Attachment21_FoundationDocument.pdf

NATIONAL PARK SERVICE • U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR

Foundation Document Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument Alabama October 2018

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A.G. Gaston Motel

Six m iles to

Bethel Baptist Church

St. Paul United Methodist Church

Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

Kelly Ingram Park

16th Street Baptist Church

Masonic Temple

J e f f e r s o nJ e f f e r s o n C o u n t yC o u n t y

S h e l b yS h e l b y C o u n t yC o u n t y

Birmingham Civl Rights National Monument Park Boundary Birmingham, Alabama

National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior v

Birmingham

Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument

Legend

Federal Interest

Park Boundary 0 300 Feet

50 Meters

North

Bethel Baptist Church

Contents Mission of the National Park Service 1

Introduction 2

Part 1: Core Components 3

Brief Description of the Park 3 Park Purpose 4 Park Significance 5 Fundamental Resources and Values 6 Related Resources 7 Interpretive Themes 10

Part 2: Dynamic Components 12

Special Mandates and Administrative Commitments 12 Special Mandates 12

Administrative Commitments 12

Assessment of Planning and Data Needs 13 Analysis of Fundamental Resources and Values 13

Identification of Key Issues and Associated Planning and Data Needs 19

Planning and Data Needs 20

Part 3: Contributors 24

Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument 24 NPS Southeast Region 24 Other NPS Staff 24 City of Birmingham 24 Participants 25 Photo Credits 25

Appendixes 26

Appendix A: Presidential Proclamation for Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument 26

Appendix B: Related Resources Analysis Tables 31 Appendix C: Past and Ongoing Park Planning and

Data Collection Efforts 37

Front Cover: Martin Luther King, Jr. in the courtyard of the Gaston Motel, 1963 i ii

Mission of the National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) preserves unimpaired the natural and cultural resources and values of the national park system for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. The National Park Service cooperates with partners to extend the benefits of natural and cultural resource conservation and outdoor recreation throughout this country and the world.

The NPS core values are a framework in which the National Park Service accomplishes its mission. They express the manner in which, both individually and collectively, the National Park Service pursues its mission. The NPS core values are:

· Shared stewardship: We share a commitment to resource stewardship with the global preservation community.

· Excellence: We strive continually to learn and improve so that we may achieve the highest ideals of public service

· Integrity: We deal honestly and fairly with the public and one another.

· Tradition: We are proud of it; we learn from it; we are not bound by it.

· Respect: We embrace each other’s differences so that we may enrich the well-being of everyone.

The National Park Service is a bureau within the Department of the Interior. While numerous national park system units were created prior to 1916, it was not until August 25, 1916, that President Woodrow Wilson signed the National Park Service Organic Act formally establishing the National Park Service.

The national park system continues to grow and comprises more than 400 park units covering more than 84 million acres in every state, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. These units include, but are not limited to, national parks, monuments, battlefields, military parks, historical parks, historic sites, lakeshores, seashores, recreation areas, scenic rivers and trails, and the White House. The variety and diversity of park units throughout the nation require a strong commitment to resource stewardship and management to ensure both the protection and enjoyment of these resources for future generations.

The arrowhead was authorized as the official National Park Service emblem by the Secretary of the Interior on July 20, 1951. The sequoia tree and bison represent vegetation and wildlife, the mountains and water represent scenic and recreational values, and the arrowhead represents historical and archeological values.

Introduction Every unit of the national park system will have a foundational document to provide basic guidance for planning and management decisions—a foundation for planning and management. The core components of a foundation document include a brief description of the park as well as the park’s purpose, significance, fundamental resources and values, and interpretive themes. The foundation document also includes special mandates and administrative commitments, an assessment of planning and data needs that identifies planning issues, planning products to be developed, and the associated studies and data required for park planning. Along with the core components, the assessment provides a focus for park planning activities and establishes a baseline from which planning documents are developed.

A primary benefit of developing a foundation document is the opportunity to integrate and coordinate all kinds and levels of planning from a single, shared understanding of what is most important about the park. The process of developing a foundation document begins with gathering and integrating information about the park. Next, this information is refined and focused to determine what the most important attributes of the park are. The process of preparing a foundation document aids park managers, staff, and the public in identifying and clearly stating in one document the essential information that is necessary for park management to consider when determining future planning efforts, outlining key planning issues, and protecting resources and values that are integral to park purpose and identity.

While not included in this document, a park atlas is also part of a foundation project. The atlas is a series of maps compiled from available geographic information system (GIS) data on natural and cultural resources, visitor use patterns, facilities, and other topics. It serves as a GIS-based support tool for planning and park operations. The atlas is published as a (hard copy) paper product and as geospatial data for use in a web mapping environment.

