On July 6, the City of Troy held a ribbon cutting ceremony for the completion of a renovation project for the Historic Academy Street High School, bringing the former pillar of Troy’s black community back to life after more than 40 years dormant. 

The refurbished auditorium of Academy Street High School was packed with alumni of the school, city officials and Troy residents. (Josh Boutwell)

Academy Street High School served as Troy’s high school for African-American students during segregation. The original building was constructed in the 1920s before a fire destroyed it in the 1940s. The current brick building was built in 1946 and served as Troy’s high school for African-American students between 1946 through 1970 before integration forced its closure. It has sat unoccupied since then, falling into a state of disrepair. 

The refurbished auditorium of Academy Street High School was packed to the brim for the ribbon cutting with local officials, Troy residents and dozens of Academy Street alumni in attendance. The project has been in the works since 2018 when Troy Mayor Jason Reeves presented the renovation project as part of the DesignAlabama Mayor’s Summit. Since that time, the city received a $250,000 Community Development Block Grant to go towards the project. The birth of the idea for the renovation came more than a decade ago, however.

“11 years ago today, we stood out there in that hot parking lot and unveiled the historic marker,” Reeves remembered. “There have been efforts and things to try and get to this point for many years but that was when we kind of planted the flag in the ground and we resolved that day that we would get to this day.” 

Troy City Councilwoman Wanda Moultry was one of the driving forces for the project. 

“What a mighty God we serve,” Moultry told those in attendance for the ribbon cutting. “We thank Him for His will that has manifested this building and for this project to be completed with the resources of our mayor and all of the other city council members. This is a great day.

“God has made it where there’s no rain, we have sunshine and that kind of feeling is what we should have in our hearts to show that this building will be an ignitement to this community and to our young children that are coming up.”

As a part of this project, six classrooms on the first floor were refurbished along with the bathrooms, the foyer, the auditorium and a kitchen for the auditorium. 

“This was all extremely dilapidated,” Reeves told The Messenger. “It had great bones but there were a lot of issues here. Everything you’re looking at has been done through this project.”

The renovation also included the refurbishment of classrooms that will be used in the future. (Josh Boutwell)

One of the refurbished rooms contains memorabilia from the school’s history, including pictures of former teachers and even the court order that closed the school after integration. Reeves was adamant that the refurbishing project was not just about history, however.

“Today is about the past but it’s also about the future,” said Reeves. “So, as we acknowledge (alumni) we also look forward because the thing we’ve always looked at, and appreciated, was the people that went to this school that then went out into the world and made a positive impact. 

“We wanted to acknowledge all of that with an eye toward the future to make sure this building could serve not only as a memorial to all of those that couldn’t be here today but also be somewhere that our young people – and those that are striving to do better – can get an education, get the tools they need to make this world a better place like all the alumni that have come here.”

Reeves said that he plans to officially announce the space’s purpose – specifically the classrooms – in the near future.

“We’re working towards a long term education workforce development solution that I hope to be able to announce by the end of the month,” he continued. “We need a space to do training and educational programs and those kinds of things. To be able to do that in a location that has been a part of the education community for over 100 years is very special. So, we’re very glad we were able to do it inside of our current revenue stream and this is a great day knowing that we were able to not only save the building but also put something in place that could be used for another 100 years.”

Academy Street High School Reunion Committee member Henry Lewis Gillis thanked the mayor and the city for its work on the project.

Academy Street High School was closed in 1970 after the end of segregation in Alabama. (Josh Boutwell)

“We want to thank Mayor Jason Reeves for bringing Academy Street High School to this point of renovation,” he said. “We also thank The leadership of Councilwoman Wanda Moultry and the other council people and their ‘Wonder Women’ Sheila Jackson and Melissa Sanders. The team that the mayor has brought together has brought us to this point, the ribbon cutting.”

Lewis also pointed to future renovations that the historic building needs to undergo.

“Mr. Mayor, the gymnasium needs the asbestos removed, the building needs renovation,” Lewis said. “The playing fields must be improved and the embankment needs to become an outdoor amphitheater. These are gems and all we need to do is polish them and make them shine.”

In previous council work sessions, Reeves has said that he hoped that future phases of renovation on the building would lead to similar projects Lewis mentioned. Lewis also made note of the need for funding for these projects.

“We need to raise money,” he flatly said. “We need to raise money to take this place where it needs to be. Each of you out there has friends in Montgomery, Washington D.C., New York City, Chicago, LA, Houston, Atlanta, Denver and elsewhere. We need you to tell us who to contact and I promise you we’ll do it.”

Gillis echoed Reeves’ thoughts on the future of the building and what it can mean to the community.

“We had a valuable building sitting in the heart of the black community in Troy that was not being well cared for or used,” Gillis told The Messenger. “I’m just thankful someone came along and saw the need. This is a solid structure that needs to be preserved and it can have a useful life for I don’t know how many more decades down the road if we use it properly. It will be a great community resource, not only for tutoring classes for local children but also as a training resource for industry that comes to the city.”