West 15th Street Historic District

A marker describes the district, which today features a pocket park & colorful commemorative mural.

NPS Photo/Max Farley

Quick Facts

Location:

416 W. 15th Street

Significance:

Center of 20th-century African American community life in Anniston

Designation:

National Register of Historic Places

MANAGED BY:

Sacred Places, Sacred Spaces & the City of Anniston

Amenities

3 listed

Benches/Seating, Historical/Interpretive Information/Exhibits, Picnic Table

"This district was once the economic and social hub of Anniston's African American community. In its heyday (1940-1950), the District was a "city within a city," with businesses that catered to the black community. Grocery stores, restaurants, doctors' offices, barber and beauty shops, a hotel, and other businesses thrived. The Gem Theater showed movies and hosted celebrity entertainers such as Cab Calloway and Lewis Jordan. At the Blair Hotel, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. held strategy sessions with Rev. Nimrod Q. Reynolds and Dr. Gordon Rodgers. The District was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991."

- 15th Street Historic District Marker, City of Anniston Historic Trails Program (2016)