Living Block
Begin your tour of the Living Block through Lucas Tavern. In this block are both urban and rural structures, simple buildings where people gathered together to satisfy various needs, longings, and aspirations, all part of the fabric of 19th century everyday life.
Living Block Tour ›
Ordeman-Shaw House
The Ordeman-Shaw House is an Italianate townhouse which stands on its original site at 230 North Hull in Downtown Montgomery. The house was acquired by the Landmarks Foundation in 1968, in partnership with the City of Montgomery. It took three years to finish the first restoration which restored the home before being opened for public tours in 1971. The house is currently furnished much as it would have been during the Mitchell Family’s tenure in the late 1850s. The enslaved quarters and kitchens were competed at the same time as the OMS House, circa 1853. These structures provide one of the few remaining examples of urban slavery in Montgomery. This two-story brick dependency includes an upper story balcony, entry doors to each room, and an exterior stairway. The site’s outbuildings were reconstructed on the previous foundations using archeological evidence uncovered during the work yard’s restoration. The structures at the OMS Complex provide a unique opportunity to present a cross-section of life in antebellum Montgomery.
Ordeman-Shaw House Tour ›
Working Block
Enter through the Rose House dogtrot to begin your tour of the Working Block. In the buildings in the Working Block, you will see how people worked, labored, and produced in central Alabama in the 19th and early 20th centuries. You will see these workplaces as well as many of the tools used in urban and rural areas. Restrooms are available in the Lakin Kitchen. As you move through the Working Block you will also notice fig trees, a satsuma tree, and a garden—these, too, are all producing!
Working Block Tour ›
Along the Street
Buildings from the 19th century lining North Hull Street create an ambience far different from the atmosphere of commercial and residential streets of today. Several houses are on their original site, others have been moved in to the area. In the 1850s, North Hull Street was a developing up-scale residential neighborhood. This characteristic was evident until the 1930s when creeping decay and commercialism began taking their toll. Used car lots replaced cottages, and once proud houses gave way to bait shops and second-rate night spots. Landmarks began its restoration efforts in 1967 with its mission being not only to preserve Alabama’s architectural and historic heritage but also to bring a blighted area back into a productive life. These buildings now produce income and serve as museums, and together, they create a streetscape from the past.
Along the Street Tour ›