BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (WVTM) — Tours of the newly remodeled A.G. Gaston Motel are bringing people from all over the country downtown. Work on the civil rights landmark has been years in the making.
Visitors are getting a first look at a new exhibit at the motel. It opened the same week as the 60th anniversary of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church bombing. The motel was opened by the businessman in 1954 and offered luxury accommodations for Black travelers during the Civil Rights Movement. It became the home of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, which carried out boycotts and marches.
Oscar Huey is one of many people who experienced the new A.G. Gaston Motel exhibit. He grew up just across the street from the site.
“Dr. A.G. Gaston did a great thing when he opened this motel,” he said, “because a lot of Black people couldn’t stay in the other hotels, but this was a very elegant place. It was top of the line during its heyday.”
The Birmingham native said visiting the exhibit brought back memories of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Muhammad Ali, Jackie Wilson and James Brown all staying in the motel.
“It’s very nostalgic for me,” Huey said.
Huey said some people, like his then neighbor, legendary broadcaster and civil rights pioneer, Tall Paul, saw the motel as more than just a place to sleep while traveling but a piece of belonging and acceptance.
