Montgomery Landmarks and Monuments

(Montgomery, Alabama - AL, USA)

Standing within the downtown district and just a few blocks away from the Convention Center, Old Alabama Town is where some of Montgomery's oldest buildings and landmarks reside, all of which have been fully restored and inject much character into this part of the city.

Just a few blocks away is the Alabama State Capitol Building. This palace-like building is certainly hard to miss, being located on the northern side of Montgomery, just past the Centennial Hill neighborhood. Built in the years 1850 and 1851, in traditional Greek-Revival style, the Alabama State Capitol is dominated by its enormous dome, which takes the overall height of the building to roughly 36 meters / 118 feet.

Other significant historic landmarks in the city include the Alabama Governor's Mansion, the Civil Rights Memorial, the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church and Montgomery City Hall. The City Hall was built in 1937 and its old auditorium once hosted some of the city's biggest events. In the past these have included boxing matches, live music and even the funeral of acclaimed country music artist Hank Williams (1923 to 1953), when almost 3,000 people crammed into the auditorium and around 20,000 further mourners spilled out onto the street, listening to the service on loud speakers.

Alabama State Capitol Building

Address: 600 Dexter Avenue, Montgomery, Alabama (AL), 36104, USA
Tel: +1 334 242 3935
A National Historic Landmark since the late 1960s, this is actually Alabama's fifth State Capitol and really is a must-see sight, being found atop Capitol Hill. The interior is as impressive as the frontage, with the underside of the dome being decorated with elaborate murals depicting an artistic overview of Alabama's history. Of note, the Alabama Legislature is no longer based here and in 1985 moved to the more modern office-like Alabama State House (built in 1963) at 11 South Union Street.
Open hours: self-guided tours, Monday to Friday - 09:00 to 16:00; guided tours, Monday to Friday - 09:00 to 16:00 by appointment, Saturday - 09:00, 11:00, 13:00 and 15:00
Admission: free

Alabama Governor's Mansion

Address: 1142 South Perry Street, Montgomery, Alabama (AL), 36104, USA
Tel: +1 334 834 3022
Called home by Alabama's Governor, this mansion was completed in 1907 and features imposing white-washed Neoclassical Revival architecture, complete with palace-like Corinthian columns framing the entrance and forming a portico, along with ornate cornice moldings and balustrading galore. Acquired by the state in 1950 at the cost of some US$100,000, the first Governor occupied this mansion in 1951 and this tradition continues today. In total there are 17 principal rooms, with the entrance hall boasting a striking double staircase. The grounds comprise a formal garden, a grotto, tennis courts and an open-air swimming pool, which is shaped as the state of Alabama.
Open hours: guided tours by arrangement
Admission: charge

Montgomery City Hall

Address: 103 North Perry Street, Montgomery, Alabama (AL), 36104, USA
Tel: +1 334 241 4400
Sited just a few blocks to the west of the Alabama State Capitol is the resplendent Montgomery City Hall. The hall occupies an entire block and is bounded on all sides by Madison Avenue (north), North Lawrence Street (east), Monroe Street (south) and North Perry Street (west). A recent renovation project costing in excess of U$6 million has finally seen this building restored and modernized, inside and out, with the lobby now displaying a collection of historical memorabilia relating to the city.
Open hours: Monday to Friday - 08:00 to 17:00
Admission: free

Civil Rights Memorial

Address: 400 Washington Avenue, Montgomery, Alabama (AL), 36104, USA
Tel: +1 334 956 8200
The Civil Rights Memorial serves as a monument to those who died during the African-American Civil Rights Movement (1955 to 1968), fighting for racial equality and an end to all aspects of discrimination. Each of the 40 people who lost their lives are named on this black granite 'saucer', with their names radiating outwards and appearing a little like the numbers on a clock face. Standing next to this monument is the Civil Rights Memorial Center, where there is a small theater and the rather state-of-the-art Wall of Tolerance, which is a giant digital screen displaying the names (scrolling downwards) of over 500,000 people who have chosen to take a stand against intolerance.
Open hours: Monday to Friday - 09:00 to 16:30, Saturday - 10:00 to 16:00
Admission: charge, children are free

Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church

Address: 454 Dexter Avenue / South Decatur Street, Montgomery, Alabama (AL), 36104, USA
Tel: +1 334 263 3970
Standing close to the Dexter Parsonage Museum, the red-brick Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church was built over a six-year period, from 1883 to 1889, and is crowned by a small, white wooden bell tower. In the late 1970s it was renamed to include the words 'King Memorial' in honour of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. who once preached here and will always be remembered for his part in organizing the famous Montgomery Bus Boycott from the basement of this very building. Contrasting with the surrounding modern office blocks, this historic church became a National Historic Landmark in the 1970s, almost a century after being built, and is just a stone's throw from the Alabama State Capitol.
Open hours: guided tours, Tuesday to Friday - 10:00 to 16:00, Saturday - 10:00 to 14:00
Admission: free

Old Alabama Town

Address: 301 Columbus Street, Montgomery, Alabama (AL), 36104, USA
Tel: +1 334 240 4500
Known simply as Old Alabama Town, this collection of over 50 historic buildings covers an area of approximately six blocks, right in the very heart of downtown Montgomery. These restored structures date from the 19th century onwards and offer something of an insight into the different lifestyles of those based in central Alabama, ranging from rural living from the pioneer era, to a slightly more youthful church, grocery store and a period townhouse. A number of the buildings have been saved from the brink of demolition and all are managed by the not-for-profit Landmarks Foundation of Montgomery organization, which was born in the late 1960s.
Open hours: Monday to Saturday - 09:00 to 16:00
Admission: charge, discounts available for children and seniors, children five years old and younger are free

Faulkner University

Address: 5345 Atlanta Highway, Montgomery, Alabama (AL), 36109, USA
Tel: +1 334 272 5820
Located alongside the shopping centers of Carol Villa, Eastdale, Eastmont Plaza and Montgomery East Plaza, the campus of the Faulkner University has its origins in the early years of the 1940s, when it was known as the Montgomery Bible School. This educational institution has connections to the Church of Christ and is today named after American newspaper publisher James H. Faulkner (1916 to 2008), who was once the board's chairman. There are now more than 3,500 students enrolled here, with the most notable buildings including the Great Books Honors College, the Gus Nichols Library, the Harris College of Business, the Joe Greer Hall, the Leonard Johnson Hall, the Linda Brooks Hall, the Thomas Goode Jones School of Law and the V. P. Black School of Biblical Studies.
Open hours: daily
Admission: free

Alabama State University (ASU)

Address: 915 South Jackson Street, Montgomery, Alabama (AL), 36104, USA
Tel: +1 334 229 4100
Founded in the year 1867 and home of the New ASU Stadium (homeground of the Hornets football team), the Alabama State University originally came into being to serve the regional black community. Today, it is home to approximately 12,000 mixed-race students, roughly 8,000 of which are undergraduates. The sprawling campus spreads for more than 170 acres / 69 hectares and comes with a series of Georgian-style buildings and other more modern landmarks, such as the ASU Acadome, the John L. Buskey Health Sciences Center, the Levi Watkins Learning Center, the Thomas Kilby Hall and the William Burns Patterson Hall.
Open hours: daily
Admission: free