African American History Burns in Little Rock

Story by Margaret Foster / Mar. 16, 2005 Earlier today, a fire gutted a 94-year-old building that was the heart of an African American community in Little Rock, Ark. Booker T. Washington dedicated the building in 1913 as the headquarters of a fraternal organization called the Mosaic Templars of America, founded by freed slaves in 1882. In the 1950s, Ella Fitzgerald and Cab Calloway performed at the Mosaic Templars of America Headquarters. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990, the four-story, 22,800-square-foot brick building was being renovated as a cultural center. The final phase of work began earlier this month, and first two floors were scheduled to be completed by late next year. No archival material was inside the building, and no one was hurt in the blaze, which officials say fire started at 2:00 a.m. Full Story: http://www.nationaltrust.org/magazine/archives/arc_news_2005/031605.htm