Selma seeks to sell abandoned Dallas Academy to developer 

The city of Selma is hoping a developer will give new life to another abandoned but iconic building in the Queen City.   

The city has published a request for proposal seeking someone to buy Dallas Academy, the oldest public school in Dallas County located on Church Street downtown. The school closed in the early 1960s, but the space was used by the Boy Scouts of America and several artists for years. 

An arsonist set several fires in the building in October 2017, which drove out the tenants. Then Tropical Storm Zeta in 2020 and some straight-line winds a few years later damaged the roof of the abandoned building. 

The Selma Sun ran a hopeful story about repairs that were to be made to the building in 2020, but the contract was never executed. Now the city hopes to sell the building for at least $45,000 to a developer who will put the property back onto the tax rolls. 

City Councilman Clay Carmichael, who’s handling the paperwork, said the ideal purpose would be converting the property to housing, which is a resource the city needs more of. 

Dallas Academy is located at 816 Selma Ave. in Selma’s Old Town Historic District. The property includes a two-story building and a 10,000-square-foot parking lot. 

Built in 1889, Dallas Academy originally housed a private school funded by the Ladies Educational Society of Selma. It later became Selma’s first public school, according to rural southwest Alabama archives. Selma’s public school system is the second oldest in Alabama.   

Proposals are due on July 15. The city can choose to reject all proposals.