Reviewed by: Caleb Turrentine
Historic Ben Moore Hotel gets $800K in new preservation grants
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The Ben Moore Hotel, a cornerstone of Montgomery’s civil rights history, is getting a massive boost. The City of Montgomery has been awarded two National Park Service grants totaling $800,000 to support preservation and documentation of the historic landmark.
Administered through the Historic Preservation Fund’s African American Civil Rights program, the funding marks a monumental milestone for the property located within the Centennial Hill Historic District.
Securing the future of Montgomery’s historic hotel
The funding is split into two awards: a $750,000 grant dedicated to supporting Phase I rehabilitation of the four-story Ben Moore Hotel and a separate $50,000 grant designated for a National Register nomination and extensive oral-history research.
Opened in 1951 by local businessman Matthew Franklin “Ben” Moore, the hotel served as a vital safe haven for Black travelers during segregation. It was famously listed in The Negro Motorist Green Book. It also housed the historic Malden Brothers Barbershop, where community members and civil rights leaders, including the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., frequently gathered.
Building on its acquisition by The Conservation Fund and recent inclusion on America’s Most Endangered Places list, community stakeholders, including the City of Montgomery and the Landmarks Foundation of Montgomery, have accelerated collaborative efforts to save and honor the structure.
Capturing the oral histories + heritage of the Ben Moore Hotel
Beyond physical rehabilitation, the newly awarded grants will ensure that the rich tapestry of stories tied to the Ben Moore Hotel is carefully documented through interviews, photographs, archival research and community engagement.
As preservation work ramps up, these funds will help protect the physical architecture while keeping alive the memory of the everyday citizens, activists and icons who shaped Montgomery’s civil rights legacy within its walls.
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