Selma Sites

The history of this building is tied very closely with the two people involved in the passage of the most significant legislation of the Civil Rights Movement, the 1965 Voting Rights Act, Samuel Boynton, and Amelia Pitts Boynton Robinson. Samuel Boynton, Charles J. Adams, and others successfully lobbied the federal government for some New Deal money to be used to build a community center in Selma. Boynton had advocated for years for a public restroom facility for African Americans near downtown Selma. Jim Crow laws prevented African Americans from using any of the store facilities including restrooms, lunch counters, and other...

WPA Project No. 645-61-2-87, Application date 10/12/38, $10,806, Total Funds $12,789, Average Employed 68, "Install auxiliary lateral sewers, with manholes and other necessary appurtenances, on Philpot Avenue in the City of Selma, Dallas County, and perform work incidental and appurtenant thereto. City-owned property. No taxes or assessments will levied to cover the amount of Federal funds expended on this project. In addition to projects specifically approved."

This Classical Revival style public building was constructed with Public Works Administration (PWA) funds as Selma's City Hall. Today, the building is used by the police department, fire department No. 1, and the municipal court.