The park atlas for Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument can be accessed online at:

http://insideparkatlas.nps.gov/.

http://insideparkatlas.nps.gov/

Part 1: Core Components The core components of a foundation document include a brief description of the park, park purpose, significance statements, fundamental resources and values, and interpretive themes.

These components are core because they typically do not change over time. Core components are expected to be used in future planning and management efforts.

Brief Description of the Park In 1963, images of snarling police dogs unleashed against nonviolent protesters, and of children being sprayed with water from high-powered pressure hoses, appeared in print and television news across the world. These dramatic scenes from Birmingham, Alabama, of violent police aggression against civil rights protesters were vivid examples of segregation and racial injustice in America. The events shocked many, including President John F. Kennedy, and elevated civil rights from a Southern issue to a pressing national concern.

The confrontation between protesters and police in Birmingham was a product of the direct action campaign that came to be known as “Project C.” Project C—for confrontation— challenged unfair laws that were designed to limit freedoms of African Americans and ensure racial inequality. Leaders from the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), along with Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights (ACMHR), took up residence at the A.G. Gaston Motel from April through May of 1963 to direct Project C. From the motel, which served as their headquarters and as an area to stage events and hold press conferences, the movement’s leaders strategized and made critical decisions that shaped national events and significantly advanced the cause of the modern civil rights movement. In addition to serving as the main planning headquarters of Project C, several key events unfolded at the historic property.

Public outrage over the events in Birmingham produced political pressure that helped to ensure passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The struggle for equality is illustrated by places throughout Birmingham, like the A.G. Gaston Motel, where civil rights activists organized, protested, and clashed with segregationists. Also visible throughout the city are African American institutions and businesses that tied together Birmingham’s black community and laid a critical foundation for the fight for civil and political rights.

In 2017, Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument was created by presidential proclamation to commemorate, preserve, and interpret to the public the dramatic events of Project C and the struggle for human and civil rights that played out in Birmingham in the 1950s and 1960s. Within the monument are several prominent historic structures and landscapes that were pivotal to the events of 1963 and to the continued historic significance and relevance of the monument. Of these, only the A.G. Gaston Motel is directly managed by the National Park Service. The National Park Service owns one half of the motel complex and manages it in partnership with the City of Birmingham, which owns the other half.

The integrity and stories of the other related resources of the national monument, i.e., the 16th Street Baptist Church, Bethel Baptist Church, St. Paul United Methodist Church, Kelly Ingram Park, and the Colored Masonic Temple, as well as the A.G.

Gaston Motel itself, are all vital to maintaining the purpose and significance of the national monument.

Newly opened Gaston Hotel, 1954

Park Purpose The purpose statement identifies the specific reason(s) for establishment of a particular park. The purpose statement for Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument was drafted through a careful analysis of its enabling presidential proclamation and the legislative history that influenced its development. The monument was established by presidential proclamation on January 12, 2017 (see appendix A for the presidential proclamation). The purpose statement lays the foundation for understanding what is most important about the park.

Through collaboration with partners, Birmingham Civil rights national monument preserves and interprets the events, stories, and places associated with the nonviolent struggle against racial segregation in Birmingham, Alabama, during the mid-20th century;

events in 1963 propelled human and civil rights to the forefront of the American conscience.

Park Significance Significance statements express why a park’s resources and values are important enough to merit designation as a unit of the national park system. These statements are linked to the purpose of Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument, and are supported by data, research, and consensus. Statements of significance describe the distinctive nature of the park and why an area is important within a global, national, regional, and systemwide context. They focus on the most important resources and values that will assist in park planning and management.

The following significance statements have been identified for Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument. (Please note that the sequence of the statements does not reflect the level of significance.)

1. Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument contains a collection of buildings and places that stands as a reminder of the violent opposition to integration in Birmingham’s segregated past. These places became a battleground for freedom during nonviolent protests that climaxed in 1963 and directly influenced the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

2. The A.G. Gaston Motel was a significant site of Birmingham’s 1963 civil rights activities, serving as the headquarters for the launch of the Birmingham Campaign. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) and Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights (ACMHR)—organizations leading the deployment of “Project C”— rented rooms, held regular strategy sessions, organized protest marches, and held press conferences at the site.

3. Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument highlights the importance of a free press in a democracy. Journalists documented the violence and dramatic scenes of brutal police aggression against nonviolent protesters, including children, which shocked the nation and resulted in a public outcry that spurred political action.

4. Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument commemorates the power of community organizing and the contributions of national civil rights leaders and foot soldiers, especially youth, and the coordinated efforts of the local African American churches, businesses, and educational institutions to bring about social change and end injustice.

5. Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth was a pioneer of the direct action movement and founded the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights (ACMHR) in response to the State of Alabama prohibiting the operation of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). From its headquarters at Bethel Baptist Church between 1956 and 1961 the ACMHR confronted institutional racism in Birmingham and Alabama and was later pivotal to the success of the Birmingham Campaign.

6. On September 15, 1963, white supremacists bombed the 16th Street Baptist Church, killing four young girls and injuring 22 parishioners. Media reports of the terrorist act outraged the nation and world as one of the most egregious events in opposition to the modern civil rights movement, elevating the tragedies of racism and segregation from a southern issue to one of national concern.

7. Within a culture of systemic racism and segregation, African American business and civic leaders were able to develop a successful network of social, cultural, and commercial establishments within the 4th Avenue Business District. These institutions along 4th Avenue, in the Colored Masonic Temple and elsewhere, provided essential support for the civil rights movement in Birmingham.

Fundamental Resources and Values Fundamental resources and values (FRVs) are those features, systems, processes, experiences, stories, scenes, sounds, smells, or other attributes determined to warrant primary consideration during planning and management processes because they are essential to achieving the purpose of the park and maintaining its significance. Fundamental resources and values are closely related to a park’s legislative purpose and are more specific than significance statements.

Fundamental resources and values help focus planning and management efforts on what is truly significant about the park. One of the most important responsibilities of NPS managers is to ensure the conservation and public enjoyment of those qualities that are essential (fundamental) to achieving the purpose of the park and maintaining its significance. If fundamental resources and values are allowed to deteriorate, the park purpose and/or significance could be jeopardized.

The following fundamental resources and values have been identified for Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument:

· The A.G. Gaston Motel. The black-owned A.G. Gaston Motel was built by A.G.

Gaston to provide African Americans a place to go for first-class hotel and dining accommodations in segregated Birmingham. The motel was designed by Birmingham architect Stanley B. Echols and originally constructed by Steel City Construction Company, also of Birmingham, in 1954. National and local leaders of Birmingham’s nonviolent civil rights movement chose this site as the headquarters to launch “Project C.” Journalists, activists, and celebrities from around the world converged here to document and support these efforts. At the height of civil rights activities in Birmingham, the motel became a target of the Ku Klux Klan and was bombed on Mother’s Day, May 12, 1963.

· Partnerships. Partnering with the City of Birmingham, local churches, universities, friends groups, and other organizations to commemorate and preserve the history of Birmingham’s struggle for civil rights is essential to the park. Preservation and interpretation of the A.G. Gaston Motel and related sites in Birmingham are dependent on these partnerships.

· Archives and Museum Collections. Numerous organizations in and around Birmingham, such as the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Birmingham Public Library, and religious institutions, hold archival materials and museum objects that are crucial to telling the story of the struggle for civil rights in Birmingham. Of particular importance are oral histories that document firsthand accounts of efforts to end racial segregation.

Related Resources Related resources may be part of the broader context or setting in which park resources exist; represent a thematic connection that enhances the experience of visitors; or have close associations with park fundamental resources and the purpose of the park. The related resource represents a connection with the park that often reflects an area of mutual benefit or interest, and collaboration, between the park and owner/stakeholder. Related resources are not owned by the National Park Service. Related resources are of paramount importance to the management of Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument.

The following related resources have been identified for Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument:

· 16th Street Baptist Church. 16th Street Baptist Church is a National Historic Landmark known for its significance in advancing the civil rights movement in the United States in the mid-1960s. The church was designed by Wallace Rayfield, Alabama’s only black architect at the time and built in 1911 by local black contractor T.C. Windham. The church served as the staging ground for youth marches of the 1963 Birmingham Campaign that provoked dramatic confrontations between segregationists and nonviolent protesters. On a Sunday morning later in the same year, a racially motivated bombing targeted the church, killing four young girls. The 1963 events, and the worldwide spotlight placed upon them in media reports, played a key role in revealing injustices taking place in the South. Today, the church is still in operation as both a place of worship and a place of pilgrimage to tens of thousands of visitors a year.

