Brick building entrance with glass doors beneath a sign reading "16th Street Education & Visitor Center — The entrance to the 16th Street Baptist Churhc’s new Education and Visitor Center. (Nathan Watson / Bham Now)

The new 16th Street Baptist Education and Visitor Center has already secured 50+ venue rentals by the end of 2026, according to Dr. Terrance Brown, the Executive Director of the 16th Street Community Enrichment Foundation.

In addition to the venue commitments, the center’s restaurant—Koinonia—is expected to open in November.

A place designed to transform the world

Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, a brick building with twin towers, on the corner of 16th Street N in Birmingham — 16th Street Baptist Church (Nathan Watson / Bham Now)

On October 6, 2026, Bham Now joined the Birmingham Sunrise Rotary Club for a special tour of the new visitor center on the campus of 16th Street Baptist Church next to the parsonage at 1512 6th Avenue North.

“This place is designed to transform the world, and we’re unapologetic about it. We realize that we cannot do it alone. We need partners. We need friends who believe that there is a world to be made that is better than what we live, and as I said, they are not just for us but for our children, grandchildren, and our children’s children.”
Dr. Terrance Brown told the Rotary Club during the tour

Below are photos of the lobby featuring the River Wall, meeting rooms and upcoming restaurant.

Tall blue stained-glass-style art panel in a lobby, labeled 10:22 with text reading "I will stand in solidarity with those who suffer" and "I will pursue justice and humility in my life

A group gathers in a lobby beneath circular light fixtures, viewing a tall blue stained-glass art installation marked "10.22

Patchwork quilt with rabbit and garden prints pinned on a frame, with safety pins, scissors, thread, and a tomato pincushion nearby

Modern lobby with wood-paneled mezzanine, spiral ceiling lights, tall illuminated glass art piece, and "10:22" branded shirts displayed near a staircase

Visitors gather in a modern lobby with a stained-glass art wall reading "10:22," while others look down from an upper wood-paneled balcony

Sign on an easel reading "Future Home of Koinonia Restaurant, Managed by Berkeley Food Service Group," in a dining area with tables and chairs

16th Street Baptist Church Education and Visitor programs

Some of the upcoming programs include:

The River Wall – The center’s signature artistic centerpiece, the permanent immersive interactive video wall asks visitors to reflect and share their experience after touring the church where the bombing took the lives of four young girls.
The Quilt of Many Hands – The visitor center plans to hold weekly/bi-weekly quilting bees. Quilts from the weekly events will be donated.
Harmony: Group Sing – Looking for a place to sing the hymns and anthems of the civil rights movement? This group plans to meet weekly in the new center.
The Healing History Initiative – The 16th Street Education and Visitor Center, in partnership with the Alabama Humanities Alliance’s Healing History initiative, hosts Healing Circles — facilitated community dialogues that bring Alabamians together across lines of race, religion, and background to engage honestly with our shared Civil Rights history.

“The Quilt of Many Hands, is my personal favorite, where you go upstairs and you help us quilt twin size and baby quilts, and that’s one thing because just that repetitive motion of your hand and eyes helps regulate. Here’s the beautiful part: The quilt that you help to quilt will go to a child in foster care.”
Dr. Terrance Brown

Check out all the upcoming programs at: https://16thstreetevcenter.com/events/

Do you plan to visit the new 16th Street Baptist Church Education and Visitor Center? Tell us which program you look forward to on social media by tagging us at @bhamnow

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