Photo courtesy of Historic Boston Inc.

What: St. James African Orthodox Church
Where: 50 Cedar St., Roxbury
Owner: Roxbury Action Program
Built: 1910 

Nonprofit preservation group Historic Boston Inc. has sold a Roxbury church to the Roxbury Action Program for a new headquarters, office space for nonprofits and an incubator. 

The St. James African Orthodox Church church was designed by Boston architect Edward T.P. Graham for a Norwegian Evangelical congregation. In 1955, it changed hands and became the African Orthodox Church, an offshoot of Jamaican-born Black Nationalist Marcus Garvey’s Universal Negro Improvement Association. 

The property had been vacant for three years when Historic Boston bought it in 2018 from developer City Realty for $1.4 million. HBI repaired deteriorated floor structures, secured windows and doors, and replaced the roof to prevent additional water damage. 

HBI reached a sales agreement with Roxbury Action Program in 2022, pending the city of Boston’s placement of a historic preservation restriction on the property. The $1.65 million transaction closed in July. 

They Said It: 

“Thanks to the community’s mobilization and advocacy and HBI’s acquisition, the building is saved and protected and is positioned to be a wonderful community asset and a beautifully preserved historic place for Roxbury’s future.” 

— Kathy Kottaridis, executive director, Historic Boston Inc.