· Historic Bethel Baptist Church. The Bethel Baptist Church structure was built in 1926, on land the congregation purchased in 1909. The church, including its guardhouse and parsonage, is a National Historic Landmark associated with the civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s in Birmingham, Alabama. The church and its parishioners embraced the radical message and methods of nonviolent direct action espoused by Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth, and served as the headquarters of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights (ACMHR), formed by Shuttlesworth and other ministers when the state prohibited the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) from operating in Alabama. Weekly mass meetings were held in the church where support for the movement in Birmingham was cemented and cultivated. The church’s original parsonage was destroyed by a terrorist bombing on December 25, 1956, with Shuttlesworth and his family inside. When Shuttlesworth emerged from the rubble unharmed, his followers were inspired to take on the institutional racism of segregation.

Today, parishioners attend services in a new church built a block away, but the original is maintained as a historic site that welcomes visitors and stands as a testament to the accomplishments of the civil rights movement.

· St. Paul United Methodist Church.

St. Paul United Methodist Church was built in 1905 with a sanctuary added between 1948 and 1951 under the pastorate of Rev.

Joseph Lowery, one of the founders of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) along with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rev. Ralph Abernathy. St. Paul United Methodist Church and its parishioners were actively involved in the nonviolent direct action movement of the 1960s in Birmingham, Alabama. The first mass meeting was held at the church to protest the injustices of segregation. St. Paul was the site of many trainings in nonviolent opposition, where tenets of direct action and nonviolent protest were taught. Great personal restraint was needed to face violence with peaceful protest.

These trainings were instrumental to achieving the goals of the Birmingham Campaign. The church was the mustering point for the 1963 Palm Sunday Children’s March, which ended with police dogs and fire hoses under the command of Commissioner of Public Safety T.

Eugene “Bull” Connor aggressively dispersing the nonviolent marchers under the eye of national media. Today, the building still serves as a place of worship and continues to host events promoting civil rights.

· Kelly Ingram Park. Some of the civil rights movement’s most dramatic and iconic images were captured at Kelly Ingram Park during what is now known as the Children’s Marches. During the May 3 march in 1963, nonviolent demonstrators were met with aggression in the park from Birmingham police. Dogs and firehoses were deployed against children under the eyes of journalists who shared the scenes with the rest of a shocked nation. The park has been developed into a commemorative space with monuments and landscape features designed to provide the public with a contemplative experience.

· Colored Masonic Temple. The Colored Masonic Temple site in the 4th Avenue National Historic District is important for setting the stage for economic prosperity and support for the civil rights movement. The temple, built in 1922, represents an early design by renowned African American architect Robert Robinson Taylor. It also represents the financial strength of black organizing during segregation. This eight-story building, known as the “black skyscraper,” housed African American doctors, attorneys, dentists, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and many labor unions, all instrumental in the fight against racism. Today, the building is vacant, but plans for a multimillion-dollar renovation that will house retail, office, and ballroom space are in development.

· Other Civil Rights Sites in Birmingham. Many historic places and landscapes associated with Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument are essential to commemorating and connecting visitors to the events associated with the nonviolent struggle that occurred in Birmingham during the mid-20th century. Some of the most recognized and iconic places include locations in the Birmingham Civil Rights Historic District, along the Civil Rights Heritage Trail, protest march routes, Center Street ( also known as “Dynamite Hill”), and a multitude of historic African American churches.

Interpretive Themes Interpretive themes are often described as the key stories or concepts that visitors should understand after visiting a park—they define the most important ideas or concepts communicated to visitors about a park unit. Themes are derived from, and should reflect, park purpose, significance, resources, and values. The set of interpretive themes is complete when it provides the structure necessary for park staff to develop opportunities for visitors to explore and relate to all park significance statements, and fundamental resources and values.

Interpretive themes are an organizational tool that reveal and clarify meaning, concepts, contexts, and values represented by park resources. Sound themes are accurate and reflect current scholarship and science. They encourage exploration of the context in which events or natural processes occurred and the effects of those events and processes. Interpretive themes go beyond a mere description of the event or process to foster multiple opportunities to experience and consider the park and its resources. These themes help explain why a park story is relevant to people who may otherwise be unaware of connections they have to an event, time, or place associated with the park.

The following interpretive themes have been identified for Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument:

· African American entrepreneurs and the A.G. Gaston Motel. Segregation created conditions that helped shape a vibrant and robust African American business community along 3rd, 4th, and 5th Avenues. These businesses showcased black pride, success, and prosperity that defied the mainstream. Arthur George (A.G.) Gaston, a successful African American businessman, opened a motel in 1954 that became a prominent landmark in the district and stood as a first-class destination that provided accommodations to national supporters, entertainers, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The motel also served as the place of strategy for the execution of “Project C.”

A.G. Gaston and R.A. Hester in the motel’s courtyard, no date.

