National Register Nomination
Second Baptist Church of Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Completed 2023*
The Second Baptist Church of Detroit was formed in March 1836 by thirteen Black Detroiters, some of whom were formerly enslaved. As the first African American church in the state of Michigan, the church and its members played a pivotal role in the formation of other churches throughout Detroit and the state. Moreover, the church was an important station on the Underground Railroad in the nineteenth century and was an important location of civil rights activity in Detroit in the twentieth century. In 1968, the church undertook a significant expansion, constructing an adjacent educational building designed by a premier local Black architect, Nathan Johnson.
Cassandra and Katie co-wrote an update to the 1976 nomination which provided little information about the church’s involvement in twentieth century civil rights activities and did not include Johnson’s Brutalist style addition. The church’s archives, local newspapers, and oral histories with longtime members of the congregation were instrumental in crafting the nomination, and ensuring the church’s significant history is documented.
The National Register nomination can be found on the Michigan State Historic Preservation Office’s website, here.
*completed while employed at Kraemer Design Group