Dexter Avenue Baptist Church
Historic church in Alabama. Added to the National Register in 1974, and a National Historic Landmark.
What it is
Dexter Avenue Baptist Church is a Baptist church in Montgomery, Alabama, United States, affiliated with the Progressive National Baptist Convention. The church was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1974 because of its importance in the civil rights movement and American history. In 1978 the official name was changed to the Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church, in memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., who was pastor there and helped organize the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955 during the civil rights era. The church is located steps away from the Alabama State Capitol.
Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The record
| Property type | Building |
| Address | 454 Dexter Ave., Montgomery, AL |
| County | Montgomery County |
| Listed | Jul 1, 1974 |
| Listed for | Black heritage, Politics and government, Religion, Social history |
| Level of significance | National |
| Reference number | 74000431 |
| Type of place | Protestant church building |
| Style | Renaissance Revival architecture |
| Contributing resources | 1 building |
| Standing | Yes |
The nomination form, the document that argues why this place matters, is in the National Archives: Read the nomination ↗
Visiting
| Address | 454 Dexter Ave., Montgomery, AL |
| Coordinates | 32.3773° N, 86.3027° W · Directions ↗ |
| Also in Montgomery | 68 listed places in Montgomery → · walking tours → |
| Nearest national park unit | Selma To Montgomery National Historic Trail · 26 miles · on Park Atlas |
| Federal campgrounds nearby | Gunter Hill 10 miles · Holy Ground Shelters 22 miles · Prairie Creek (Al) 27 miles |
Explore
Drawings & photographs
Measured drawings and photographs from the Library of Congress. Public domain. All 2 records ↗
Map
Nearby in Montgomery County
Local history books for Montgomery
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
- Montgomery's Civil Heritage TrailSite Directors and Friends of the Civil Heritage Trail and Morris Dees, 2017Find at Bookshop.org
Guidebooks to historic places and travel in Alabama
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.
Reference
Questions people ask
When was Dexter Avenue Baptist Church listed on the National Register?
Jul 1, 1974. It is also a National Historic Landmark, the higher of the two designations.
Source: National Park Service
Can I visit Dexter Avenue Baptist Church?
Yes. Dexter Avenue Baptist Church is recorded as open to the public.
Source: Wikidata
Where is Dexter Avenue Baptist Church?
454 Dexter Ave., Montgomery, Montgomery County, Alabama. The nearest national park unit is Selma To Montgomery National Historic Trail, 26 miles away.
Are there historic photographs or drawings of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church?
Yes. The Historic American Buildings Survey at the Library of Congress has drawings or photographs of it.
Source: Library of Congress
Where is the nomination form for Dexter Avenue Baptist Church?
The National Archives holds the nomination form, the document that made the case for listing.
Source: National Archives
Are there campgrounds near Dexter Avenue Baptist Church?
Three federal campgrounds are within reach. The closest is Gunter Hill, 10 miles away. Holy Ground Shelters is 22 miles away, and Prairie Creek (Al) is 27 miles away.
Source: Campsite Atlas
Is there cell service at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church?
FCC coverage maps show Verizon 5G, AT&T 5G, and T-Mobile 5G at the listed point. Coverage indoors and behind old masonry is another matter.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
Sources
Location, type and contributing counts come from the National Park Service's National Register spatial data. Listing dates come from the National Register office's spreadsheet where it carries the listing. Construction date, architect, style, photograph and encyclopedia link come from Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons, matched on reference number 74000431. Nothing here is transcribed by hand. The nomination form and photographs ↗ at NPGallery are the original nomination as filed with the National Park Service, and the form is often the best description of the place. The description under "What it is" is the opening of the Wikipedia article, CC BY-SA. Drawings and photographs are Historic American Buildings Survey records at the Library of Congress, public domain.