· Places, churches, the power of community organizing, and contributions of individuals. African American churches served in the forefront of the 1950s and 1960s Southern Civil Rights Movement and were the backbone for the creation of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights. These places of sanctuary and inspiration became a catalyst for courage, sacrifice, and leadership that spurred foot soldiers to mount nonviolent resistance to a racist power structure that resorted to physical and psychological violence to maintain the status quo.

· Youth activism and the Children’s Crusade. Many high school youth were trained and participated in the non-violent protests of Project C. During two days of protesting, children were subjected to jailing and physical attacks by firefighters and police officers.

Despite the violence, they continued to march against the injustice of segregation in a organized action now known as the Birmingham Children’s Crusade. The courage shown by these young activists continues to be a source of inspiration today.

· Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth. Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth, with the support of Bethel Baptist Church and other black churches across the city, courageously confronted institutional racism, vowing to “kill segregation or be killed by it.” His unwavering faith and charismatic personality inspired others to answer the call to join him in nonviolent direct action protest against voting restrictions and segregated accommodations, transportation, schools, and employment. His legacy continues to inspire future generations, both through pride in historic victories against injustice, and to summon the strength to face ongoing challenges.

· 16th Street bombing and the importance of the media. The bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church, killing four young girls, and the vicious attack of dogs and water hoses against nonviolent youth demonstrators were both shocking and tragic. These events and images, broadcasted by the media around the world, garnered national and international attention and generated social pressure that led to political action and the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The imagery of the Birmingham Campaign captured by journalists continues to serve as a national reminder and provides tangible examples of the impact of nonviolent direct action against the injustices, discrimination, and violence of segregation in Birmingham during 20th-century America.

· The evolution of race relations and human rights. The Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument and adjacent Birmingham Civil Rights Institute provide a resource for public education and a focal point for the continued discussion about the evolving context of race in American society and broader issues of civil and human rights, as well as the fight for social and economic justice, around the world.

Part 2: Dynamic Components The dynamic components of a foundation document include special mandates and administrative commitments and an assessment of planning and data needs. These components are dynamic because they will change over time. New special mandates can be established and new administrative commitments made. As conditions and trends of fundamental resources and values change over time, the analysis of planning and data needs will need to be revisited and revised, along with key issues. Therefore, this part of the foundation document will be updated accordingly.

Special Mandates and Administrative Commitments Many management decisions for a park unit are directed or influenced by special mandates and administrative commitments with other federal agencies, state and local governments, utility companies, partnering organizations, and other entities. Special mandates are requirements specific to a park that must be fulfilled. Mandates can be expressed in enabling legislation, in separate legislation following the establishment of the park, or through a judicial process.

They may expand on park purpose or introduce elements unrelated to the purpose of the park. Administrative commitments are, in general, agreements that have been reached through formal, documented processes, often through memorandums of agreement. Examples include easements, rights-of-way, arrangements for emergency service responses, etc. Special mandates and administrative commitments can support, in many cases, a network of partnerships that help fulfill the objectives of the park and facilitate working relationships with other organizations. They are an essential component of managing and planning for Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument.

Special Mandates

· Presidential Proclamation 9565 – Establishment of the Birmingham Civil Rights

National Monument. The presidential proclamation establishing the monument contains unique language that directs the National Park Service to “use applicable authorities to seek to enter into agreements with others to promote management efficiencies and coordinate visitor experience. This directive to create partners is imperative for the interpretation and appreciation of a national monument with a variety of private and public owners.”

· Preservation and Conservation Easement Deed between the City of Birmingham and the National Trust for Historic Preservation. This easement deed (which was reassigned from the National Trust for Historic Preservation to the National Park Service with the property transfer) describes the historic preservation roles of the dual owners of the A.G. Gaston Motel and obligations for preservation by both the City of Birmingham and the National Park Service.

Administrative Commitments

· Framework Agreement between the National Park Service and the City of

Birmingham, Alabama. This memorandum of understanding between the City of Birmingham and the National Park Service outlines the financial commitments to the restoration and rehabilitation of the A.G. Gaston Motel, as well as roles for interpretation, staffing, management, and operations of the property. A specific obligation is the commitment to provide eventual visitors with a seamless experience when visiting the site such that dual ownership is not apparent. This memorandum of understanding is not legally binding, and it terminates on January 12, 2020. The termination date is extendable and will end upon execution of a full cooperative management agreement.

