A.G. Gaston Motel Restoration

Lord Aeck Sargent played a pivotal role in the meticulous restoration of the A.G. Gaston Motel, a landmark mid-century modern structure central to the Civil Rights Movement. Originally constructed in 1954 by A.G. Gaston, Alabama’s first Black millionaire, the motel was an essential site for African American travelers during segregation and gained historical prominence as the location where Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and his colleagues planned the 1963 Birmingham Civil Rights Campaign. Given its dual significance—as both a witness to the fight for civil rights and an example of period-specific architecture—Lord Aeck Sargent managed the complex preservation effort alongside the City of Birmingham and the National Park Service. This collaboration required careful navigation of ownership responsibilities to maintain historical integrity while addressing modern preservation standards, serving as a potential model for future public-private stewardship projects.