Governor's Mansion | |
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| Location | 1142 S. Perry St.,Montgomery, Alabama |
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| Coordinates | 32°21′43″N86°18′27″W / 32.36194°N 86.30750°W /32.36194; -86.30750 |
| Area | 2 acres (0.81 ha) |
| Built | 1908 |
| Architect | Weatherly Carter |
| Architectural style | Neoclassical Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 72000172[1] |
| Added to NRHP | July 3, 1972 |
TheAlabama Governor's Mansion is theofficial residence of thegovernor of Alabama and the governor's family inMontgomery, the capital city ofAlabama. The current Governor of Alabama,Kay Ivey lives at the governor's mansion. The original governor's mansion for Alabama was occupied from 1911 until 1950, when the current mansion was acquired.[2] The current mansion was added to theNational Register of Historic Places on July 3, 1972.[1]
The first official residence for Alabama's governor was acquired in 1911. Prior to that time, governors of the state lived in private homes or localhotels during their terms of office. The first residence was built by Moses Sabel in 1906. The house, aBeaux Arts brownstone, was located on the southwest corner of South Perry and South Streets in Montgomery.[3]
It was purchased for use as anexecutive mansion by a special state commission, formed by an act of theAlabama Legislature. This commission was authorized to contract for the construction, purchase, or improvement of a residence and the acquisition of grounds. The former Sabel home cost the state $46,500. GovernorEmmet O'Neal was the first to occupy themansion andJim Folsom was the last.[2] The state relocated the official residence from this house to the former Robert Ligon, Jr. house in 1950. The old residence was then used as state offices for theAdjutant General and the Military Department until May 1959, when the property was sold toMontgomery Academy, a private secondary school. It was subsequently condemned and demolished in 1963 as part of the construction ofInterstate 85.[3]
The current official residence for the governor replaced the first executive mansion in 1950. Designed in theClassical Revival or Neoclassical style by the architect Weatherly Carter, it was built in 1907 for Robert Fulwood Ligon, Jr., son of GeneralRobert Fulwood Ligon. The house was purchased by the state for $100,000, with an additional $130,000 spent on renovations and furnishings. GovernorGordon Persons and his family were the first to occupy the former Ligon home, assuming possession of it the day of hisinauguration, January 15, 1951.[2]
The most prominent features of the exterior are a monumentalCorinthian composite tetrastyleportico at the front, recessedwrought iron balconies on the second level, and an elaborateIonicporte-cochère to one side.
The interior features 17 primary rooms, with a double staircase leading from the entrance hall to the second level. A formal garden, surrounded by a high ornamental wall, originally covered the entire rear grounds of the property, which extends through the city block to South Court Street.[2] These grounds now feature gardens, a largepergola, aswimming pool in the shape of the state, a guest house, a stone grottowater feature, andtennis courts. The entire property is surrounded by a wrought iron fence, with octagonal guard houses at the main gates.[3]
In 2003, Patsy Riley, wife of then-GovernorBob Riley, coordinated an effort to renovate and reopen the Governor's Mansion to tourists. The mansion had been closed to tourism for almost a decade. She and her "First Lady and Friends of the Mansion" organization raised private funds and donations to finance this effort.[4] It did not involve any taxpayer money.[5]
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