Wall of historic Edistone Hotel in Selma collapses, highlighting need to speed up restoration efforts

An exterior wall of the historic Edistone Hotel collapsed Sunday night, prompting leaders involved in its restoration to push harder to save one of Selma’s most significant landmarks.

Edistone got a new owner when the Conservation Fund purchased the 19^th-century structure on Water Avenue in 2025 with a goal of restoring it into a museum, co-working space and grocery store.

But Sarah Aghedo of the Selma Redevelopment Authority said years without a secure roof most likely caused the section of the wall to fall in.

Phillip Howard with the Conservation Fund’s civil rights places department visited the site Monday to assess the damage. The organization is still seeking a development partner to conduct the renovations.

The Conservation Fund had already completed cleanup work at the site following straight line winds earlier this year and had received stabilization recommendations. 

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Aghedo said the collapse shows how critical it is to move quickly. “It’s a challenge without some kind of roofing, particularly for those older bricks to stay stable,” she said.

The Edistone Hotel was built in 1855 on a lot once used for slave auctions. After the Civil War, it housed the Freedmen’s Bureau, becoming one of the first places in the South where newly emancipated African Americans were treated with dignity. In the 1870s, the hotel’s owner made history by offering equal accommodations regardless of race.

Aghedo said she hopes the building’s main frame and facade can be preserved. “I’d love to see those things saved, at least the main frame and the main facade, even if you do change the interior a little bit,” she said.

The Conservation Fund expects the structural engineer’s assessment to guide the next steps in stabilizing and restoring the building.

Read more about the Fund and the Edistone here.