Tag: A.G. Gaston Motel
Jesse Jackson ‘Comes Home’ As He Returns to A.G. Gaston Motel
The civil rights icon found himself in Birmingham delivering a message worthy of his days stumping for justice alongside the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as the world marks 60 years since the events of Bloody Sunday.
Coffee Shop Opens on ‘Sacred Ground’ of the A.G. Gaston Motel
Leaders say the new business shines a spotlight on the broader Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument and extends Gaston’s entrepreneurial legacy.
The Historic A.G. Gaston Motel Comes Back to Life With a Coffee Shop and Exhibit
The motel opened in 1954 and became one of the city’s main Black establishments. The motel served as a first-class lodging, entertainment and dining hall for traveling Black people who came to Jim Crow Birmingham. Read more.
A.G. Gaston Motel Restoration Receives $1.1 Million Grant
The A.G. Gaston Motel restoration project has received a $1.1 million grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to go toward restoration of the interior coffee shop and dining room in the 1968 wing of the historic motel. Read more.
Lighting Up the Night Again
The neon sign for the historic A.G. Gaston Motel was lit Tuesday night in a ceremony marking the end of phase 1 of the site’s restoration. Birmingham Mayor Randall L. Woodfin attended along with representatives from the city and the National Park Service. “The A.G. Gaston motel sign served as a beacon to black families traveling through the segregated South,” Woodfin said. “It’s a sign that will now shine in remembrance of Dr. A.G. Gaston’s legacy – a legacy of black prosperity, equal opportunity, Southern hospitality and freedom.” The motel was used frequently by civil rights leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as they strategized their campaigns against injustice. Restoration of the 1958 wing of the hotel has been completed. Work to restore the 1968 wing and courtyard is next, with a projected completion date of June 2022. (Photo from City of Birmingham Facebook video)
Birmingham Celebrates Historic A.G. Gaston Motel Anniversary
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. often planned strategy for the civil rights movement in room 30 at the A.G. Gaston Motel. For others, it was a place for wedding receptions and fancy dances. As restoration of the famed but deteriorating structure begins, Birmingham celebrated the motel’s anniversary and its founder on Monday. Read more.
WBHM
