Source: Houston Chronicle/Hearst Newspapers via Getty Images / Getty
Gospel Music Haus and Museum: It’s a new gospel museum headed to Houston’s Third Ward neighborhood!
The new gospel museum will be housed in what once was the former Wesley Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church — a well-known church in Houston originally built in 1952.
The city of Houston approved the purchase and resale on March 27 after three years of discussing the idea of what could become of the land. Organizations hope that the upcoming landmark will serve as a space for people to gather and take in the legacy and history of Gospel music through educational offerings, performances, special events, and music lessons. The museum follows in the footsteps of the Trap Music Museum in Atlanta and the National Museum of African-American Museum Music in Nashville, a couple museums catering to Black culture’s love and appreciation for Black music and its rich history.
Houston’s Gospel Music Haus and Museum is said to be the centerpiece of what’s coming to the Third Ward neighborhood, but the City of Houston and local developers have also initiated the building phase for up to 70 new 1-2 bedroom affordable housing condos next to the former church. Ten thousand square-feet of retail space and parking will also be added to the Gospel Square in the city’s effort to cater to people near and far.
During a gathering at St. John’s United Methodist Church Downtown on April 6, news of the upcoming developments in the Third Ward neighborhood were announced by U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee.
“What is happening in Houston today is a national phenomenon. We want this to be the place where you donate resources to build the most magnificent teaching and museum facility that you’ve ever seen outside of Washington D.C.,” Lee said.
Renovations are said to go into effect sometime in July. In order to hold on to a sliver of the history behind the walls of Wesley Chapel AME, the historic interior will be preserved throughout the renovations.
Gospel Music Haus and Museum: A New Gospel Museum Is Headed To Houston was originally published on elev8.com
