One of Birmingham’s founding civil rights sites, the historic A.G. Gaston Motel, celebrated the next step of its restoration Tuesday with the opening of Alicia’s Coffee in its main building.

Coffee shop founders Naimah Alicia Elmore and Rashad Harrell said they are committed to community service and fostering meaningful connections through their Black-owned business.

“Certain things you cannot talk about in church, certain things you cannot talk about in school, but you can inside of a coffee shop,” Elmore said. “It is really a healing place, a safe place for people of all ages and races.”

The motel, built in 1954 by Gaston, a Black businessman and millionaire, was a thriving business and a meeting place for civil rights leaders. It recently underwent an extensive renovation process and reopened for public tours. Alicia’s Coffee was selected by The City of Birmingham’s Historic Preservation Authority.

“We’re happy to have Alicia’s Coffee here in this sacred space,” said Mayor Randall Woodfin, who was in attendance at the grand opening. “This coffee has a mission, that mission is to serve communities not just through coffee but through acts of community service. There is no better space to live those words than right here. The space that became the headquarters of equality and justice in our city. To the owners, Naimah and Rashad, please note that your city has your back.”

“I also want you to remember the words of A.G. Gaston, ‘Find a need and fill it.’ Successful businesses are found on the need of people. So you’re not just serving coffee, you’re maintaining a legacy of service that extends beyond our lifetime. So continue to pour into this community I promise we’ll be there to receive. Birmingham knows how to support our own, we know how to support our own Black-owned and we know how to support our businesses. We can’t wait to make you a staple of our community,” said Woodfin.

The city recently invested $10 million into the motel’s restoration, with an additional grant $1.1 from the Mellon Foundation.

“This might be something simple to people that’s outside watching, but this means so much more to our community. This is generational wealth that A.G. Gaston taught us and he lived it,” said Jefferson County Commissioner Sheila Tyson.

Leverne Holbdy said she wanted to attend the opening in order to support the addition to history.

“My father brought me here when I was 12, there is so much history here,” she said. “A.G. Gaston Motel was the first restaurant I attended as a young girl. I think this is a good thing for Birmingham so it could bring people together, buses of people should drive into each other trying to come here and support.”

The menu features a signature drink named “Room 30,” named after the Gaston Motel’s “War Room” where Martin Luther King Jr. planned strategies for the Birmingham movement. The shop also has pastries, muffins and baked goods from Amber’s Dessert, a local, African-American baker.

“We must continue to uplift and support Black-owned businesses, it’s a critical pillar of our economic success,” said Birmingham Council President Darrell O’Quinn. “In order for Birmingham to reach its full potential we have to support our local entrepreneurs. We must focus on economic empowerment, we must also remain committed to protecting our national monuments that belong to all of us. This history cannot and will not be deleted on a whim even with the daily tornado of bad news we’ve all had to witness and endure lately. We will resist and we will get through this.”

Alicia’s coffee is open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. seven days a week. The coffee shop provides a welcoming space for both residents and tourists, while the restored dining room houses a permanent exhibit on the life and legacy of Dr. A.G. Gaston.

Breonna Atkins is a senior at Carver High School in Birmingham and a reporting intern at AL.com through the Birmingham Promise program.