City completes Phase 1 of renovation at A.G. Gaston Motel

The first phase of the renovation of the historic A.G. Gaston Motel downtown — an iconic site in the 1960s civil rights movement in Birmingham — is now complete.

Mayor Randall L. Woodfin joined other officials from the city and the National Park Service at the site on Wednesday, March 10, to light the motel’s sign and highlight the progress made so far in bringing the facility back to life.

“The A.G. Gaston motel sign served as a beacon to black families traveling through the segregated South,” Mayor 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 A.G. Gaston Motel is included in the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument, which was established in 2017 by President Barack Obama. 

Restoration of the 1954 wing of the hotel begin in 2019, and the exterior restoration of the 1954 wing is now complete, according to a city news release.

The 1954 wing incudes Room 30, known as the “War Room,” where Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other civil rights leaders created their strategy for the civil rights movement in Birmingham in 1963.

“This is a major milestone in the restoration of the A.G. Gaston Motel. We now look forward to the completion of the 1968 wing and courtyard of the motel,” said Denise Gilmore, senior director of the city’s Division of Social Justice and Racial Equity.

The completion of Phase 1 is “an important step in preserving the Gaston Motel and standing up operations and visitor services at Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument,” said Kristofer B. Butcher, superintendent of the monument.

The original neon sign on the motel was reconstructed using historic photographs as a guide since the original 1954 drawings of the building exist lacked information about the original sign.

LED lighting was used in the reconstructed sign and will have a longer service life and use less energy while capturing the character of the original neon.

Phase 2 restoration is currently underway on the exterior of the motel’s 1968 wing and courtyard, and work is expected to be complete by summer 2022, the release states.

City officials celebrated the motel's 65th anniversary in June 2019.

Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument interprets the struggle for civil rights in the city, particularly in the period from 1956 and 1963. 

The park’s boundary includes The Gaston Motel, Kelly Ingram Park, 16th Street Baptist Church, St. Paul United Methodist Church and other historic properties that are part of the Birmingham Civil Rights National Register Historic District.