Ullman Building

Ullman School in 1903

The Ullman Building (formerly the Samuel Ullman School and Samuel Ullman High School) is a historic Birmingham City Schools building on 7th Avenue South at 12th Street. Originally part of Birmingham City Schools system, it was sold to UAB in 1970.

The Ullman School, a grammar school serving white students, opened in 1901 and was named for Samuel Ullman, a long-serving member of the Birmingham Board of Education. The first principal was Mary Dabney. Eleven classrooms were added to the original 4-room unit in 1909.

Ullman School with 1909 addition

In 1937 the building became a high school for black students from Southside and Titusville. The high school was greatly enlarged with a new three-story classroom wing in 1957. The new wing obscured the original front facade of the school.

Notable faculty members at Ullman included Birmingham Civil Rights Institute founder Odessa Woolfolk and Reverend John Wesley Rice, father of Condoleezza Rice, who was the school's guidance counselor. Jazz musician Wilson Driver organized the first Ullman High School Band.

The Ullman building in 2002

In 1970 UAB began using the former school for its classes. A year later the building was sold to the University. The Bell Auditorium was constructed as an addition to the former school, creating the Ullman-Bell complex which became the home of the School of Social and Behavioral Sciences. That program was relocated to the newly-constructed Heritage Hall in January 2008. The new building's name was chosen to honor the heritage of Ullman High School, as well as of its namesake.

UAB has not finalized plans for the historic building. It has been suggested that the 1957 annex might be removed as part of a renovation of the older building.

Principals

• Mary Dabney, 1901-
• George Bell, 1937-1965

Notable alumni

• Taylor Weldon Green, educator
• Freeman Hrabowski, President of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County
• Larry Kenon, professional basketball player
• Larry Naves, Chief Judge for the Denver, Colorado municipal courts
• Woody Peoples, Pro Bowl offensive lineman
• Doris Powell, Fountain Heights community leader and Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority chair
• Rickey Powell, Broadway and jazz vocalist
• Nathan Hale Turner Jr, Birmingham News copy editor and author
• Cynthia Wesley, victim of the bombing of 16th Street Baptist Church
• Mary Esterlyn White, chemist

References

• Cruikshank, George M. (1920) History of Birmingham and Its Environs (2 vol.) Chicago: Lewis Publishing.
• Spencer, Thomas (January 2, 2008) "UAB opens its first new academic building for undergrads in 25 years." The Birmingham News

External links

• Ullman High School football history from ahsfhs.org website