first brick school

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The site of the Birmingham Museum has experienced a lot of firsts! One of them was the construction of the first brick school in Birmingham on a portion of Elijah Willits' property that he sold to the newly forming public school district in 1856. Local brick was used to build it in the very fashionable Gothic Revival style of the time. Just a few short years later, it was no longer needed as a school and was turned into a residence.

The original brick from the school was re-used when the Allens built their home in 1926, and portions of the school window openings can still be seen today in the southeast wall of the Allen House. Learn more about the school and how it fits into Birmingham's evolution of public education here.