Architecture Review Board approves moisture‑mitigation work at Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church

Maggie Bjorgum, an architect with Belinda Stewart Architects, told the Architecture Review Board that Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church received a National Park Service grant in 2023 to support restoration efforts and that moisture intrusion on the east (Decatur Street) side is causing interior deterioration.

"We are proposing to install new gutters and downspouts on the East side where the site is most vulnerable to moisture intrusion," Bjorgum said, describing a half‑round copper gutter and downspouts tied into existing cast‑iron hubs and noting that steeple restoration and replacement of vinyl siding with cementitious lap siding are ad alternates dependent on available roof replacement funds.

Board members discussed the siding finish before voting. The chair (Speaker 1) and staff confirmed the project specification calls for smooth cementitious siding rather than textured. A board member (Speaker 3) moved to approve the project "as submitted." The motion was seconded and the chair declared the motion passed; no roll‑call tally was recorded in the transcript.

The approval allows the applicant to bid the roof work with the ad alternates; the gutter and downspout installation and steeple work will proceed only if they come in within budget and the roof replacement funding is available.