St. sanctuary was the last stop for protesters before reaching the state capitol steps.
Here, marchers used restroom facilities and refreshments as they competed the last leg of the march.
Work will include the completion of interior and exterior work to restore the building to it’s original character while upgrading elements that ensure compliance to building codes.
The $500,000 grant was made possible through the African American Civil Rights Grants Program through the Historic Preservation Fund.
Officials say they are waiting for the National Park Service to approve their plans, then they will move forward with contracting.
The work is expected to be completed in just over one year.
The original Mt. Zion A.M.E. Zion Church was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.
