TWO CHILDHOOD FRIENDS ARE COMING TOGETHER TO BUILD COMMUNITY CENTER

Marques “Merk” Elliston and Cher’Don Reynolds aim to buy the former Strangers Home Missionary Baptist Church located on the north side of Chicago. Elliston and Reynolds are spearheading a project to revitalize and preserve the building and convert it into a creative and business hub called the Cabrini Art House: a place for storytelling, creative projects, celebration and education.

Elliston and Reynolds ar lifeleong friends that grew up in the Cabrini-Green public housing complex. Some of you may remember this notable nieghborhood from the horror film “Candyman” originally released in the 1990s. For these two this is more than just a film setting, its a place they called home.

“Our vision for this project is to not only reclaim land in the area in which we were raised, but to make it a safe haven for former and current residents,” Reynolds said. “And to use art to connect people, to bring back the culture of the community and to use this land as a way to learn about the old and the new.”

According to Block Club Chicago, Elliston and Reynolds are raising money to buy the building and have partnered with a handful of organizations. With an estimated total cost for the project at $5 million, Elliston and Reynolds are splitting their fundraising campaign into phases. They’ve raised $15,000 so far of their initial $150,000 goal.

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