HSPV 701-201

HSPV 701-201: Downtown Selma

In the fall of 2022, a Preservation studio team explored how historic preservation could be leveraged to support economic development in Selma, Alabama. A city known worldwide for its role in the Civil Rights Movement, Selma has had little economic investment or prosperity since. For this project, the studio team’s specific study area was a roughly twenty-two block core along the northern bank of the Alabama River, synonymous with downtown Selma. As the city’s historic commercial center (and retaining much of its late nineteenth century architectural and urban fabric), downtown Selma served as an appropriate focal point for our efforts.

The studio focused on how historic preservation could be used as a way to aid economic revitalization in downtown Selma. This project was built on two purposes: (1) to preserve, commemorate, and holistically interpret Selma’s tangible and intangible heritage in its own right, and (2) to configure these preservation efforts to support economic growth and opportunities for the city and its residents, particularly through developing a tourism economy.

Because our overarching goal focused not only on preserving historic resources, but how that work serves as an economic revitalization tool, our team needed to understand Selma holistically. In the first phase of our work (5 weeks), the studio team researched Selma’s history and physical evolution as well as the present social, economic, and political contexts. This first phase also included fieldwork in Selma, where we assessed the physical conditions of downtown’s built environment, visited heritage sites, and met with various stakeholders. Based on this research the studio team concluded that while a great deal of significant historic buildings and landscapes remain, fragmented governance structures, historic disadvantages, and discrimination hamper downtown’s revitalization, even if individual successes occur.

The second phase (5 weeks) assessed and analyzed the findings of the first phase, to form the base of a preservation plan for downtown. This work included creating a statement of significance for downtown Selma, assessing the values of downtown, identifying its character defining elements, and researching comparable downtowns and cities. Our team also enumerated its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats – all in an effort to better understand downtown Selma’s current conditions, needs, assets, and future possibilities. Each of these points of analysis centered on the weight of Selma’s historical significance.
The third and final phase (5 weeks) explored six specific interventions in downtown Selma’s governance structure and physical environment, informed by the findings and analysis of the previous two phases. While each of these individual projects focuses on a different aspect of downtown Selma, the six interventions together address historic preservation and economic revitalization in the area more holistically. These projects have a broader range than typical preservation tactics because they play to multiple factors – its historic and cultural significance, existing and possible historic interpretation, capacity for economic development, governance and policy structures, and community needs. We hope that our studio work assists in downtown Selma’s revival as community organizing, outside interest and investment, and financial opportunities continue to grow.