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

Site of the Stand in the Schoolhouse Door
⎯⎯⎯
Foster Auditorium, 1939

Site of the Stand in the Schoolhouse Door image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim & Renda Carr, November 12, 2010

1. Site of the Stand in the Schoolhouse Door

Inscription. Foster Auditorium is the site of the June 11, 1963, “stand in the schoolhouse door” by Governor George C. Wallace in defiance of a court order requiring The University of Alabama to admit African-American students Vivian Malone and James Hood. President John F. Kennedy placed the Alabama National Guard under federal control to enforce the court order as Wallace refused to obey. Wallace then stepped aside and the students registered for class. That night, President Kennedy went on television to declare civil rights no longer simply a legal issue but a moral issue and appealed to the nation’s sense of fairness. One week later, he submitted a comprehensive civil rights bill that became the foundation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
July 13, 2004

Foster Auditorium, 1939
Named for Richard Clarke Foster (1895-1941), who, as President of The University of Alabama (1937-1941), raised academic standards and encouraged faculty and graduate research.

Erected by University Of Alabama.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Civil Rights • Education • Notable Events. In addition, it is included in the Former U.S. Presidents: #35 John F. Kennedy, and the National Historic Landmarks series lists. A significant historical month for this entry is June 1873.

Location.

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33° 12.483′ N, 87° 32.641′ W. Marker is in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in Tuscaloosa County. It can be reached from the intersection of 6th Avenue and 8th Street. Marker located on the front side of the Foster Auditorium Building # 7059 on the Campus of The University of Alabama. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Tuscaloosa AL 35487, 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: Malone Hood Plaza (a few steps from this marker); Alpha Gamma Delta at the University of Alabama (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Druid City Hospital School Of Nursing (about 700 feet away); The President's Mansion (approx. 0.2 miles away); Sigma Alpha Epsilon (approx. 0.2 miles away); Denny Chimes (approx. 0.2 miles away); University of Alabama (approx. 0.2 miles away); Kappa Delta (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tuscaloosa.

Also see . . . Wallace in the schoolhouse door - NPR. (Submitted on November 13, 2010, by Timothy Carr of Birmingham, Alabama.)

Foster Auditorium, 1939 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim & Renda Carr, November 12, 2010

2. Foster Auditorium, 1939

Schoolhouse / Auditorium Markers image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim & Renda Carr, November 12, 2010

3. Schoolhouse / Auditorium Markers

Foster Auditorium, Site Of The Stand In The Schoolhouse Door image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim & Renda Carr, November 12, 2010

4. Foster Auditorium, Site Of The Stand In The Schoolhouse Door

Credits. This page was last revised on July 16, 2025. It was originally submitted on November 13, 2010, by Timothy Carr of Birmingham, Alabama. This page has been viewed 2,252 times since then and 38 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 13, 2010, by Timothy Carr of Birmingham, Alabama. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.

Site of the Stand in the Schoolhouse Door⎯⎯⎯Foster Auditorium, 1939

Site of the Stand in the Schoolhouse Door
⎯⎯⎯
Foster Auditorium, 1939