Public meeting on Africatown Welcome Center design

Mar 24th, 2023

Posted in: Press Release

  Public meeting on Africatown Welcome Center design April 6 

Mobile, Ala. — The City of Mobile will host a public meeting in Africatown on April 6 to start gathering input from the community about the design of the future Africatown Welcome Center. 

As part of the design contract led by Mott MacDonald, the meeting on Thursday, April 6, will be held at the Robert Hope Community Center (850 Edwards Street) beginning at 6 p.m. It will be the first of many opportunities for members of the Africatown community and other Mobilians to provide input on the design of the Africatown Welcome Center. Once completed, the Welcome Center will serve as a central hub for future historical and cultural tourism sites that will help share the story of Africatown. It will likely be one of the earliest stops for visitors coming to experience this historic community firsthand. 

This initial public meeting on April 6 will be focused on broad design concepts, such as form, flow, architecture and environment. Consultants will be on hand to demonstrate various concepts and options and take feedback from the public about what the Africatown Welcome Center should look and feel like. City leaders and the design team will hold a brief presentation before shifting to an open-house format.  

Mayor Sandy Stimpson and Councilman William Carroll will attend the April 6 meeting to welcome stakeholders and community members as we start this collaborative process together. As the design work continues, Mott MacDonald and its sub-consultants will create design alternatives based on the community's input. That's why it's essential that the community is engaged throughout the process.

If you have questions about the project, email africatownwelcomecenter@cityofmobile.org. You can also sign up for project notifications on your mobile phone by texting MOBILEAFRICATOWNWC to 91896.