Montgomery in Montgomery County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

The Wharton-Chappell House / Riverside Heights

Montgomery County

The Wharton-Chappell House Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Mark Hilton, March 29, 2019

1. The Wharton-Chappell House Marker

Inscription.

The Wharton-Chappell House, also, Riverside Heights. Montgomery County. The Wharton-Chappell House. The Wharton Chappell House is one of Montgomery's last pre-Civil War cottages. This structure occupies the site of General John Scott's 1817 pioneer settlement, "Alabama Town" which was founded upon a Creek Indian village overlooking the Alabama River. General Scott sold the land to William C. Wharton, a brick-layer from Virginia, who made his Montgomery fortune in brick works with enslaved labor. In 1854, Wharton built this brick house in the fashionable Greek Revival style of the time. During the Civil War two tent hospitals were located in the vicinity. In 1865, residents Louisa and James Chappell amassed hundreds of acres of farmland along Bell Street and the river to produce grains, cotton, vegetables, meats, vineyards, woodlands and more, earning the property the name: Chappell Villa. The Villa remained in the Chappell family for seven decades and was sold by heirs in 1928 to W.F. Joseph. The federal government acquired the property in 1935 and the house was rehabilitated for use as the offices for the housing authority that oversaw the city's efforts to provide low income housing in the city. (Continued on other side). Listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2015. Riverside Heights. (Continued from other side). The Wharton-Chappell House rehabilitation for use as the Montgomery Housing Authority (MHA) offices is the earliest documented example of a federally funded adaptive reuse of a historic building within the context of a federal housing project. Riverside Heights was built as a large low-income housing project for whites, constructed under the direction of the Public Works Administration during the Depression. The Wharton-Chappell House served as an office for the MHA and the housing complex for the next seven decades. The complex was expanded in 1940 to provide housing for defense workers during the mobilization for World War II. The Maxwell Field School (later the Pendar Street School and the Peterson Elementary School) was constructed at the northwest corner of the complex in 1955-1956. Expansions and additions to the house reflect the authority's growing operation over time. In 2004, the City of Montgomery announced plans to widen Bell Street and to purchase and raze Riverside Heights. The buildings remained on the site until demolition began circa 2009. The Wharton-Chappell House remains as the only tangible vestige of the former low-income housing complex. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.

The Wharton-Chappell House The Wharton Chappell House is one of Montgomery's last pre-Civil War cottages. This structure occupies the site of General John Scott's 1817 pioneer settlement, "Alabama Town" which was founded upon a Creek Indian village overlooking the Alabama River. General Scott sold the land to William C. Wharton, a brick-layer from Virginia, who made his Montgomery fortune in brick works with enslaved labor. In 1854, Wharton built this brick house in the fashionable Greek Revival style of the time. During the Civil War two tent hospitals were located in the vicinity. In 1865, residents Louisa and James Chappell amassed hundreds of acres of farmland along Bell Street and the river to produce grains, cotton, vegetables, meats, vineyards, woodlands and more, earning the property the name: Chappell Villa. The Villa remained in the Chappell family for seven decades and was sold by heirs in 1928 to W.F. Joseph. The federal government acquired the property in 1935 and the house was rehabilitated for use as the offices for the housing authority that oversaw the city's efforts to provide low income housing in the city.
(Continued on other side) Listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2015
Riverside Heights (Continued

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from other side) The Wharton-Chappell House rehabilitation for use as the Montgomery Housing Authority (MHA) offices is the earliest documented example of a federally funded adaptive reuse of a historic building within the context of a federal housing project. Riverside Heights was built as a large low-income housing project for whites, constructed under the direction of the Public Works Administration during the Depression. The Wharton-Chappell House served as an office for the MHA and the housing complex for the next seven decades. The complex was expanded in 1940 to provide housing for defense workers during the mobilization for World War II. The Maxwell Field School (later the Pendar Street School and the Peterson Elementary School) was constructed at the northwest corner of the complex in 1955-1956. Expansions and additions to the house reflect the authority's growing operation over time. In 2004, the City of Montgomery announced plans to widen Bell Street and to purchase and raze Riverside Heights. The buildings remained on the site until demolition began circa 2009. The Wharton-Chappell House remains as the only tangible vestige of the former low-income housing complex.
Listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2015

Erected 2019 by the City of Montgomery.

Topics. This historical

Riverside Heights Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Mark Hilton, March 29, 2019

2. Riverside Heights Marker

marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Settlements & Settlers • War, US Civil • War, World II. A significant historical year for this entry is 1817.

Location. 32° 22.65′ N, 86° 19.725′ W. Marker is in Montgomery, Alabama, in Montgomery County. Marker is on Maxwell Boulevard, 0.1 miles west of Gordon Street, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1020 Maxwell Boulevard, Montgomery AL 36104, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Clay Street Missionary Baptist Church (approx. ¼ mile away); Maxwell Air Force Base and the Air University (approx. half a mile away); The Wright Brothers Flying School (approx. half a mile away); Maxwell Air Force Base/Air University (approx. half a mile away); Native Americans (approx. half a mile away); Thunderbird Park (approx. 0.6 miles away); Day Street Baptist Church (approx. 0.6 miles away); Unforgettable (approx. ¾ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Montgomery.

More about this marker. Marker notes it was erected in 2018, however it was erected in 2019

Related marker.

Wharton-Chappell House with the former Riverside Heights in the background. image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Mark Hilton, March 29, 2019

3. Wharton-Chappell House with the former Riverside Heights in the background.

Marker is on far left.

Click here for another marker that is related to this marker.

Also see . . . Montgomery Advertiser article. New marker honors historic significance of Wharton-Chappell House and Riverside Heights. (Submitted on March 29, 2019, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

View west on Maxwell Boulevard with former Riverside Heights on extreme right. image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Mark Hilton, March 29, 2019

4. View west on Maxwell Boulevard with former Riverside Heights on extreme right.

Credits. This page was last revised on March 29, 2019. It was originally submitted on March 29, 2019, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 412 times since then and 44 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on March 29, 2019, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.