Tag Archives: national trust for historic preservation

Architecture, Birmingham Historical Society, Birmingham Landmarks, City of Birmingham, Highland Avenue, Historic Preservation, Neighborhoods, Publications, Research, Southside

What’s the National Register?

Ever thought about what historic organizations do and how they do it? What’s the organizational hierarchy?

  1. Federal Agencies
  2. Non Profit Organizations
  3. State Organizations
  4. Local Historical Organizations

Curious to learn more about a historic property? Living in a historic district, maybe? Let’s start with the National Register and answer those questions!

Federal Agencies & Non Profits

The National Register is a federal agency1 supported by tax dollars that promotes the restoration of significant historic properties. It maintains the official list of historic places in the United States worthy of preservation and is managed by the National Park Service.

It is NOT related to the National Trust for Historic Preservation which is a non-profit organization2 privately supported by their membership which advocates for historic properties. However, they do not manage nor approve register listings.

State

Properties included on the National Register must first be nominated or approved by state organizations3 and are subject to state laws, which in Alabama is the Alabama Historical Commission. Generally, nominated properties are at least 50 years old unless they are exceptionally important.

Local Historical Organizations

Birmingham Historical Society is among the local historical organizations4 which take great pride in their cities, researching their surroundings to educate and make recommendations about significant historic properties and people. It is often involved in the nomination process of historic properties and districts. Available publications document their research since their start in 1942.

In November of 2022, Birmingham Historical Society moved to the Southside area in the Highland Avenue Historic District near the Rhodes Park, Chestnut Hill, Country Club, Milner Heights, and Hanover Place Historic Districts.

Since that time, we’ve enjoyed exploring our new home in more depth. Our Highland Avenue neighbor, Randy Merritt, has been documenting the remaining historic homes on Highland Avenue as well as collecting archival photos of those that have been demolished.

The assortment tells the story of Birmingham’s pioneering residents whose strong belief propelled the city’s growth. It’s a tale of architectural innovation, economic power, social norms, financial successes, and the complex local politics of that time.

So, whether intrigued by the people, the location, the event, or by the lessons learned, history at all levels creates a compelling story worth preserving and telling. Grateful for the organizations that continue to tell those stories! One can’t help but appreciate the efforts of all of the organizations dedicated to upholding and conveying this history.

Below shows some of the process in registering the Highland Avenue Historic District. The Birmingham Historical Society offices are on the ground floor retail space in what was originally the Altamont Apartment Building on lot #4 on diagram below.

Architecture, Birmingham Historical Society, Historic Preservation

Southern Style Activism: The Story of Margot Gayle

Margot Gayle obtained almost a cult like status in New York City for her work as a preservationist, activist, journalist, newspaper columnist, tour guide, and community organizer, with a passion for Victorian cast iron architecture. Born in Kansas City in 1908, she moved frequently before heading to Atlanta, and attending Agnes Scott and Emory University. After a brief stint in social work, she soon became immersed in the political injustices of the pre civil war antebellum South which would influence her throughout her life.

She advocated against the pole tax in Georgia, was Secretary of the League of Voters in the 1930s – and was devoted to the cause of political education along with other suffragette women of that era who described Gayle as someone with remarkable public relation skills,

“who with a velvet glove, could sell a battleship to a Quaker in New York…with a soft cadence…and expressions like nifty, gosh darned, and goodness knows”

A close-up view of the Jefferson Market Courthouse in Greenwich Village, showcasing its distinctive Victorian architecture, including a clock tower and detailed brickwork.

Upon moving to New York, she soon turned her attention to architectural preservation, forming a committee to save the Jefferson Market Courthouse in Greenwich Village built in 1876, going against the recommendations of NYC’s revered AIA. She noted that,

“if one forms a committee, gets a name and prints a letterhead, you have a certain power that you didn’t have just 10 minutes before…”

She is largely responsible for the preservation of the cast iron district of SOHO in New York, which was then declared a historic district by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. She was known to carry a pocket magnet to test buildings and determine if they contained cast iron, as many builders and owners tried to disguise the use of the material by mimicking the more popular stone facades of the era. It was said that Margot’s ‘good-humored fanaticism’ saved many cast iron buildings as a result.

Well into her 90s, Gayle continued advocating for causes about which she was passionate through small volunteer organizations. Her energy and commitment, her organizational and scholarly educational work, and largely self-funded projects, led to formidable connections and significant results. She died at the age of 100 in 2008 and was such a distinctive personality that NY Mayor Ed Koch called her the queen of New York. Hers is a legacy worth celebrating!

Per the National Trust for Historic Preservation:

A true pioneer in preservation, Gayle died in 2008 at the age of 100. “Today preservation is established. There are government agencies and bureaucracies,” says Robins. “But there would be no such laws were it not for people like Margot. Behind every preservation success story is a person who put everything else aside in their life to make sure it happens.”

Birmingham Historical Society Director, Marjorie White, has dedicated her life to recording and preserving Birmingham’s history with over 70 publications, countless volunteer organizations, self-funded projects, and unflappable enthusiasm. I cannot end this post without mentioning her selfless passion for historic preservation which rivals that of Margot Gayle!