POMONA, Calif. — The City of Pomona may soon have its first Black historic landmark.

Resident Gary Lett applied to preserve a church building located at 841 S. Main St. which was once a cultural hub of the local Black community.

“We, as an African-American community, our legacies are slowly dying out and structures are being torn down and then, therefore, we are losing something we once had,” Lett said. “So to preserve this building will actually preserve the legacy.”

The church was built in 1923 as Mount Zion Baptist Church during a time census data shows only eight Black families living in the city. Those families built the church, and it later housed events and meetings of the local NAACP branch.

The Mount Zion congregation has since moved to another building and now Greater New Foundation Fellowship Church worships inside the building.

Lett wants to preserve the church’s legacy and the Pomona Historic Preservation Commission agrees. The Commission voted unanimously at a July meeting. Commissioner Chara Swodeck says the Pomona City Council will have the final vote of whether the building will become what they believe is the first Black historic landmark in the city.

“To have a space like this that actually stood the test of time, that had the support of the community and this is where they went to on a regular basis that was part of that thread that just kept tying everyone together — that’s beautiful,” Swodeck said. “It’s not something that you want to see just torn down.” 

The owner of the church property has mixed feelings. She wrote a letter to the commission expressing while she likes the idea of the project, the historic designation may make the property hard to sell because preservation restrictions will be placed on the building. She told Spectrum News this is an investment property she plans to sell soon and use the money to retire out of state.

The Pomona City Council is expected to decide if the church will become a historic landmark in August.