Below is a list of the five 2025 recipients, including, as provided by the Getty Foundation, brief descriptions of the sites and details about how the grant funding will be used. 

Founders Church of Religious Science | Los Angeles

Founders Church of Religious Science. Photo by Mark Clennon

Dedicated in 1960, the Founders Church of Religious Science was designed by Paul R. Williams, the first Black member of the American Institute of Architects. Its sleek, elliptical design was inspired by geometric forms that represented congregation founder Dr. Ernest Holmes’ teachings of wholeness, unity, and positivity. The nearly 20,000-square-foot reinforced concrete building has a grand steel-framed dome and concrete screen, and the interior design notably featured closed-circuit television—a brand-new technology at the time—that allowed churchgoers to watch and hear services outside the main auditorium. The site was designated as a Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument in 2002 and was listed in the National Register in 2020. An accessibility plan will enable more efficient use of the religious landmark and the potential to develop community engagement spaces.

ITC Administration Building | Atlanta

ITC Administration Building. Photo by Sheila Pree Bright

Georgia’s first licensed Black architect Edward C. Miller designed the Administration Building at the International Theological Center, a graduate school of theology composed of five predominantly Black denominational Christian seminaries. Completed in 1961, it is the oldest building on the center’s campus and features a modern brick facade. Funding will support a historic structures report, building assessments, and a reuse study to determine optimal future uses for the building, in addition to greater historical documentation of Miller’s groundbreaking career.

First Church of Deliverance | Chicago

First Church of Deliverance. Photo by Morgan Forde

A former hat factory, the First Church of Deliverance represents an innovative adaptive reuse project with an Art Moderne style that boldly departed from the architecture typically seen in places of worship. In 1939, the building was redesigned by Walter T. Bailey, the first licensed Black architect in Illinois. Its smooth surfaces, continuous lines, terracotta tiles, and glass blocks accentuate its streamlined form. The colorful glazed tiles represent one of the last major architectural installations of terra-cotta in Chicago. The interior was designed with functionality in mind, featuring a low ceiling and original acoustical plaster to augment the church’s radio broadcasts and gospel music. A Getty grant will support the Chicago landmark’s first comprehensive preservation plan and campus stewardship plan.

McKenzie Hall | Eugene, Oregon

McKenzie Hall.Photo by Brian Davies

The University of Oregon’s McKenzie Hall was designed in 1968 by DeNorval Unthank Jr., the first Black graduate of the university’s architecture school. Unthank was an architecture professor at UO and contributed to Eugene’s architectural heritage through the design of schools, public buildings, and business facilities including residence halls at the university and Lane County Courthouse. McKenzie Hall’s geometric, brick and exposed concrete construction is exemplary of the Brutalist style. A preservation and interpretation plan will inform the future conservation of the building as a historic resource, support educational events for the university and its local community, and recognize Unthank’s contribution to the campus’s design through an interpretive display.

Vassar College’s 2500 New Hackensack Building | Poughkeepsie, New York

2500 New Hackensack Building. Photo by Myles Studio Photography

The 2500 New Hackensack Building on Vassar College’s campus was designed by Jeh Vincent Johnson and completed in 1963. Johnson is a co-founder of the National Organization of Minority Architects, served on President Lyndon B. Johnson’s National Commission on Urban Problems, and chaired the National Committee on Housing for the American Institute of Architects. The building is exemplary of Black architects’ contributions to the modernist style and features a minimalist brick, steel, and glass construction. The project marked a pivotal moment in Johnson’s career, coinciding with his long-standing tenure as a professor of architectural design in the college’s art department. Funds will support a facilities management and preservation plan and deeper engagement with Johnson’s legacy on campus.