Bronzeville in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ Building

1922, original building; 1927, second floor added

— Chicago Landmark —

Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ Building Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, September 28, 2026

1. Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ Building Marker

Inscription. This church building was the location, in early September 1955, of the open-casket visitation and funeral for Emmett Till, an African-American teenager from Chicago who was murdered while visiting relatives in Mississippi. His brutal, racially-motivated killing was a catalytic moment in the modern civil-rights movement, drawing thousands of mourners to the visitation and funeral and horrifying countless others who saw photographs of his badly-mutilated body in African-American publications such as Jet magazine.

Designated on March 29, 2006
Richard M. Daley, Mayor

Erected by Commission on Chicago Landmarks, City of Chicago.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Communications • Religion & Religious Structures. In addition, it is included in the Illinois, Chicago Landmarks Commission series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1922.

Location. 41° 49.27′ N, 87° 37.572′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Bronzeville. It is on South State Street north of East 41st Street, on the right when traveling

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north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 4021 South State Street, Chicago IL 60609, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Chicago’s South Side and in Chicago’s Bronzeville.

It is also in the American Midwest.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Great Lakes,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Roberts Temple (a few steps from this marker); Andrew "Rube" Foster (approx. 0.3 miles away); Wendell Phillips High School (approx. 0.4 miles away); Richard Wright (approx. 0.4 miles away); Adrinka Symbols (approx. 0.4 miles away); Casmere Lazzeroni (approx. 0.4 miles away); Giles-Calumet (approx. half a mile away); Eugene Temple (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.

Regarding Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ Building. In August 1955,

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, September 28, 2026

2. Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ Building Marker

14-year-old Emmett Till, who lived in Chicago, was visiting cousins in Money, Mississippi. Accused of having flirted with a white woman at a grocery store, on August 28, Till was abducted, brutally beaten and then shot in the head, with his body tossed into the Tallahatchie River. The two white men accused of the murders, half-brothers Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, were later acquitted of the murder by an all-white jury, but later admitted their guilt in a magazine interview.

Meanwhile, about a week after his death, Till's body was returned to Chicago. His stricken mother, Mamie, insisted on an open-casket visitation and funeral for her son, telling the funeral director, "Let the people see what I have seen." An estimated 50,000 to 100,000 mourners descended upon Roberts Temple over several days in September 1955 for the viewing the funeral.

The Chicago Landmark designation was an early step in remembering this historic structure and later facilitating its renovation. In 2023, Roberts Temple was selected as one of three sites — the other two are in Mississippi — for the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument. The other two

Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, September 28, 2026

3. Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ

The church is included in the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument, which also includes two sites in Mississippi that were related to his killing in 1955.

spots are the place on the Tallahatchie River where Till's body is believed to have been recovered, and the courthouse in Sumner, Miss., where the trial of those accused of killing him was held in 1955.

Meanwhile, renovations completed in 2026 restored the church to its 1955 appearance — most notably with the installation of a replica of the neon sign that was affixed to its front at the time of Till's funeral.

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker. Mamie Till-Mobley statue in Summit, Illinois

Also see . . .
1. History of Roberts Temple.

Excerpt: "In 1915, Elder William Roberts came to Chicago to investigate the city where many said it was impossible for a Church of God to be planted. Roberts had the courage to do just that. Mother Lillian Brooks Coffee was also instrumental in convincing Bishop C.H. Mason, Founder of the Church of God In Christ, to send Elder Roberts, then Assistant Pastor of Bishop Mason’s church in Memphis, to pastor a congregation of 13 people in Chicago. Roberts soon brought his family to Chicago to join him in 1917."

(Submitted on September 28, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

2. Emmett Till Funeral Kiosk: Image Descriptions.

Roberts Temple sign image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, September 28, 2026

4. Roberts Temple sign

This replica of the one affixed to the building in 1955 was erected in 2026, part of a renovation that restored the church's facade to its appearance at the time of the Emmett Till funeral.

Several images related to the return of Till's body to Chicago and his subsequent public viewing and funeral. (Submitted on September 28, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

3. Historic Neon Sign Returns to Roberts Temple, Marking Major Restoration Milestone at Till Landmark. A 2026 article by the National Trust for Historic Preservation discusses the restoration of the facade at Roberts Temple, where Emmett Till's open-casket viewing and funeral were held in 1955.

Excerpt: "The Action Fund has been a leading force in preserving places connected to Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley. Since 2017 the Action Fund, supported by the Mellon Foundation and The Lilly Endowment Inc., has invested nearly $1.75 million in grant funding to expand programming and capacity at the Emmett Till Interpretive Center in Mississippi, preserve the Till family home in Chicago, and support the stabilization and restoration of Roberts Temple."

(Submitted on September 28, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)

Emmett and Mamie Till photo near Roberts Temple image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Sean P. Flynn, September 28, 2026

5. Emmett and Mamie Till photo near Roberts Temple

This rendering of the photo of Emmett Till and his mother is printed on an old train embankment just north of the Roberts Temple, which is on the far right of the photo.

Emmett and Mamie Till image. Click for full size.

Special Collections & Archives, Florida State University Libraries, circa 1955

6. Emmett and Mamie Till

Credits. This page was last revised on September 28, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 28, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 13 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 28, 2026, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. 6. submitted on January 9, 2025, by Sean P. Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.