Friends of MTCC & Building Preservation Society
Friends of the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center
In 2008, a group of citizens came together to plan and conduct grand opening events in recognition of the newly rebuilt Mosaic Templars Cultural Center (MTCC). This vision was successfully carried out in September 2008 with a gala featuring the Count Basie Orchestra and a day of public celebratory events. Members of this working group soon realized, there is more work to be done to support the MTCC.
In 2009, several members of the initial working group began to meet to discuss ways in which our community could financially support unfunded activities of the MTCC. From these discussions, the Friends of the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center (FMTCC) was born. With the mission of developing and implementing strategies to raise funds in support of the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, the Friends Group as it is commonly referred, quickly decided to conduct an annual fundraiser to support programmatic needs of the MTCC.
In 2010, the FMTCC launched “An Evening with” as its signature annual fundraising event. The inaugural performer was the legendary Ramsey Lewis! Proceeds from this event have been used to support educational and public programs offered at MTCC. Other performers from “An Evening with” series include Najee (2011), Al Jarreau (2012), Ramona Smith (2013), The Last Southern Gentlemen Tour featuring Ellis and Delfeayo Marsalis (2014), and Dianne Reeves (2015).
The FMTCC consists of a group of volunteers that make up its Board of Directors.
Board of Directors
Martie North Hamilton, President
Tamika Silverman Edwards, Vice President
Vacant, Secretary
Anthony M. Moore III, Treasurer
Ryan Davis
Shannon Y. Heard
Emily Kearns
John Bush III (Honorary)
Quantia "Key" Fletcher, Ex Officio
MTCC Advisory Board
Ryan Davis
Renee Hubbard
Cicily McGee
Rhonda Mattox
Lee Miller
Katrina Owoh
Angela Roberson
Jennifer Siccardi
Deborah Springer-Suttlar
Join the Friends of MTCC
Friends of MTCC is an independent organization designed to raise funds in support of MTCC in its mission to preserve, interpret and celebrate Arkansas’s African American history and culture. Your membership will enable MTCC to expand its educational programs and exhibits that tell the story of African American life and achievement in Arkansas. Learn more at friendsofmtcc.com.
Complete a membership form and mail to address below with membership dues.
Friends of the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center
P.O. Box 3195 Little Rock, AR 72203-3195
In January 2005, the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center held a groundbreaking ceremony on the 1st floor of the Headquarters Building. Rehabilitation began the following month. A catastrophic fire on March 16, 2005 destroyed the historic structure. The once majestic brick structure was leveled and many feared that the decade long struggle to save the building and have a museum of African American history in Arkansas was over. But the Department of Arkansas Heritage immediately committed to move forward with the project and build a new structure on the historic site. Construction on the new facility began in November 2005 and was completed in September 2008.
Building Preservation Society
In the early 1990s, the Mosaic Templars of America National Headquarters in downtown Little Rock was in danger of being demolished. Built in 1913, the historic structure was one of three buildings at West Ninth and Broadway constructed by the Mosaic Templars of America, a fraternal organization dedicated to serving the African American community. Although it had been listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990, years of neglect left the building vulnerable.
In 1992, a group of concerned citizens came together to save it, forming the Mosaic Templars Building Preservation Society with the mission to secure, rehabilitate, and protect this important piece of Arkansas history. Their advocacy led to the City of Little Rock purchasing the property in 1993. By 2001, with strong support from the Arkansas Legislative Black Caucus, the Society successfully convinced the Arkansas General Assembly to fund the building’s restoration and create the Mosaic Templars of America Center for African American Culture and Business Enterprise—the fourth museum of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.
In January 2005, the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center held a groundbreaking ceremony on the first floor of the Headquarters Building, and rehabilitation began the following month. But tragedy struck on March 16, 2005, when a catastrophic fire destroyed the nearly century-old structure. The once majestic brick building was reduced to rubble, and many feared that more than a decade of work to preserve it, and to create Arkansas’s first museum dedicated to African American history, had come to an end.
Instead, the Department of Arkansas Heritage immediately reaffirmed its commitment to the project, vowing to rebuild on the same historic site. Construction of the new state-of-the-art facility began in November 2005 and was completed in September 2008. Today, the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center continues the mission of the Preservation Society—celebrating Black achievement, preserving African American heritage, and inspiring future generations.
MTCC is the only site within the Arkansas' State Government to share the history of Arkansas' African American community with a broad audience. By focusing on the successes within the African American community in business, politics, and the arts, MTCC serves as a mechanism for sharing the history and culture of Arkansas' African Americans and inspiring future generations.