The Alabama Historical Commission (AHC) announced this week that three iconic sites in the Yellowhammer State have been listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Bricklayers Hall in Montgomery, The Alabama Book Store in Tuscaloosa and Vanity Fair Park in Monroeville are now nationally enshrined for their historical significance.
“The National Register properties in Alabama tell an incredibly rich and diverse story of who we are as people, where we’ve been as a culture, and where we are going as a community,” said Lisa Jones, executive director Alabama Historical Commission, in a release.
Bricklayers Hall was built in 1955 by a local African-American labor union. It sits on South Union Street in downtown Montgomery.
The location played a significant role in the civil rights movement; Martin Luther King, Jr. once had an office in the building.
U.S. Representative Terri Sewell (D-Birmingham) and Alabama State Representative Thad McClammy (D-Montgomery) both pushed for Bricklayers Hall to be added to the Register.
The Alabama Book Store, now known as BamaStuff, has been listed on the Register for its architectural significance.
The store opened in 1938 in a building designed by famous Alabama architect David O. Whilldin. Located in the heart of the strip on University Boulevard in Tuscaloosa, the building is an “excellent example of Depression Modern architecture” according to the AHC.
Vanity Fair Park in Monroeville is the third site added to the National Register this week.
The park was opened in 1948 in partnership with Vanity Fair Mills, a clothing company with a strong presence locally.
Residents of Monroeville have enjoyed the park’s amenities for decades and the local government applied for and received a grant from the National Park Service to fund the nomination to the National Register of Historic Places.
Alabama now has more than 1,250 locations in the National Register.
“Through the advocacy of citizens and the Alabama Historical Commission, we hope these resources and their legacies remain for generations to come,” concluded Jones.
Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: [email protected] or on Twitter @HenryThornton95
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