Assessment of Planning and Data Needs Once the core components of part 1 of the foundation document have been identified, it is important to gather and evaluate existing information about the park’s fundamental resources and values, and develop a full assessment of the park’s planning and data needs. The assessment of planning and data needs section presents planning issues, the planning projects that will address these issues, and the associated information requirements for planning, such as resource inventories and data collection, including GIS data.

There are three sections in the assessment of planning and data needs:

1. analysis of fundamental resources and values

2. identification of key issues and associated planning and data needs

3. identification of planning and data needs (including spatial mapping activities or GIS maps)

The analysis of fundamental resources and values and identification of key issues leads up to and supports the identification of planning and data collection needs.

Analysis of Fundamental Resources and Values The fundamental resource or value analysis table includes current conditions, potential threats and opportunities, planning and data needs, and selected laws and NPS policies related to management of the identified resource or value. Analysis tables for the national monument’s related resources can be found in appendix B.

Fundamental Resource or Value

A.G. Gaston Motel

Related Significance Statements

Significance statements 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7

Current Conditions and Trends

Conditions

• The motel is in poor condition The building’s external envelope is compromised and open to the elements

• The motel is currently not open to the public

• The utilities are not functional

Trends

• Deterioration is occurring because of exposure to the elements

Threats and Opportunities

Threats

• The motel is vulnerable to further deterioration (envelope compromised, vandalism, homeless population using it for shelter and lighting fires)

• The motel is a target for vandalism

• Projected increases in the frequency of extreme heat and storm events may cause flooding and other damage in areas not previously threatened

Opportunities

• A variety of potential uses may exist after restoration, including restaurant, lodging, and interpretation opportunities

• Designation and branding as a park unit will lead to increased economic development and tourism in the area, including potential for improved streetscapes, interpretation, urban design, and preservation initiatives

• Crowd-sourced story collection, oral histories, photo collection, etc

Existing Data and Plans Related to the

FRV

• A G Gaston Motel Historic Structure Report describes treatment recommendations and current conditions (2016)

Data and/or GIS Needs

• Oral histories (specific to the Gaston’s history in the area and specific to former employees of the motel, including the former managers from 1963 who now live in Illinois)

• Conduct additional research, i e , relate the events at Birmingham to the 1962 Deep South Conference

Planning Needs

• Restoration and reuse plan for the A G Gaston Motel

• Cultural landscape report for the A G Gaston Motel

• Comprehensive interpretive plan

• Cooperative management agreement between the City of Birmingham and the National Park Service

• Historic furnishings report

• Commercial services strategy

• Staffing plan

• Asset management plan

• Structural fire management plan

• Security plan

• Integrated pest management plan

Fundamental Resource or Value

A.G. Gaston Motel

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the FRV, and NPS Policy-level Guidance

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the FRV

• Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (42 USC 12101 et seq )

• Archeological and Historic Preservation Act of 1974

• Architectural Barriers Act of 1968

• Clean Air Act of 1977

• Historic Sites Act of 1935

• National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended (54 USC 300101 et seq )

• Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 USC 701 et seq )

• “Accessibility Guidelines” (36 CFR 1191 1)

• “Audio disturbances” (36 CFR 2 12)

• “Protection of Historic Properties” (36 CFR 800)

• Executive Order 11593, “Protection and Enhancement of the Cultural Environment”

• Secretarial Order 3289, “Addressing the Impacts of Climate Change on America’s Water, Land, and Other Natural and Cultural Resources”

NPS Policy-level Guidance (NPS Management Policies 2006 and Director’s Orders)

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§4 7) “Air Resource Management”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§4 9) “Soundscape Management”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (chapter 5) “Cultural Resource Management”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§5 3 1 7) “Cultural Soundscape Management”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (chapter 7) “Interpretation and Education”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (chapter 8) “Use of the Parks”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§8 2 3) “Use of Motorized Equipment”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (chapter 9) “Park Facilities”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (chapter 10) “Commercial Visitor Services”

• Director’s Order 6: Interpretation and Education

• Director’s Order 28: Cultural Resource Management

• Director’s Order 42: Accessibility for Visitors with Disabilities in National Park Service Programs and Services

• Director’s Order 47: Soundscape Preservation and Noise Management

• The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation

• The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for the Treatment of Historic Properties.

