Home of Emmett Till, Black teen murdered by white mob in 1955, granted landmark status

CHICAGO -- Emmett Till's former Chicago home was granted landmark status.

Till, at age 14, was brutally killed by a white mob while visiting relatives in Mississippi in 1955. His murder helped fuel the Civil Rights Movement.

Chicago's City Council approved landmark status for the Victorian-era two-flat on the 6400-block of South St. Lawrence of the city's Woodlawn neighborhood Wednesday.

RELATED: Emmett Till's legacy lives on 65 years after Chicago teen killed in Mississippi

Eight years to the day before MLK Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, 14-year-old Emmett Till was lynched and thrown from a Mississippi bridge for allegedly whistling at a white woman.

It was home to Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, whom lived on the second floor. Other relatives lived on the first and garden levels.

Mamie Till-Mobley lived in the house for several more years. However, neglect took a toll on the house and it is now vacant.

Landmark status will keep the historic home from being demolished. There are plans to turn it into a museum.

The video featured in the player above is from an earlier report.