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    Pete Hanna Center

    5.0 (1 review)

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    11 years ago

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    Historical Powell School

    Historical Powell School

    5.0(1 review)
    9.1 km

    On Saturday, March 8th, Tony and I was walking around downtown Birmingham checking out all of the…read moreold gorgeous buildings. We ran across this magnificent example of Victorian Architecture and the oldest school still standing in Birmingham. Found this article about it: The timing probably couldn't be better for the "for sale" to go up on historic Powell School. Powell, Birmingham's oldest school, at 124 years old, was heavily damaged in a fire in January 2011. At first, thoughts were that the building would have to be razed, a significant loss to the city's history. But the city of Birmingham wisely struck a deal with the Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation to control the building and see whether it can be saved. So far, the news has been good. The Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation has cleaned up most of the fire damage and is continuing with plans to put a roof back on Powell to protect the structure from the elements and to stabilize the building's outer walls. A February 5, 1970 article in the Birmingham Public Library Archives tells us that the Powell Elementary School is Birmingham's oldest school, dating back to 1874, having been founded immediately after the cholera epidemic swept the town, practically depopulating it. Woodlawn, Henley and Powell were known as the oldest white public schools in Birmingham, the others having been built after 1900.Actually, the school that occupied the site of the old Powell School that burned yesterday, was called The Free White School, and a picture of it appears in another article featured in the Birmingham City Archives' digital collection. HISTORICAL MARKER READS: Birmingham's first public school was named for Colonel James R. Powell, the city's first elected Mayor. This energetic promoter also served as the first President of the Elyton Land Company (now Birmingham Realty). which founded the city in 1871. Two years later, Colonel John T. Terry led the fund raising to establish a "free school for white children." The school was "free" only of ties to a religious institution for fees were charged according to grade level. Mayor Powell donated his salary, police court fines and other city fees to support the school. The present red brick Victorian Gothic style structure, designed by S. J. Hall of Cleveland, Ohio in 1888, is the third Powell School. Until 1918, the school accommodated grades one through twelve and for a time served as a training school for prospective teachers

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    Pete Hanna Center - education - Updated May 2026

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