Saving the building
On October 14, 1993, Woolworth announced that it would close over 700 stores nationwide, including the downtown Greensboro location. A Woolworth spokesperson initially said that the company was interested in helping to preserve the building as a historic landmark.[7] The lunch counter served its last meals on October 23, with the Rev. Jesse Jackson among hundreds who gathered there on the final day, singing "We Shall Overcome" minutes before the closure at 5 p.m.[8] The store as a whole closed on January 22, 1994.[9]
In November 1993, Guilford County commissioner Melvin "Skip" Alston proposed turning the building into an African-American historical museum. This was opposed by some of Alston's fellow commissioners, one of whom said that it would "even further deepen the crevices between the races".[10] In December, Alston suggested a compromise, turning the building into a civil rights museum rather than one dedicated to African-American history more broadly. This second proposal was unanimously approved by the commission.[11] Alston and Greensboro city councilman Earl Jones then co-founded Sit-In Movement, Inc., a nonprofit organization devoted to the purpose of creating a civil rights museum on the site.[12] Days before the store closed in January 1994, First Citizens Bank, which owned the building, agreed to sell it to Sit-in Movement, Inc.[13]
During the removal of store fixtures in February 1994, a section of the counter with four stools was removed for donation to the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History.[6]
The International Civil Rights Center and Museum was originally projected to open in 1996. Attorney and community archivist James P. Mayes was appointed as the executive director of Sit-in Movement, Inc., in May 1995, responsible for leading the fundraising of $10 million for the museum's construction.[14] However, Mayes' contract was terminated in September, with Alston and Jones accusing him of failure to meet the project's fundraising goals. Mayes told the Greensboro News & Record that the organization was in "disarray", allegedly lacking basic financial record-keeping.[15] The museum's ambitious fundraising goals faced substantial delays. By January 2000, $2 million had been raised out of a fundraising target of $9.1 million, and all but $70,000 of that money had been spent. Alston and Jones were accused by local leaders of mismanagement and egoism, particularly after creating the Alston-Jones International Civil Rights Award. The two co-owners claimed that their critics were engaging in racism.[16]
In 2001, Sit-in Movement, Inc., and NC A&T announced a partnership to design and build the museum together.[17]
Financial difficulties
The museum project suffered financial difficulties for several years[18] despite millions of dollars in donations. These included more than $1 million from the State of North Carolina, a contribution from the Bryan Foundation, more than $200,000 each from the City of Greensboro and Guilford County,[19] and $148,152 from the U.S. Department of Interior through the National Park Service Agency's Save America's Treasures program in 2005.[20]
In fall 2007, Sit-in Movement, Inc. requested an additional $1.5 million (~$ in ) from the City of Greensboro; the request was rejected.[21] Greensboro residents twice voted down bond referendums to provide money for the project.
In 2013, the city agreed to a $1.5 million loan, with the condition that an amount equal to money raised "outside the normal course of business" by the museum from September 2013 to July 2015 would be forgiven. A June 24, 2016 memo from City Manager Jim Westmoreland and Mayor Nancy Vaughn said the museum raised $612,510 and owed $933,155, with the first $145,000 payment due June 30, and the remainder by February 2018.
Fundraising and opening
As the 50th anniversary of the sit-ins grew closer, efforts increased to complete the project. Over $9 million in donations and grants were raised. In addition, the museum qualified for historic preservation tax credits, which were sold for $14 million. Work on the project proceeded and was completed in time for the 50th-anniversary opening.[26]
The ICRCM opened on February 1, 2010, on the 50th anniversary of the original sit-in, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. A religious invocation was spoken by Rev. Jesse Jackson Jr. The three surviving members of the Greensboro Four (McCain, McNeil, and Khazan) were guests of honor. Assistant Attorney Thomas Perez represented the White House. Speakers included Perez, U.S. Senator Kay Hagan and N.C. Governor Beverly Perdue.[27][28]
