HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (WAFF) – How do you preserve history while also looking to the future? It is a challenge that can come with exciting feelings, sadness, and even hope and excitement. This is the internal conflict taking place on the campus of Alabama A&M University.
What has stood for nearly 80 years now lies in piles of warped concrete, broken glass and construction equipment ready to devour the last remnants of the historic Councill Training School.
“I saw the roof cut off and I had no idea why. I was told later why they had to take it down but I thought it was open to the elements. It was gone,” said Dr. Mattie Thomas, Council Training Class of '53.
For decades, the Councill Training School has been located in the heart of the Alabama A&M University campus along Meridian Avenue. The school was named after former slave and founder of A&M, William Hooper Councill. From 1948 to 1970, it served black students in Madison County, grades one through 12.
“This was the second public high school in Madison County. The first high school was in the tony community and it was the Rosenwald School. That school closed in 1948. Before we had the high school, we went to schools with Great halls and churches.” The result of an isolated period of time in our history.
WAFF 48's Margo Gray sat down with members of the Councill Training Alumni Association.
“It was one of the greatest experiences of my life. “I graduated in 1966 and there were about 130 people in my graduating class and probably about 30 percent of them were enrolled at Alabama A&M University,” said David Barley, Council Coaching Class of '66.
This close connection to A&M University created division among families over what should have been done to the old school building.
“Demolishing this building is absolutely ridiculous, and it is a shame that we are taking something that could do something good for the campus not only right now but also for the future of the kids.” [going to] “He will come to the school as a whole,” Smith said.
“We had a memorandum of understanding, and it went back and forth, and hope and then no hope,” Dr. Thomas added.
Hope emerged in 2017, when A&M, the Alumni Association and the Virginia Couples Institute for Lifelong Learning agreed on a vision to transform Councill Training into a learning development center for seniors. The expected goal was to raise $7 million between the two entities to renovate and restore the building. In the end, Barley said the association raised about $169,000.
“We were a long way from meeting our $1 million commitment. But that ultimately led to us getting into COVID-19,” Barley added.
In the updated 2023 Memorandum of Understanding, all parties agreed to demolish the building for modern-day use on the campus while also creating a memorial on the site to reflect the history of Councill Training.
“We didn't want to be disrespectful in that regard, and we knew there were sensitivities around demolition whenever it happened. We were seeing it now but felt good about inviting the Alumni Association to the table,” said Jamal Ali, A&M's vice president for marketing, communications and development. To be part of the discussions.”
Ali explained the delicate balance. “When you have an institution that's 150 years old next year, we have buildings that have historical significance and emotional connections to us. But we're also struggling to continue to maintain those buildings and also recruit the kind of students who expect those kind of facilities and amenities.”
Ali added that the university is currently working on a master plan for the campus and what will replace the council training with a set of ideas, “student living, student learning, student amenities, and it could be academic, in terms of a science building.”
“I'm also a Huntsville native, so I grew up seeing this building, and it's very prominent here on Meridian Street. But we know that to move the university forward, we have to change, and the building has outlived its usefulness on this campus. Just a lot of repairs that It needed to be done. It had asbestos and mold. “There were new floors, there were leaky ceilings, so it wasn't possible to move forward with renovating the building,” said Rochelle A. Conley, A&M's general counsel.
Conley said the university conducted two studies on what it would take to rehabilitate the building, but to no avail. The goal now is to find a way to carry the council's training spirit into the future.
“We were able to preserve the lettering from the building, and we hope to have digital plaques with artifacts that prominently display what the school once looked like,” Conley said.
As for the money the association has raised to replenish board training, university officials say every dollar can be accounted for, with about $65,000 remaining in the Virginia Couples account designated for scholarships and book stipends. $15,000 remains in the council's training replenishment fund. A&M officials say they're open to seeing if that could go toward enhancing the Councill Coaching Memorial in the future.
Members of the Alumni Association believed that A&M could use the building as a tourist attraction, and move the Black State Archives already on campus to the Board's training.
“This alone could bring millions of dollars to Alabama A&M,” Smith said.
“It's a community investment, it's an icon. It's an educational icon for us,” Lockhart said.
“We have plans for the Black Archive. You know, this is a gem on this campus. We haven't really maximized what we can do with this, so there are plans,” Ali admitted.
To avoid any potential 2017 Alabama monument preservation violations, Conley said the university submitted all required paperwork to the Alabama Historical Commission.
When WAFF 48 reached out to commission spokesperson Katherine Shoup, she said, “Being on the National Register does not protect a building from demolition. We do not have an easement on it, there is no protection on it. This is beyond our authority. If anyone believes that a violation of the Monument Preservation Act Memorial District Attorney's Office in Alabama has occurred, he or she may contact the Incorporated Complaints Office at (334) 242-7300.
The university's Board of Trustees approved plans to move forward with board training at its summer 2023 meeting after public notices were posted, A&M's general counsel told WAFF 48.
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