• Director’s Policy Memorandum 12-02, “Applying NPS Management Policies in the Context of Climate Change”

• Director’s Policy Memorandum 14-02, “Climate Change and Stewardship of Cultural Resources”

• Director’s Policy Memorandum 15-01, “Addressing Climate Change and Natural Hazards for Facilities”

Fundamental Resource or Value

Partnerships

Related Significance Statements

Significance statements 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8

Current Conditions and Trends

Conditions

• There is an existing framework agreement between the National Park Service and the City of Birmingham for the treatment and restoration of the A G Gaston Motel

• Current NPS administrative offices are located within the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute

Trends

• Park management is working to establish new partnership agreements

Threats and Opportunities

Threats

• There is a concern that there will be uneven exposure and treatment of partners across the national monument Partners have expressed a desire to maintain equal opportunity among organizations

Opportunities

• Establishment of friends group to expand funding opportunities and community involvement

• Conduct regular stakeholder meetings

• Establish transportation and connectivity for visitors between partner sites in the area

• Opportunity to relate the civil rights story with more Alabama and Birmingham visitors through the Birmingham Convention Bureau

• There is currently expanding interest in multi-state private tours and tourism of national civil rights sites Partnerships with state tourism agencies and private tour companies can bring visitors to the park

• Establish partnerships for providing security at related sites

Fundamental Resource or Value

Partnerships

Existing Data and Plans Related to the

FRV

• A framework agreement between the National Park Service and City of Birmingham

Data and/or GIS Needs

• None identified

Planning Needs

• Partnership strategy

• Tourism plan (developed with the National Park Service as a partner, not primary author)

• Economic development plan (developed with the National Park Service as a partner, not primary author)

• Wayfinding and transportation plan

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the FRV, and NPS Policy-level Guidance

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the FRV

• None identified

NPS Policy-level Guidance (NPS Management Policies 2006 and Director’s Orders)

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§1 6) “Cooperative Conservation Beyond Park

Boundaries”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§1 10) “Partnerships”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§3 4) “Cooperative Conservation”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§4 1 4) “Partnerships”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§4 9) “Soundscape Management”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (chapter 5) “Cultural Resource Management”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§5 3 1 7) “Cultural Soundscape Management”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (§8 2 3) “Use of Motorized Equipment”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (chapter 7) “Interpretation and Education”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (chapter 8) “Use of the Parks”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (chapter 9) “Park Facilities”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (chapter 10) “Commercial Visitor Services”

• Director’s Order 6: Interpretation and Education

• Director’s Order 28: Cultural Resource Management

• Director’s Order 42: Accessibility for Visitors with Disabilities in National Park Service Programs and Services

• Director’s Order 47: Soundscape Preservation and Noise Management

• The Secretary of the Interior’s Standards and Guidelines for Archeology and Historic Preservation

Fundamental Resource or Value

Archives and Museum Collections

Related Significance Statements

Significance statements 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8

Current Conditions and Trends

Conditions

• A central repository for archives and museum collections does not exist at this time The

National Park Service is not accepting archival and museum collection items at this time

Trends

• None identified

Threats and Opportunities

Threats

• Oral history collection is time limited because of the aging population’s direct experience with 1963 civil rights activities in Birmingham

Opportunities

• Create inventory of known materials

• Use social networking sites to request materials

• Develop agreement with Birmingham Civil Rights Institute to assist with inventory of potential items donated to the national monument

• Opportunity to use space at public library for collections

• Opportunity to consolidate oral history collection associated specifically with the A G Gaston Motel, 4th Avenue District, and the Colored Masonic Temple

• Existing inventory opportunities include the extensive Shuttlesworth family archives at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, including the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights There are also resources on DVDs at the Birmingham Historical Society and at Bethel Baptist Church

Existing Data and Plans Related to the

FRV

• None identified

Data and/or GIS Needs

• Comprehensive inventory of disparate museum collections

• Oral histories

• Special history studies

Planning Needs

• Scope of collections statement

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the FRV, and NPS Policy-level Guidance

Laws, Executive Orders, and Regulations That Apply to the FRV

• Archeological and Historic Preservation Act of 1974

• National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, as amended (54 USC 300101 et seq )

• Museum Properties Management Act of 1955, as amended

NPS Policy-level Guidance (NPS Management Policies 2006 and Director’s Orders)

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (chapter 5) “Cultural Resource Management”

• NPS Management Policies 2006 (chapter 7) “Interpretation and Education”

• Director’s Order 6: Interpretation and Education

• Director’s Order 24: NPS Museum Collections Management

• Director’s Order 28: Cultural Resource Management

• NPS Museum Handbook, parts I, II, and III

Identification of Key Issues and Associated Planning and Data Needs This section considers key issues to be addressed in planning and management and therefore takes a broader view over the primary focus of part 1. A key issue focuses on a question that is important for a park. Key issues often raise questions regarding park purpose and significance, and fundamental resources and values. For example, a key issue may pertain to the potential for a fundamental resource in a park to be detrimentally affected by discretionary management decisions. A key issue may also address crucial questions that are not directly related to purpose and significance, but which still affect them indirectly. Usually, a key issue is one that a future planning effort or data collection needs to address and requires a decision by NPS managers.

