Emmett Till's childhood home in Chicago's Woodlawn neighborhood is now an official city landmark following a vote by City Council Wednesday.
The second floor of the Victorian-era two flat in the 6400 block of South St. Lawrence was home to Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley.
Till was a 14-year-old Chicago teen who was kidnapped and lynched by a white mob for allegedly whistling at a white woman while visiting relatives in Mississippi in 1955.
The home had been granted preliminary landmark status by the Commission on Chicago Landmarks in September, which marked 65 years since Till’s funeral was held.
“This recommendation is timely, not only for the anniversary today, but also for the current reckoning with racism in America,” said Matt Crawford, city architectural historian of the Chicago landmarks division.
The designation will protect the exterior elevation of the structure, including
rooflines, from significant alteration or demolition, according to the council.
