Plans to open the Gospel Music Hall of Fame on North Kingshighway are moving forward with a goal to expand the museum from one building into a plaza.
Phase 1 will likely open in early 2026 in one of the buildings and include a few artifacts, renderings for the next few phases and a gift shop, said Monica Butler, the Gospel Music Hall of Fame founder. The museum will open in the Holy Corners District, an area of the Central West End named for the houses of worship in the area.
The Hall of Fame is partnering with the Missouri History Museum and is looking to collect dresses, organs, music and newspaper clippings from gospel artists throughout history, Butler said.
"We have not had the opportunity to preserve the history of those who have paved the way, giving them their recognition," Butler said. "So we're excited about continuing to be able to do that."
Butler is working with PGAV Destinations, a design firm that developed a first draft of a master plan for the complex to attract stakeholders and supporters.
"We really think that we can capture a great number of people that are our gospel music enthusiasts," PGAV Destinations Principal Diane Lochner said. "But we also want to capture people that love architecture, love the history of the Holy Corners District, who love the beautiful Baptist church and its detail."
Along with exhibit spaces, the plan includes performance venue spaces, a recording venue, rehearsal space, a museum restaurant and a hotel.
Lochner said it'll be a few years before the full museum opens. The Hall of Fame still needs to fundraise and construct and renovate spaces, including Second Baptist Church. The church was built in 1907 and has remained dormant for over a decade, but its steeple was damaged by a fire in 2021.
"Since then, we also decided that it would not just be one building, it will become a plaza for the Gospel Music Hall of Fame," Butler said.
Butler said the museum will also include a training component and will teach people how to become conservationists and preserve artifacts.
Future phases will include museum development and an educational program to teach people how to sing gospel music.
Last year, former Gov. Mike Parson approved $2 million to go toward developing the museum. Museum leaders have held gospel concerts and other events to raise money for the project and have held annual induction ceremonies honoring artists who have shaped Gospel music history.
This year's induction ceremony will commence at the America's Center Convention Complex in September, where more than 80 artists will be inducted, including Kirk Franklin, Yolanda Adams, the Clark Sisters and Willie Mae Ford Smith, a St. Louis gospel singer who was instrumental in the development of the genre.
"People that know music understand the roots of gospel and how important it is," Butler said. "So now for us to be able to have a facility where people could actually come and see that and feel it and feel the experience … all that will come back to you."
Copyright 2025 St. Louis Public Radio
