Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church – Sweet Auburn

Description

Even without Martin Luther King, Jr., historic Ebenezer Baptist Church would be integral to the history of “Black Atlanta.” The church congregation dates back to the 1880s. The historic church building itself was built in the 1920s and remodeled and adapted throughout the course of the 20th century as the church in the Sweet Auburn neighborhood flourished. But, of course, there’s more to the larger than life story of the Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church. One of its most famous members, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., left a looming legacy over the civil rights movement and the church where he grew up and would later preach is important to people far beyond the community who call Sweet Auburn home.

The historic church today is part of a US National Park dedicated to MLK Jr. The congregation built a new sanctuary that was completed across the street from Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church in 1999. The original church is being preserved as Dr. King knew it to commemorate his legacy.

Even if you’ve never been to Sweet Auburn that classic sign that hangs over the entrance to Historic Ebenezer is iconic. Fittingly it was one of the first things that was restored to working order as the old church began its new life as an historic monument to the life of Dr. King. When I had a request to do a print depicting this particular landmark, the sign was the first image that sprang to mind. I knew without a doubt that would be the subject of my print honoring this particular piece of Atlanta’s history. There’s just something about those period lines and the vintage blue color that speaks to me. It’s very retro-modern now, but I suspect like me, you can picture the pride when that sign was first hung over the steps of the building can’t you?

I hope you enjoy this Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church print and I’d love to hear what makes the subject special to you, so please do pause to comment!