Exploring Montgomery

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

Monthly Archives: April 2016

Jackson House — … at 409 South Union Street, said to be “simple but stylish”, was built in 1853 by Jefferson Jackson, the same man who built Moulton House. Jackson was US Attorney for both the Middle and Northern Districts of Alabama. He was a reluctant secessionist who died in 1862, but his widow […]

Jackson House

April 29, 2016 in Residential tagged community / historic registry / jackson

harris dawson — Casual passers-by would never look twice at this fading old house at 144 Clanton Avenue, and yet for 50+ years (starting before 1920) it was the immaculately kept home of one of the most remarkable men that ever lived in Montgomery. His name was Dr. Harris P Dawson and I was […]

Dr. Harris P Dawson Home

April 25, 2016 in Residential tagged dawson / doctor / harris

MCC — …founded 1903, is situated on Narrow Lane Road at the head of Fairview Avenue. Their present handsome clubhouse (pictured) is pseudo Greek Revival, called that because its exterior is synthetic stucco on Styrofoam. Their first club, built 1905, was on Carter Hill at the head of Narrow Lane. Their second […]

Montgomery Country Club

April 22, 2016 in Commercial tagged club / country / mcc

Intermodal Parking Deck — The deck is positioned to serve RiverWalk activities, Biscuit games, the Convention Center, Train Shed functions, the Alley bars, and the RSA’s new performing arts center. The bridge towers which lead across the tracks to the river walk are visible on the right end. The deck, including the bridge, cost $17 […]

Intermodal Parking Deck

April 18, 2016 in Government tagged bus / deck / intermodal / parking

Union Station — Montgomery’s magnificent railroad depot, backs up to the river and is located at 300 Water Street. It is on the National List of Historic Places. (Pictures from Registry) By 1885 Montgomery had become a major rail juncture; by 1895 it was served by a dozen railroads, and 44 passenger trains […]

The Union Station and Train Shed

April 18, 2016 in Commercial tagged romanesque / station / train / union

Advertiser Plant — located adjacent to the Intermodal Deck on Molton. The Advertiser, predecessor of which was founded in 1829, is today only a cog in the Gannett media chain. But it had a proud and illustrious history. It claims to have been the leading newspaper of the Confederate States. The paper has […]

Advertiser Plant

April 18, 2016 in Commercial tagged advertiser

Dannelly Field — now grandly called Montgomery Regional Airport, began life in 1943 when the city undertook to build runways in a field six miles to its west. Before that, the city’s municipal airport had been Gunter Field on the East side, but the Army Air Corps took that in 1940 for use […]

Dannelly Field

April 15, 2016 in Commercial / Government tagged airport / dannelly / field

Cassimus House — at 110 North Jackson Street was built in 1893 and is on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. It was erected by Speridon Cassimus, the younger of two Greek brothers who, with their dad, moved to Montgomery ca 1878, the first Greek immigrants to settle here. The family […]

Cassimus House

April 11, 2016 in Residential tagged cassimus / greek / historic registry / house / victorian

Hilltop Arms — High above the City at 600 Montgomery Street was probably built with much pride about 1950. I actually worked there in a first floor office for a few months in 1954. Today it is a failed, abandoned blight which looms over our downtown. All its windows are broken out, no […]

Hilltop Arms

April 8, 2016 in Commercial tagged arms / hilltop

boyleston UMC — on Johnson Avenue stands opposite the many monuments, artillery pieces and historic tablets that were erected in the median to commemorate the one-time Camp Sheridan. I’ve been told that the church, which looks entirely too large for any other existence, served as the chapel for the camp and the Buckeye […]

Boyleston United Methodist Church

April 4, 2016 in Religious tagged boyleston / church / methodist

First Alabama — I took this a few years back when this old building was Regions Bank (now Renasant Bank), but I liked it best when it was First National. It was built circa 1907, and I’m sure it could tell a thousand stories, but the one I like best involves my brother […]

First National/Alabama Bank

April 3, 2016 in Commercial / Places and Things tagged alabama / bank / first / lions / national / regions / renasant

Richardson Terrace — at 1301 Adams Avenue, was a 1968 project of the Montgomery Housing Authority, arguably its most successful undertaking, before or since. It was a design done with loving care by my departed partner, William Pearson, and one of which he was justly proud. Today it is operated as a retirement […]

Richardson Terrace

April 2, 2016 in Commercial / Government tagged retirement / richardson / terrace

Folsom Building — The fourth of the six white-painted concrete buildings that surround the Capitol: 2 in front, 2 in back, 1 on each side. For years this one, built in 1958, was officially called The State Administrative Building. Then, in 1986 it was renamed for Gov James E “Big Jim” Folsom. Compare […]

Folsom Building

April 1, 2016 in Government tagged folsom / statehouse