Montgomery Receives $1.55 Million for Civil Rights Landmarks

Montgomery has received National Park Service grants through the African American Civil Rights program to preserve two landmarks tied to the city’s Black history and civil rights movement. A $750,000 award will support rehabilitation and stabilization of the historic St. Jude Hospital, where Selma-to-Montgomery marchers camped before the final leg of their 1965 march to the Alabama Capitol. The Ben Moore Hotel received two grants totaling $800,000: $750,000 for initial rehabilitation and $50,000 for a National Register nomination and documentation, including oral histories. Opened in 1951, the Black-owned hotel served Black travelers during segregation and was associated with civil rights leaders, local businesses and musical performances.