www.birminghamal.gov Mayor Randall L. Woodfin joined representatives from the city and the National Park Service to light the iconic A.G. Gaston Motel sign on Wednesday, marking the completion of Phase 1 of the restoration of the historic site. “The A.G. Gaston motel sign served as a beacon to black families traveling through the segregated South,” Woodfin said. “It’s a sign that will now shine in remembrance of Dr. A.G. Gaston’s legacy – a legacy of Black prosperity, equal opportunity, Southern hospitality and freedom.” The A.G. Gaston Motel is included in the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument, which was established in 2017 by President Barack Obama. A multi-phase restoration began in 2019 on the 1954 wing of the hotel. This wing includes Room 30, known as the “War Room,” where Project C was strategized by the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other civil rights leaders. Exterior restoration of the 1954 wing is now complete.