Chicago church that held Emmett Till's 1955 funeral listed among most endangered US structures

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The Chicago church that held the funeral and visitation for Emmett Till has been listed among the 11 most endangered historic places by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Till was a Chicago teen who was brutally killed by a white mob at the age of 14, while visiting relatives in Mississippi in 1955. His murder sparked the Civil Rights movement.

RELATED: Emmett Till's legacy lives on 65 years after Chicago teen killed in Mississippi

Eight years to the day before MLK Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, 14-year-old Emmett Till was lynched and thrown from a Mississippi bridge for allegedly whistling at a white woman.

A funeral and visitation for Till was held at the Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ was held from September 3-6, 1955. His mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, insisted on an open-casket funeral so that mourners could see hismutilated body.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation said the church has severe structural issues and is in need of rehabilitation and partnerships to remain viable long-term.

RELATED: Emmett Till's Chicago home in Woodlawn granted preliminary landmark status

Earlier this month, Till's Chicago home in Woodlawn was granted preliminary landmark status.

Emmett Till was a Chicago teen who was brutally killed by a white mob at the age of 14, while visiting relatives in Mississippi in 1955. His murder sparked the Civil Rights movement.

The other 10 buildings appearing on the list are: Alazan-Apache Courts in San Antonio, Texas; Hall of Waters, Excelsior Springs, Missouri; Harada House, Riverside, California; National Negro Opera Company House, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Ponce Historic Zone, Ponce, Puerto Rico; Rassawek, Columbia, Virginia; Sun-n-Sand Motor Hotel, Jackson, Mississippi; Terrace Plaza Hotel, Cincinnati, Ohio; West Berkeley Shellmound and Village Site, Berkeley, California and Yates Memorial Hospital, Ketchikan, Alaska.