Exploring Montgomery

The storytelling continues… a collection of stories and photos from Exploring Montgomery!

Monthly Archives: August 2016

Eastdale Mall — This mall opened in 1977, Aranov’s pride and joy, and despite numerous remodeling, it still exudes a certain 1970’s charm. Notable for its ice skating rink, and for its still operating 8-screen movie theater. A sister of University Mall in Tuscaloosa, it boasts four anchor department stores –100 outlets total […]

Eastdale Mall

August 29, 2016 in Commercial tagged eastdale / mall

Max Credit Union — located on the Eastdale Mall circle drive. It was founded in 1955 to serve employees and stationers of Maxwell AFB, but since has redefined its eligible class as anyone who ever thought about living or working in Montgomery. It now has over 110,000 members; does that translate to a third […]

Max Federal Credit Union

August 26, 2016 in Commercial tagged credit / eastdale / max / union

Eastdale Estates — at 5801 Eastdale Drive has the character of a rambling Cape Cod seashore hotel. It is one of 300+ such entities of the Holiday Retirement Corporation, founded 1971 in Vancouver. It is one of four HRC homes in Alabama. -Charles Humphries

Eastdale Estates Retirement Home

August 22, 2016 in Commercial tagged eastdale / retirement

Union Bank Capitol Heights — at 1901 Mt Meigs Road, was built in 1954, when First National and Union Bank were the two bank behemoths downtown, side by side on Commerce Street, vying to see which would open the first branch. Union Bank hired SS&A Architects, who designed this contemporary classic, now standing forlorn and […]

Union Bank Capitol Heights Branch

August 19, 2016 in Commercial tagged bank / capitol / heights / union

Yancey Law Office — located at the corner of Washington and Perry Streets, directly across from the old Courthouse. From here the firebrand, William Lowndes Yancey, trumpeted for States Rights, and became the South’s leading advocate for secession. Lincoln credited Yancey with starting the Civil War. Yancey wrote Alabama’s Ordinance of Secession. Standing on […]

Yancey Law Office

August 15, 2016 in Commercial tagged historic registry / law / yancey

former health lab — on the AUM campus, prominent from I-85, was built in 1986. The Alabama Department of Forensic Science now has a new central Alabama lab facility on the ASU campus, and the depicted structure presently houses the State Health Lab. The construction of the pictured lab, 25 years ago, spawned a […]

Former State Forensics Lab

August 12, 2016 in Government tagged forensics / former / health / lab

St James Holt Crossing — located where Carter Hill, Vaughn and Zelda all intersect. It has existed at this crossroad since it was organized in 1875. However, the building pictured was built in 1963 as administrative offices of the Alabama Masonic Lodge. The design won an Alabama AIA award for my partner, WMP. In 2004 […]

St. James Holt Crossing Baptist Church

August 8, 2016 in Religious tagged baptist / church / crossing / holt / james

Capitol Heights — at the intersection of Atlanta Highway and Federal Drive, was built ca 1923, and for 50+ years it was one of the stars in the crown of the Montgomery school system. The structure was designed by Fredrick Ausfeld, who later designed Lanier, the Bell Building and the Jeff Davis Hotel. […]

Capitol Heights Junior HS

August 5, 2016 in Education tagged capitol / heights / highschool

Bldg 1402 — the Air Command and Staff College of the Air Force “Air University”. The University was founded in 1946, the same year the USAF was established as a separate branch of our Armed Services. Construction of the University campus (known locally as the “Academic Circle”) began in 1950 as a series […]

Maxwell’s Building 1402

August 1, 2016 in Education / Government tagged 1402 / air command / maxwell / staff college