Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

By Sarah Aghedo

Special to The Selma Times-Journal

Susan Besser knows Selma’s architecture. Her new book, A Field Guide to Selma’s Architectural Legacy, is a wonderful combination of architectural descriptions, accompanying photographs, and an overall homage to Selma’s impressive and unique history.  It truly is a wide-ranging and thorough guide. Like a proper field guide, there are photographs or illustrations for every building described, making it easier for those who don’t know a Palladian window from a cut-glass transom.

Invited to resurvey both the Old Town and Water Avenue Historic Districts for the National Register of Historic Places, Susan has been a frequent visitor to Selma. This is evident in her familiarity with all of the historical stages and architectural styles of these two areas, as well as the African American neighborhoods and historical sites.

As she mentions in her introductory chapter, Selma’s architecture

“indicates a high level of expertise. Many local craftsmen and builders… are responsible for the fine architecture of Selma… which tells the story of the ebb and flow of history, interwoven with economic booms and downturns.” These historical ebbs and flows are reflected in how Selma was built and in the designs we live with today.

 

Appropriately, the first chapter gives a detailed overview of the history of Selma and its many architectural influences. Then the second chapter goes into detail, moving street by street in the Old Town Historic District, showcasing each contributing structure in the district. Chapter Three is dedicated to the Water Avenue Historic District, and it illustrates how commercial architecture was used to cultivate an image of “businesses associated with culture.”

Chapter Four covers structures on Boyntons Street; these are buildings that were documented, but the surveys have not been submitted to the National Register of Historic Places yet. These structures reflect a lot of local history.  For example, R.B. Hudson’s house still stands, as does George Wilson’s. Mr. Wilson was a local architect who is credited with designing and building over fifty structures in Selma. The next chapter is a guide to other African American Historic Sites not located on Boyntons Street.

Finally, the lost buildings of Selma and a view towards Selma’s future comprise the last two chapters of this guide. We are wisely reminded that Selma’s “architectural treasures [reveal] a sense of place that defines Selma, something that many progressive southern cities have lost in the name of urban renewal. History and architecture are intertwined in Selma’s past – each defines the other.”

If Selma has always been your home, you will appreciate the attention to detail and the respect which is given to all aspects of Selma’s history and architecture. If you are a transplant to Selma, you will learn from its broad overview of history and architecture. There is something for everyone in A Field Guide to Selma’s Architectural Legacy, and there will be an opportunity to hear from the author herself at an upcoming “Lunch at the Library.”

Sarah Aghedo is the executive director of the Selma Redevelopment Authority. She is writing a series of stories highlighting Preservation Month. To contact her, please call 334-407-9313 or email her at info@selmara.org. For more information, log on to www.selmara.org.