https://www.chicago.gov/city/en/sites/preservation-month/home/2026-preservation-excellence-awards.html#Waters
2026 Preservation Excellence Awards: Chicago's top historic preservation projects, programs, and practitioners will be celebrated at DPD's third annual Chicago Preservation Expo on Monday, May 18, at the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E. Washington St. Held in honor of Preservation Month, the awards showcase the best preservation work to advance through the Landmarks Commission's Permit Review Committee in the last year. The awards ceremony runs from 6–7 PM and will be emceed by WGN TV personality Ana Belaval. The awardees are listed below.
Muddy Waters House:
Kenwood
Considered by many to be the "Father of Chicago Blues," Muddy Waters was one of the most important figures in the development of electrified blues music worldwide. His impressive list of awards and commercial successes includes sixteen R&B chart hits with Chicago's Chess Records from 1947 to 1975.
Born McKinley Morganfield in 1913, Muddy's house on Lake Park Avenue was the only residence the musician ever owned in Chicago. It became an unofficial center of artistic activity for blues musicians. Band members, including Otis Spann, James Cotton, Little Walter, and Paul Oscher, stayed at the house, while lodging and food were also shared with traveling musicians such as Howlin' Wolf, Chuck Berry, and countless other artists.
In 2021, the house was designated a Chicago landmark with the support of Muddy's great-granddaughter, Chandra Cooper, who owned the home and envisioned creating a museum inside. With assistance from a $250,000 Adopt-A-Landmark grant, as well as other financing and in-kind donations, Ms. Cooper focused on high-priority repairs to get the house ready for visitors. This included work on the historic masonry and new windows matching the original profiles. The bay on the front elevation was reclad to match its appearance when Muddy lived there, and extensive interior work was done, including an entirely new HVAC system.
Future phases of the project will focus on museum programming, a jam space, an educational recording studio, and office space. When completed as the Muddy Waters Mojo Museum, the building will be a place for music, learning, and community events.
The project team included Ed Torrez (Arda Design), Mike Mitchell (contractor), and the building's owner. Initial work was completed in 2026.
Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ, 4021 S. State St., Grand Boulevard
Grand Boulevard (Bronzeville)
The Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ building had an extensive history leading up to Emmett Till's funeral in September 1955. The church was built as a one-story structure by South Side architect Edward G. McClellan and later expanded in 1927 to include a large second-floor sanctuary. An additional full expansion was completed one year later, and a final remodel was completed in 1943.
Roberts Temple is best known as the location of the funeral and visitation for Emmett Till after the 14-year-old was murdered by lynching in Mississippi. Mississippi authorities originally planned to bury Emmett locally. Still, his mother, Mamie Till Bradley, insisted that his body be brought home to Chicago for an open casket funeral and later, burial. Ms. Bradley requested that the funeral be held at Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ, with the Rev. Isaiah Roberts presiding. Emmett's death was widely covered by local and national press, and many Chicagoans were outraged by the murder of the young boy, wishing to pay their respects. At least 2,000 mourners assembled inside the church, and as many as 5,000 additional people gathered outside. The event was an important catalyst for individuals seeking social and political justice and equality for African Americans, and the building exemplifies the importance of Emmett Till's tragic death to the Civil Rights Movement in the United States.
In the 1990s, the church's front façade was reclad in tan face brick. The church congregation wanted to honor its history and restore its exterior to how it looked at Emmett's funeral in 1955. Exterior work began in 2024, including masonry and window restoration of the front façade. The project team retained and recognized the distinct elements of the church's evolution across various periods, renewing its role as a place of worship and a center for education, reflection, and community engagement.
The project team included Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ, Arda Design (architect), and Berglund Construction (contractor). The work received a grant from the National Trust for Historic Preservation's African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund to assist with project costs.
Today, the building is a beacon of optimism that reflects its storied legacy and the history of greater Bronzeville.
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