The restoration of the AG Gaston Motel will renew the building’s role as a meeting place for promoting human and civil rights around the world. (Joe Songer, for the Birmingham Times)
By Michael Sznajderman
Alabama News Center
Closed for decades, it looks more like an urban corruption than a beacon of Birmingham’s civil rights legacy.
But change is underway at the historic AG Gaston Motel, which will soon be a centerpiece of the ever-evolving Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument.
Within the confines of the motel was the “War Room” used by the Revs. Martin Luther King Jr., Fred Shuttlesworth, Ralph Abernathy, and other civil rights activists during the 1963 nonviolent civil actions that ultimately broke Birmingham’s policy of segregated public housing. These efforts were met with stiff and violent opposition from police, led by Eugene “Bull” Connor, Public Safety Commissioner.
This spring, the City of Birmingham and the National Park Service (NPS) completed an exterior restoration of the motel, including a replica of the original neon sign (this is illuminated by LEDs). But there is much more to come.
Gaston built the first part of the building in 1954 and expanded it later. His goal was to create a modern, world-class motel where blacks could comfortably sleep, eat, and enjoy world-class entertainment. In its heyday, the motel had a coffee shop, restaurant, and cocktail lounge that featured entertainers such as Little Richard and Stevie Wonder. Bham Wiki notes that guests at the motel included Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Harry Belafonte, Johnny Mathis, Nat King Cole, Aretha Franklin, and Jackie Robinson. In 1962, future Secretary of State Colin Powell and his bride Alma spent their wedding night at the motel.
On May 11, 1963, when civil rights activists and business leaders from Birmingham reached a compromise to desegregate the motel, the motel was bombed. The destination was King, who stayed at the motel many times but had left earlier. Several people were injured. On the same day, King’s brother, Rev. AD King, home in Ensley was bombed with an incendiary bomb.
Kathryn Gardiner, ranger for the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument, called the Gaston Motel a “space of community … a space of resilience … a space of remembrance.” She said the motel was an information point for national and international media during the Birmingham campaign. Through these reporters, King, Shuttlesworth, and other leaders “spoke to the heart of the nation,” Gardiner said.
“It put a spotlight on the rest of the nation on what was happening in the south, raw and painful as it was.”
Gardiner said the NPS is taking a balanced approach, working with partners in developing plans for the motel and the National Monument to share the broader history of civil and human rights in Birmingham – a story shared by several places outside the city center the city includes rights district.
“This story goes way beyond the National Monument’s footprint,” said Gardiner. “We want to make sure we are telling a truly holistic story – raising the voices of the people and institutions that are critical to mission.
“We want people to have an immersive experience … immerse people in life back then,” she said. “We want to shed light on what happened in the city.”
The National Park Service recently completed a public comment phase to gather input on restoring the motel and for more comprehensive recommendations for the monument, its exhibits, and operations. The information gathered online and during virtual meetings will feed into more detailed plans and renderings, which are expected to be available later this year. After an additional comment period, a final plan is expected to be presented in spring 2022.
Meanwhile, NPS officials are refining plans for a temporary exhibition slated to open in the motel courtyard this fall.
“Sharing these stories now is critical to our mission,” said Gardiner. NPS officials are also working to finalize a Junior Ranger guide on the memorial that will help tell the story as the physical memorial comes together.
“Our goal is to really enlarge what has happened in the church across town. We want to encourage people to dive deep into the city of Birmingham and see the places where history unfolded, ”said Gardiner.
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