What was the name of the church destroyed in the 1963 Birmingham bombing that killed four girls?

The church destroyed in the 1963 Birmingham bombing was the 16th Street Baptist Church.

On September 15, 1963, a bomb planted by members of the Ku Klux Klan exploded beneath the church’s steps. Four girls—Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley—were killed. More than 20 other people were injured.

The church was an important meeting place during Birmingham’s civil rights campaign because of its size and central location. Its basement served as a gathering area for young people participating in demonstrations against segregation. The bombing shocked the nation and intensified pressure for federal civil rights legislation.

The case remained unresolved for decades. Robert Chambliss was convicted in 1977; Thomas Blanton and Bobby Cherry were convicted in 2001 and 2002. The tragedy is sometimes confused with attacks on other Birmingham churches, but the 16th Street Baptist Church was the site of this bombing.