Emmett Till house poised to take first step toward official landmark status
Emmett Till with his mother Mamie Till-Mobley
The Chicago house of Emmett Till, whose brutal murder in Mississippi helped spark the civil rights movement, is expected to take the first step toward official city landmark status on December 3, 2020.
The Commission on Chicago Landmarks will consider a recommendation for the house, at 6427 S. St. Lawrence Ave., beginning a multistep process that would protect it from significant changes or demolition.
The expected vote will take place days after the 65th anniversary of Till’s murder on Aug. 28, 1955 and against the backdrop of nationwide unrest sparked by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha.
The red brick two-flat was the home of Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, before he traveled to Mississippi in the summer of 1955 to visit relatives. The 14-year-old was tortured and murdered for allegedly whistling at a white woman at a convenience store.
Till’s mother chose an open-casket funeral to show mourners, and the world, the horror and violence her son endured.
Built in 1895 in the West Woodlawn neighborhood, Till’s home “is an important reminder of Chicago’s connection to the South and the Civil Rights movement that continues today to seek justice for the Emmett Tills of this nation. The memory of Emmett Till, and the contributions of his mother Mamie Till-Mobley since his death, are essential to telling the story of equity and justice in America,” says the final draft of a staff report to the commission.
Till and his mother lived in a three-bedroom apartment on the house’s second floor, according to the report.
The nonprofit advocacy group Preservation Chicago backed an unsuccessful 2017 effort to recognize the house as a city landmark.
“This is more important than ever, realizing the social injustice and social unrest that we’re seeing in our city and across the nation,” Ward Miller, the group’s executive director, said Tuesday. “We keep hearing Emmett Till’s name tied to all of these issues that we’re seeing in these protests. It’s amazing that 65 years later, Emmett Till is still part of the conversation.”
The City Council has the final say on whether a building is granted protected status.
Cook County property records show that the house sold in 2019 for $107,000 to BMW Properties. Initial attempts to reach the owner Tuesday were unsuccessful.
According to city building permit and inspection records, the property has undergone a series of recent renovations. In the past, it has been cited for numerous code violations, including a mouse infestation and a lack of carbon monoxide detectors in 2018.
The red brick two-flat was the home of Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, before he traveled to Mississippi in the summer of 1955 to visit relatives. The 14-year-old was tortured and murdered for allegedly whistling at a white woman at a convenience store.
