Wise Up Productions

DEMOLISHED!! Montgomery's Court Square stood as one of the most distinguished crossroads in the American South. Since the days before the Civil War, it has been the stage where history unfolded and where the story of Alabama was written.

At the very heart of that story stood the legendary Exchange Hotel.

Built in 1847, the original Exchange Hotel was more than a grand place to stay, it was a symbol of Montgomery's prominence. In a remarkable piece of history, the very contractors who built the Exchange Hotel also constructed Alabama's State Capitol on Dexter Avenue, forever linking two of the city's most iconic landmarks.

The Exchange became the center of political and social life in Alabama. Several distinguished visitors addressed the people of Montgomery while at the Exchange. After a devastating fire destroyed the Capitol in 1849, the Alabama Legislature even met within the walls of the Exchange, making it the temporary seat of state government.
In 1904, the beloved original hotel was demolished. It was replaced by a new seven-story Exchange Hotel, a showcase of elegance and luxury.

For nearly seven more decades, it remained a proud landmark overlooking Court Square. But in 1973, after 126 remarkable years, Court Square lost the Exchange Hotel.
Though the building is gone, its legacy still echoes through Montgomery. Few places witnessed so much history, welcomed so many notable figures, or played such a central role in shaping Montgomery’s past.

A hauntingly beautiful, yet deeply sad, moment frozen in time.

Captured in 1973, this young woman stands quietly at a seventh-floor viewpoint of the historic Exchange Hotel, gazing out across downtown Montgomery toward the courthouse and the old Dale's Penthouse Restaurant and Lounge. Within days, the very spot where she stood would be gone forever.

She was an employee of the Ohio company tasked with selling the hotel's furnishings before the wrecking ball claimed one of Montgomery's grandest landmarks. A towering crane tore away the wall where she’s standing, opening the building to the sky as its final chapter unfolded.

There is something profoundly moving about this image. She looks out over a city still full of familiar sights, while standing inside a place already destined to become history. It's a poignant reminder that even our most cherished landmarks, places filled with memories, celebrations, and generations of stories, can disappear.

As the Exchange Hotel stood just days away from being erased from the Montgomery skyline, this photograph has became far more than a snapshot, It became a farewell, a final, silent goodbye to one of the city's greatest historic treasures, preserved forever through the lens of a camera.