ILLINOIS HISTORIC SITES COUNCIL APPROVES BLACK PANTHER PARTY LANDMARK NOMINATION
Leila Wills co-founded the Historical Preservation Society of the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party and leads its Landmarking Committee. She, Mikey Spehn, and Adam Yunis have been working on the nomination for three years. Amy Hathaway, Survey and National Register Specialist from the Illinois Preservation Office worked with Wills to ensure the nomination followed state guidelines. The NPS has 45 days to accept or reject the nomination. Once accepted, the historical record of the ILBPP will be added to the National Register of Historic Places as a Thematic Listing.
“We thank the members of the Illinois Chapter for working with us on this. For telling their stories, reading the document, and making needed corrections. We still have a few edits to make to the draft before it goes to the National Park Service,” said Wills.
Epiphany Center for the Arts, formerly called “The People’s Church,” has been on the National Register since 1998 for its architectural significance. Today, IHSAC approved amending the Church of the Epiphany listing to include the Black Panther Party’s historical significance. One significant event is Illinois Deputy Chairman Fred Hampton’s last speech at the church on December 3, 1969, before he was assassinated hours later by the FBI and police in a Westside apartment. Peoria’s Defense Captain Mark Clark was also killed in the raid.
Phase Two of the Landmarking Initiative is a fundraising campaign to place historical markers at significant locations where the buildings have been demolished: Chapter Headquarters 2350 W. Madison St., Southside Office 4233 S. Indiana, and the Spurgeon Jake Winters People’s Free Medical Center 3850 W. 16th St.
Phase Two also includes amending existing listings on the National Register to add ILBPP history, such as the listings for K-Town and Altgeld Gardens.
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