Birmingham Civil Rights District in Jefferson County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

A. G. Gaston Building

Destination

— Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail —

A. G. Gaston Building Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, December 5, 2021

1. A. G. Gaston Building Marker

Inscription. Built 1959-60, 1517 5th Ave. N.
The A. G. Gaston Building's second floor conference room was the location of regular meetings of “Project C's” Coordinating Committee. Here, they planned strategies for the April - May 1963 marches, boycotts, lunch counter sit-ins and other demonstrations. Birmingham resident Ruth Barefield Pendleton, who acted as secretary for the SCLC-ACHMR Committee, took minutes during the meetings. Some of her notes have been compiled into a book, "Minutes: Central Committee 1963". Gaston himself initially opposed the mass demonstrations and especially the use of children in the Birmingham Movement. However, he became one of the Movement's key financial supporters and helped bail arrested marchers out of jail.

"My people are out there fighting for their lives and my freedom. I have to help them.”
A. G. Gaston
on the phone to lawyer David Vann after looking out his office window and seeing a girl knocked head over heels by a water hose's powerful blast in Kelly Ingram Park.

Lesson C10: Businessmen tend to avoid controversial issues. Why do you think A. G. Gaston decided to become more directly involved in the Birmingham Movement?

Erected by the

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail. (Marker Number C10.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights. In addition, it is included in the Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail series list. A significant historical month for this entry is May 1963.

Location. 33° 30.917′ N, 86° 48.839′ W. Marker is in Birmingham, Alabama, in Jefferson County. It is in the Birmingham Civil Rights District. It is on 5th Avenue North east of 15th Street North, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1527 5th Ave N, Birmingham AL 35203, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker:

Photographed by Mark Hilton, December 5, 2021

2. A. G. Gaston Building Marker

Shores-Lee Law Offices/Post Office Garage (within shouting distance of this marker); Black Business Plans (within shouting distance of this marker); Guards at the Gate (within shouting distance of this marker); Dr. Ruth J. Jackson (within shouting distance of this marker); Carrie A. Tuggle (within shouting distance of this marker); Pauline Bray Fletcher (within shouting distance of this marker); Kelly Ingram Park (within shouting distance of this marker); Julius Ellsberry (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Birmingham.

Regarding A. G. Gaston Building. The Civil Rights Activist Committee “Home of the Foot Soldiers“ is the Information Center for the Birmingham Civil Rights Heritage Trail.

A. G. Gaston Building (on right) & marker. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, December 5, 2021

3. A. G. Gaston Building (on right) & marker.

Credits. This page was last revised on January 8, 2022. It was originally submitted on December 10, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 578 times since then and 46 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 10, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.