February is Black History Month and reviewing Birmingham’s Civil Rights History is a great way to acknowledge it. The following is a video produced by CBS 42 with places to explore.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson who died today, had ties to Birmingham’s Civil Rights history rooted in his work with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and his commitment to honoring the city’s civil rights history. He visited the A.G. Gaston Motel in March 2025 and was in Alabama in 2013 for the 50th anniversary of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing in September 2013.
Jackson and his family were at A.G. Gaston Motel to explore future partnership opportunities with Kendra Woodfin, wife of Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, and KultureCity, a nonprofit dedicated to sensory inclusion and disability accessibility.
“It’s good to be home again,” Jackson whispered from his wheelchair. “I have Parkinson’s and I can’t talk very well, but my mind is on freedom.” He added, “The Bible says, ‘Remove not the ancient landmarks which thy fathers have set.’ This is a landmark. Never forget it. It is dark, but the morning comes. When it is really dark, you can see the stars more clearly. Amen.”
New interest in the preservation of the historic Prince Hall Masonic Temple brings the importance of Robert R. Taylor‘s contribution to Birmingham to the forefront. As the first accredited African American architect, together with his partner Louis H. Persley, he brought planning concepts he adopted as the first black MIT graduate to the campus at Tuskegee Institute.
1st accredited African American Architect
1st African American enrolled at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Established 1st black architectural firm in the nation, Taylor & Persley
Great Grandfather of Valerie Jarrett, senior advisor to former president Barack Obama
Architect of Prince Hall Masonic Temple in Birmingham, Alabama
Primary architect at Tuskegee Institute
His likeness is on a U.S. postage stamp
His father was a freed slave
Developed & planned the industrial curriculum at Tuskegee Institute with Booker T. Washington
But his importance to Birmingham is in the historic, 100 year old Prince Hall Masonic Temple, designed by Taylor & Persley. While it is currently in disrepair, a recent dialogue between national preservation leaders Brent Leggs and Irvin Henderson is starting the process toward protecting the building from further deterioration by raising support, and advocating to include it as part of the Civil Rights National Monument fundraising.
The building opened in 1924, and with an auditorium that could accommodate 2000, it often featured Duke Ellington’s orchestra and Count Basie’s big bands, along with dances, meetings, and special events. The offices of notable black businesses were located in the upper floors. The cost of construction was funded entirely with contributions.
Kweisi Daniels, Ph.D, School of Architecture and Construction Science at Tuskegee University, emphasized that every historic building tells a story. The Masonic Temple stands as a “towering reminder of black ingenuity, entrpreneurship, and civic pride“, as he further states,
“There’s something profound about standing in a space designed by the first African American architects. you’re not just preserving structures, you’re preserving legacies.”
At last month’s summit meeting, Leggs and Henderson left the audience with a challenge.
“We are stewards of this history, not just spectators,” said Henderson. “And we must work hand in hand with developers, preservationists, city officials, and, most importantly, community members to preserve the past in a way that empowers our future.”
Attached is exclusive video from inside the Colored Masonic Temple, also known as the ”Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge of Alabama”, courtesy of photographer Hunter Stone at Leeds Sign. He has been working with the Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge, Free and Accepted Masons of Alabama, for several weeks on a historical documentary project of the Lodge prior to its planned 2022 renovation.
See the Temple filmed in full prior to its planned renovation in 2022. Click HERE to view video if link doesn’t appear below.
Video courtesy of Hunter Stone, Leeds Sign
The Temple is located at 1630 4th Avenue North, among the black owned businesses of the 4th Avenue North historic business district, one of the few areas in Birmingham where black business owners were encouraged in the early 20th century. It was designed by Tuskegee University architect, Robert R. Taylor (who was the first black student to attend MIT), and was completed in 1924 at a total cost of $658,000, debt-free. At the time of its completion, it was the largest, most state of the art facility built and paid for entirely by African Americans in the entire world.
It quickly became the hub of Birmingham’s black community. In addition to housing offices for fraternal groups and business professionals, it included a 2,000 seat auditorium, and housed the Booker T. Washington Library, the first lending library open to black citizens of Birmingham.
Lodge Room – photograph by Lewis Kennedy
In 1932, it was the setting for one of the first major civil rights events in Birmingham in response to the Scottsboro Boys trial. Also known as ”the black skyscraper”, it was designated part of Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument by the National Park Service in 1963 as part of a city-wide desegregation effort.
