The Old Alabama Town Church was built in 1885, at the corner of Stone Street and Cleveland Avenue in Montgomery, and was originally called the First Colored Presbyterian Church of Montgomery. In the mid-1800s, whites and African Americans worshiped together in Montgomery’s First Presbyterian Church. By 1880, the African Americans congregants requested to organize their own church, and the entire congregation worked together to build this house of worship. Eventually, the name was changed to the Cleveland Avenue Presbyterian Church. This building served its congregation until the 1960s when an interstate (I-85) bridge was built directly over the Church, causing the congregation to relocate.
To keep it cool in summer, the Church was built with high ceilings and windows situated directly across from each other. The plain simple vernacular styling of the church included horizontal wall paneling and wooden floors. The dropped ceiling fans helped to circulate the warm summer air during the worship services. With the help of the Black Culture Preservation Committee, Landmarks Foundation moved the Church to Old Alabama Town in 1975 for preservation.
