Community Asks: Why Hasn't Historic South Side Church Been Rebuilt?
(CBS) – There have been lots of promises, lots of pledges, but historic Pilgrim Baptist Church is still a shell.
This month marks the ninth anniversary of the fire that destroyed most of the church.
CBS 2'S Dorothy Tucker reports on the community's push to get church leaders to keep their promise to rebuild.
The demand is simple.
"We want our anchor restored. We want our anchor rebuilt," community activist Leonard McGee says of a petition drive to move the project forward.
An anchor since 1890, Pilgrim Baptist was known for its ornate architecture and rich history as the birth place of Gospel music.
An enormous fire on Jan. 6, 2006 consumed the building. Promises were immediate.
So were financial pledges. Then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich committed $1 million in funds.
The church never saw that money but there were plenty of other pledges, promises and plans. Yet nothing has happened.
Cynthia Jones is the vice president of the Pilgrim Baptist Board of Trustees. She says it's been difficult to raise the $33 million needed to restore the building.
She declined to say how much has been raised nor provide a timetable for the restoration project to be completed.
"If you ask me in three or four months, maybe we'll have a time frame for you," Jones tells Tucker.
Community members hope the petition will pressure church leaders to take action.