Emmett Till's Chicago home in Woodlawn granted landmark status

CHICAGO (WLS) -- Emmett Till's former Chicago home in the Woodlawn neighborhood has been granted landmark status.

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.

Chicago's City Council approved landmark status for the Victorian-era two flat in the 6400-block of South St. Lawrence Wednesday.

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.

It was home to Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, whom lived on the second floor. Other relatives lived on the first and garden levels.

Mamie Till-Mobley lived in the house for several more years. However, neglect took a toll on the house and it is now vacant.

Landmark status will keep the historic home from being demolished. There are plans to turn it into a museum.

The video featured in the player above is from an earlier report.