The New Guide Baptist Church was organized by Reverend Ike Kelly in the Scotlandville area of Baton Rouge in the early 20th century. The small group moved to a timber-framed church at this site on North 19th Street in 1914.
As the congregation grew during the 1920s. Reverend Thomas A. Levy worked to build a larger sanctuary and dedicated this facility in 1930.
During the 1960s, Greater New Guide Baptist Church became a gathering place where the African-American community met, organized, and created strategies to fight for their Civil Rights. Membership continued to grow into the 1970s and the congregation relocated to a larger facility.
The building now sits vacant with a leaking roof, rotted window sills, and bio-growth in between bricks and downspouts. Chez Fab Arts, a local arts non-profit, is hoping to change that and revive this site as a community space for artists and events.
Additional funding and support are needed to help address the conditions of the building before further programming may be developed.
For more information contact: