From The Tribune staff reports
BIRMINGHAM — A ribbon-cutting ceremony celebrating the restoration of the historic A.G. Gaston motel will take place on Thursday, June 30, at 10 a.m., revealing the restored exterior of the motel and courtyard, the 1968 wing with the restored coffee shop, dining room, and a special exhibition. The second phase of the A.G. Gaston Motel restoration project is now substantially complete.
Birmingham Mayor Randall L. Woodfin will be joined by Congresswoman Terri Sewell as well as several other local, state, and federal dignitaries. Following the ribbon-cutting, a tour of an exhibit in tribute to the life of A.G. Gaston, as well as several panel discussions, will take place.
“This is a proud day for Birmingham,” Woodfin said. “The Gaston Motel has a special place in history and in the hearts of our residents as well as people across the country. Now, new memories and a new history can be written.”
The A.G. Gaston Motel is the key historic site of the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument, a collaborative partnership of the National Park Service, the City of Birmingham, and the Historical Preservation Authority. It is the centerpiece of the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument, which was established in 2017 by President Barack Obama.
The City of Birmingham committed $10 million to restore the motel. In addition, the Mellon Foundation awarded a $1.1 million grant to the City for the restoration of the coffee shop, dining room, and exhibit. Restoration of the coffee shop will provide an operational facility to serve food and beverages for residents and tourists, and the original dining room will serve as the location of the permanent exhibit on the life and legacy of Dr. A.G. Gaston. The Gaston Motel’s multi-phase restoration began in 2019 on the 1954 wing of the hotel. The A.G. Gaston Construction Company, a legacy company of Dr. Gaston, was contracted to undertake the restoration.
“We celebrate the three-year restoration of the A.G. Gaston Motel as a crowning achievement of the preservation of Birmingham’s civil rights history,” Senior director of the city’s Division of Social Justice and Racial Equity, Denise E. Gilmore, said. “Mayor Woodfin’s steadfast commitment to ensure that the legacy of the Gaston Motel and Dr. Gaston would once again be a gathering place for the community demonstrates exceptional leadership. The restoration is a collaborative effort by city, federal, non-profit, professional service providers, and community stakeholders, and we are grateful for a successful outcome.”
Renowned Birmingham businessman A.G. Gaston originally opened the motel on July 1, 1954, and it quickly became one of the city’s main black establishments. Gaston, Birmingham’s first African American millionaire, opened the motel to offer first-class lodging, entertainment, and dining options for African Americans traveling through a segregated South.
Gaston frequently opened the motel’s guest rooms to civil rights activists. Room 30 became known as the “War Room,” where Project C was strategized by the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and other civil rights leaders. It was in that room where King decided to defy a court injunction and be jailed alongside local protesters — a move that led to his famous “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”
In addition, celebrities such as Aretha Franklin, Duke Ellington, James Baldwin, and Harry Belafonte stayed at the motel. The facility eventually closed in 1986.
Schedule of events:
- 10:00 a.m.: A.G. Gaston Ribbon Cutting
- 10:30 a.m.: A.G. Gaston Exhibit Reveal
- 11:00 a.m.: “Looking Back – Memories of Dr. A.G. Gaston.”
- Moderator – Bob Dickerson, Chair, A.G. Gaston Boys & Girls Club
- Rochelle Gaston Malone, Gaston Family
- Odessa Woolfolk, Gaston Friend
- James Poindexter, Gaston Construction Company Employee
- 11:30 a.m.: Make It Happen Theater Company – “The Life and Legacy of Dr. A.G. Gaston.”
- 11:45 a.m.: “Looking Ahead – A.G. Gaston Motel.”
- Moderator – Denise E. Gilmore, Senior Director, Division of Social Justice & Racial Equity, City of Birmingham
- Brent Leggs, Executive Director AACHAF & SVP, National Trust for Historic Preservation
- Carlton Eley, Senior Director for Federal Strategies, Race Forward
- Kristofer Butcher, Superintendent, Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument