Renovations begin on Emmett Till's home in Chicago

CHICAGO - Groundbreaking for the remodeling of Emmett Till’s childhood home in Woodlawn took place Sunday.

"We had a murder, we had a movement and now we have a museum", said "Blacks in Green" founder Naomi Davis. 

The Emmett and Mamie Till Mobley House will include a museum, garden and theater. 

Twelve members of Till’s family attended the event, including his second cousin Ollie Gordon who lived in the home with Till as a child. 

"He loved to make people laugh. He was a jokester," said Gordon. 

At just 14 years old, Emmett was severely beaten and abducted. His body was then thrown in the Tallahatchie River after he allegedly whistled at a white woman in Mississippi.

Till’s mother insisted on an open-casket funeral.

The event drew thousands of onlookers, which helped to spark the Civil Rights Movement.

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"We have gotten many liberties and won many battles because of his death so I see that we’ve got justice in many ways", Gordon said. 

The celebration included an art exhibition, face painting and drawing. A local farm also bought animals to the neighborhood including rabbits and horses.

FOX 32 also met Dream Biggs, whose grandmother lives nearby. 

He knew Till’s story and said he was inspired to work hard and live up to his name.

The museum is expected to open in 2025.