Opelika in Lee County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)
The Barbara H. Patton Southside Center for the Arts
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, October 4, 2025
1. The Barbara H. Patton Southside Center for the Arts Marker
On September 10, 1929, Southside Elementary School and its Northside counterpart opened to serve the children of Opelika. Designed by noted Montgomery architect Frank Lockwood, these model educational facilities were built of colonial brick, and trimmed in limestone. In the 1940s, Southside Elementary School was renamed in honor of beloved principal Miriam S. Brown. In 1989, after a new Southside Primary School opened, the building became the Opelika Learning Center. After the Center relocated in 2002, the school board transferred ownership of this building to the City of Opelika in 2003.
Envision Opelika Foundation, Inc., then undertook a multi-phase restoration to develop a community cultural arts center. With support from the Arts Association of East Alabama, the City, grants, and donations, the facility partially reopened in 2008 as the Opelika Cultural Arts Center.
It was renamed the Southside Center for the Arts in 2019. In 2023, the City and the Lee-Russell Council of Governments opened a Senior Center in the renovated north wing. Subsequent improvements included new performance and exhibit spaces. In 2025, the building was renamed to honor patron of the arts Barbara H. Patton, mayor of Opelika from 1996 to 2004.
Sponsored by the Opelika Historic Preservation Society and Envision Opelika Foundation,
this page online
Erected 2025 by Alabama Historical Association, Opelika Historic Preservation Society, and Envision Opelika Foundation, Inc.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Arts, Letters, Music • Education • Women. In addition, it is included in the Alabama Historical Association series list. A significant historical date for this entry is September 10, 1929.
Location. 32° 38.512′ N, 85° 22.425′ W. Marker is in Opelika, Alabama, in Lee County. It is on Glenn Street just south of West Johnson Avenue, on the left when traveling south. The marker is located directly in front of the subject property. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1103 Glenn Street, Opelika AL 36801, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in East Alabama and in Greater Columbus. It is also 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: Barbara H. Patton (a few steps from this marker); Thompson Chapel (approx. 0.2 miles away); Lee County Confederate Memorial (approx. 0.3 miles away); First Baptist Church (approx. 0.4 miles away); Killgore Scholarships / Some Terms of Scholarships (approx. 0.4 miles away); J.W. Darden High School (approx. 0.4 miles away); Lee County Courthouse / Lee County Probate Judges (approx.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, October 4, 2025
2. The Barbara H. Patton Southside Center for the Arts Marker
Looking east from Glenn Street.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Lee County Courthouse / Lee County Probate Judges (was approx. 0.4 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Also see . . . Barbara Patton Southside Center for the Arts.
Excerpt: The Southside Center for the Arts is a realized and longtime dream come true for Opelika's oldest historic neighborhood. Innovatively designed as a school building by Southern architectural legend Frank Lockwood, Southside Elementary opened in 1929, and for the next 70 years welcomed thousands of children into its classrooms.(Submitted on October 10, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Now, as a cooperative venture between The Arts Association of East Alabama, Envision Opelika, and the City of Opelika, it is a building alive with the sights and sounds of performing arts, visual arts, literary arts, lectures, arts education activities, and community engagement events. It houses the administrative offices of the Arts Association, Envision Opelika, as well as the Lee-RussellOpelika Senior Center; a 250-seat auditorium, meeting/conference/rehearsal rooms, and gallery space for student and professional art. Restoration efforts have been true to the building's historic character with functional upgrades for contemporary use.Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, October 4, 20253. The Barbara H. Patton Southside Center for the Arts
Credits. This page was last revised on October 11, 2025. It was originally submitted on October 8, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 80 times since then and 41 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on October 10, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
