The Negro's church,.

116

The Negro's Church

buildings as good, while the largest number, 240, are in fair
condition.
The buildings that are definitely poor because they are in
need of repair, paint, and general renovation comprise 182, or
something over one-fourth, of the 609 churches.
Building Sites
The church sites are usually in Negro districts or neighborhoods. There are relatively few down-town churches for
Negroes. The great majority, in so far as their building sites
are concerned, are neighborhood churches. The Negro church,
like other racial churches, usually follows the neighborhood
expansion. And the number of churches found in white or
partly white neighborhoods is very small. Of the 609 urban
churches of this study 308, or one-half, are located in what
appear to be permanent Negro neighborhoods; 137, about
one-fourth, in localities in which the Negro residents are
increasing; and 108 in localities where the Negro population
is decreasing; while 33 are on the border of Negro neighborhoods. At least 78.3 per cent. of the churches are well located.
The remaining 21.7 per cent. are in white neighborhoods,
business sections, or depopulated Negro neighborhoods.
Building Interiors
The secondary impressions of the churches come from the
interior of these same buildings. The auditorium, which in
some churches is entered immediately from the street, sets the
standard for the building in virtually all churches and is the
main room. It is customarily the largest room in the building; and in 140, or about a quarter of the 609 urban churches,
it is the only room.
In addition to the 609 auditoriums, there are 2,241 rooms
in the 469 churches that have more than an auditorium.
These rooms are distributed according to use: 469 basements,
158 offices, 331 pastor's study rooms, 281 classrooms, and