Historic Chappell House 

The Wharton-Chappell House is one of Montgomery's last pre-Civil War cottages. This structure occupies the site of General John Scott's 1817 pioneer settlement, "Alabama Town." The columned entrance stoop shows how the Greek Revival style influenced smaller houses as well as large. The brick walls were likely laid under the supervision of builder John Figh, also involved in building the present State Capitol. In 1935, the U.S. Government bought and restored the house to serve as the Central Office for the adjacent Riverside Heights housing project, providing one of Alabama's earliest examples of deliberate preservation through adaptive use.

The City of Montgomery designated the property as a Historic District via Ordinance No. 81-76 in 1976 and later acquired the property in 2007. In 2015, staff in Development began partnering with local preservation advocates to advance the building’s renovation. See the flyer that was used at the time for showings.

In September 2015, Schneider Historic Preservation, LLC, completed a Historic Structure Report on the property as commissioned by the City. This thorough assessment of the building’s past and its significance is a great read, and we are pleased to share it with you here.

The assessment was used in a submittal to the Alabama Historical Commission and then to the National Parks Service for consideration of placement on the National Register of Historic Places. See the NRHAP application here.  In July 2016, we learned that we were successful! The house has now been added to the National Register of Historic Places and we are hopeful we can find a buyer who will renovate it.

New! The Wharton-Chappell is Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and Recognized With This Marker by the Alabama Historical Commission!

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