Our Neighborhood

 The First Rising Mt. Zion Baptist Church has long been a beacon of stability in a changing neighborhood. In good times and in bad, boom years and bust, the church has stood tall in the Shaw community.

“We are a service organization,” said church member Harold Gilliard, current President of the First Rising Mt. Zion Baptist Church Housing Corp. “We are not a profit-making organization.” Housing has always been a critical part of the Church’s service mission.

Gibson Plaza Apartments (Gibson) was constructed in 1972 and named after Rev. Ernest R. Gibson, pastor of First Rising Mount Zion Baptist church. Rev. Gibson was a pastor, a community activist, and worked closely with the District’s Redevelopment Land Agency in his effort to redevelop the community in which he lived.

In 1968, commercial areas existed along with the 7^th, 9^th, and 11^th streets “streetcar” lines and served residents living in the nearby areas. This included the O Street Market at 7^th and O Street.

In 1968, the assassination of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. triggered rioting and fires in what is now known as the Shaw area and severely damaged the commercial areas. This was a significant turning point for the community and the community was perceived as being unsafe. The 7^th Street corridor was the hardest hit, sustaining so much damage that entire blocks were razed for redevelopment. Concurrently, the Shaw School Urban Renewal Plan called for the selective demolition of housing in poor condition. The majority of new development occurring in this area was built as part of the urban renewal plan on sites that replaced commercial blocks damaged during the riots. The plan guided the construction of affordable housing, new schools, libraries, and retail space. This is the atmosphere in which the Gibson Plaza Apartment development was born.

In 1969, the Church accepted a resolution for the organization of the First Rising Mt. Zion Baptist Church Non-Profit Housing Corporation, Inc. (FRCHC). This building was constructed as part of the effort to rebuild and spur redevelopment in this community after the riots. Additionally, there was a tremendous need for decent, safe, and affordable housing; the church began to determine ways to meet this need. The community-wide effort was led by Rev. Gibson, Rev. Fauntroy and Mrs. Marjorie Lawson, and many other partners from the community. In 1973 Gibson Plaza, a ten-story, 217-unit apartment building was dedicated.

In 2010, First Rising Mt. Zion Baptist Church received 30 million dollars in key financing to rehabilitate the aging Gibson Plaza Apartments in order to preserve its 217 affordable housing units. The rehab added 33 uniform federal accessibility standards (UFAS) units, energy-efficient windows, appliances, fixtures, high-efficiency heating, and ventilation units individually metered for gas and electricity.