African Meeting House
Interior Elevation
African Meeting House
Exterior
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The 5,400 square-foot Meeting House, built and opened in 1806, is the oldest extant African American church building in the nation constructed primarily by free black artisans. Over more than two hundred years, the African Meeting House has served the diverse communities in the neighborhood, as a church, school, and vital meeting place for Boston’s African American community in the 1800s, and a synagogue for the Jewish community during the twentieth century. Acquired by the Museum in 1972, it is the crown jewel in the Museum’s collection of historic sites.
The Museum is indebted to Governor Patrick and Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar who worked together to secure an award of $4 million from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and the National Park Service. With these funds, almost 175 jobs will have been created during this historic restoration. The Museum also received major grants from the 1772 Foundation, American Express, Bank of America, EMC, Liberty Mutual, National Grid, State Street Bank, Walmart, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the Mabel Louise Riley and Webster Foundations, as well as Mayor Menino’s Office and the Massachusetts Cultural Facilities Fund. This support provided the foundation and the momentum to secure ARRA funding for the restoration.
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