The following are key issues for Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument and the associated planning and data needs to address them:

· The Restoration and Rehabilitation of the A.G. Gaston Motel. Currently, the primary physical resource under the care of the National Park Service in Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument is in a state of complete disrepair. The A.G. Gaston Motel’s external envelope is compromised in several areas and open to the elements.

The motel has no utilities; it has environmental mitigation concerns; and it is threatened by further deterioration from neglect, vandalism, and vagrancy occupation. It is in need of significant restoration and rehabilitation before it can be opened to the public in any way. Temporary stabilization work such as roofing and power for lighting and environmental control would help to prevent additional damages and loss of historic fabric. A historic structure report has been completed that outlines a plan for restoration of a portion of the 1963 motel structure and rehabilitation of the portions of the building post-dating the period of significance. The portion of the motel restored to its 1963 appearance in 1963 is anticipated to be open to visitors and used for interpretation; there is no final proposed use for the remainder of the complex.

The existing framework agreement between the National Park Service and the City of Birmingham outlines the financial commitments of both organizations to restoration and rehabilitation of the motel, as well as roles for interpretation, staffing, management, and operations of the property. The agreement is not a legal contract, however, and the National Park Service must continue to work with the City of Birmingham toward completing the repairs of the motel and establishing exactly how all of the available space within the motel will be used to achieve the purpose of the park and the vision of the national monument partners.

- Associated planning and data needs: Restoration and reuse plan for the A.G.

Gaston Motel, structural fire management plan, cultural landscape report for the A.G. Gaston Motel, cultural landscape inventory for the A.G. Gaston Motel, comprehensive interpretive plan, cooperative management agreement between the City of Birmingham and the National Park Service, commercial services strategy, historic furnishings report, security plan

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin in the “War Room” at the AG Gaston Motel.

· Partnership Coordination. The park has many partners and the National Park Service would like to make its relationship with them—and between the partners— seamless and efficient with agreements in place to accomplish shared goals and the purpose of the national monument. Partners include the City of Birmingham, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, Bethel Baptist Church, 16th Street Baptist Church, St. Paul United Methodist Church, and the owners of the Masonic Lodge, among others. Partners in the preservation of the historic fabric of the national monument, such as the National Trust for Historic Preservation, are needed to coordinate consistent visitor experiences, accessibility, interpretation strategies and programming, transportation and wayfinding, connectivity between resources, security issues, collections management, and economic development opportunities within the national monument and neighboring community. The nature of disparate ownership of the resources within the national monument boundary necessitates strong partnerships to achieve the purpose of the park.

- Associated planning and data needs: Partnership strategy (partnership agreements between the National Park Service and individual entities, or among all parties, or a combination of both), establishment of a friends group, comprehensive interpretive plan, visitor use survey, wayfinding and transportation plan, security plan, signage plan, historic sites inventory, GIS inventory and storymap for 1963 civil rights events in Birmingham

· Collections Management. Currently, Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument lacks collections, a collections facility, and a scope of collections statement identifying the appropriate resources that the park should be collecting and maintaining in its collection. Given the relative recency of the national monument’s significant history, it is expected that the collection of oral histories, photographs, and other personal effects and archives associated with the civil rights movement in Birmingham during the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s will be of high importance to the national monument. These resources are likely extensive and potentially available in the community. It is also recognized that with the passage of time, the availability and existence of these materials and recollections will diminish. In addition, the appropriate repository for such items may or may not be with the National Park Service. The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute— as well as some of the local churches—have been collecting resources, particularly oral histories, for many years. The National Park Service must determine, hand in hand with the national monument’s network of partners, what the appropriate materials are for the new national monument to maintain and grow and where they will be housed.

- Associated planning and data needs: Scope of collections statement, comprehensive inventory of disparate museum collections (inventory of agreements with existing repositories)

Planning and Data Needs To maintain connection to the core elements of the foundation and the importance of these core foundation elements, the planning and data needs listed here are directly related to protecting fundamental resources and values, park significance, and park purpose, as well as addressing key issues. To successfully undertake a planning effort, information from sources such as inventories, studies, research activities, and analyses may be required to provide adequate knowledge of park resources and visitor information. Such information sources have been identified as data needs. Geospatial mapping tasks and products are included in data needs.

Items considered of the utmost importance were identified as high priority, and other items identified, but not rising to the level of high priority, were listed as…