conducive space . Interior and perimeter walls were plastered and painted , and new LVT vinyl flooring was installed throughout . A new accessible restroom was created , some power and utilities installed , and ductwork was extended for use in the new museum space .
The church then engaged Method-1 Interiors and Warner Museums of Culton
Companies , and collaborated with David Currey of Encore Interpretive Design , to select historic artifacts for display , design the exhibit , and create an “ experience room ” to immerse visitors in the historic event , according to Adam Huxhold of Culton . A key element in the design of the museum was preserving space that could be used for receptions , meetings ,
Restored exterior of brick and brownstone 16th Street Baptist Church , with its recently restored parsonage to the left . Method 1 and Sunday school instruction . This requirement generated a museum layout that uses the central space ’ s periphery walls as a timeline exhibit to document the church ’ s history from its founding to the present day . Artifacts are displayed in cases designed to be unobtrusive to the central space .
A multiscreen wall welcomes visitors at one end of the space and introduces them to the church and its history . The ladies lounge in which the girls were preparing for Sunday school on that fateful September day in 1963 was in the basement . Its exact location is now occupied by a new kitchen , a wall of which is dedicated to telling the story of the bombing near the very spot where the young women perished . At the opposite end of the space from the multiscreen wall is the “ experience room ,” an enclosed space furnished with original pews from the church that can accommodate a few dozen visitors . The pews face a wall covered with enlargements of headlines and newspaper clippings on the bombing , and dual video screens . Visitors can immerse themselves in a 15-minute documentary film created for the exhibit by historian David Currey . The film features many poignant interviews , including one with Sarah Collins , the lone survivor of the blast that morning and sister to victim Addie Mae Collins . Rev . King ’ s eulogy is used throughout the film and at the end , as a powerful and emotional culmination .
Perhaps the most affecting artifact on display in the “ experience room ” is a clock that hung in the church , its hands stopped at 10:22 AM — the time of the explosion . It is a piece of frozen history , a history that has been movingly rendered in Birmingham ’ s 16th Street Baptist Church Museum .
Note : 16th Street Baptist Church is also participating in the National Fund for Sacred Places . The Fund is supporting repairs to the adjacent parsonage , which house a visitors ’ center and museum dedicated to the life and work of Wallace Rayfield .
Restored sanctuary space was completed before the museum was designed and installed in the refinished basement . Method 1
24 SACRED PLACES • FALL / WINTER 2022 / 23