Edward Ballard residence
The Edward Ballard residence is a 4-bedroom, 4,100 square-foot house and former doctor's office constructed in 1940 by pediatrician and obstetrician Edward Ballard at 1420 7th Avenue North, adjacent to the present St John African Methodist Episcopal Church in Fountain Heights.
Ballard moved to California in the early 1950s. Ma Perkins, owner of the Zanzibar Hotel, operated a bed and breakfast there in the late 1950s.
The house was later purchased by Doctor Herschell Hamilton, Sr, who hosted meetings of participants in the Civil Rights Movement and treated victims of violence that occurred after Bull Connor ordered the use of police dogs and fire hoses to disperse demonstrators.
It is now owned by Hamilton's son, developer Herschell, Jr, who, along with his wife, Majella, have been working since 2009 on plans to restore the house as a cultural center with meeting rooms and gardens.
The house was included as part of a Multiple Property Listing for structures related to the Civil Rights Movement in Birmingham, Alabama, 1933-1979 on the National Register of Historic Places.
References
- Lewis, Jesse, Sr (February 9, 2011) "One Man's Opinion. The Birmingham Times
- Owens, Cody (June 20, 2013) "The Ballard House Project". Weld for Birmingham
External links
- Ballard House project website