New Preservation Project Announcement: The Alma Thomas House

From Elizabeth Walden, Historic Columbus Executive Director.

On Monday, Historic Columbus purchased the Alma Thomas House (411 21st Street)! The following day, we made a presentation to our City Council to request a partnership with the City of Columbus to establish the Alma Thomas House as a new city-owned house museum to be placed in the Liberty Heritage Historic District next door to the Ma Rainey House and Blues Museum.

Prior to the meeting, Florene Dawkins (project chairman) and I met with Mayor Henderson and a majority of the council to show them the house and the proposed plan. As Florene has said, "Virginia Peebles (retired HCF Executive Director) and I started this journey to save the Alma Thomas house 30 years ago. It's an effort that's been a long time coming."

What I have included in this post is the information shared in our presentation, along with the outcome from Tuesday night's meeting at the end. The Historic Columbus Board of Directors and staff are so excited to let you all know about this special opportunity to preserve Alma's legacy in Columbus. This project will be the centerpiece of our 60th Anniversary in 2026. I look forward to sharing more with you in the coming months.

Above is a rendering of a relocated Alma Thomas House (right) placed next to the existing Ma Rainey House and Blues Museum (left - 805 5th Avenue).

Our city has an incredible history and there are many stories to be shared. For Historic Columbus, sharing these stories is an important part of our mission. Our most recent partnership with the city at the Chattahoochee Promenade will include a 38-panel History Trail to tell our community’s story from our Native American roots through Civil Rights to Uptown’s revitalization.

However, the trail is intended to serve as an introduction to the rich past of Columbus, as well as increase interest in the stories of our city by encouraging our visitors to travel to our cultural arts institutions like the Ma Rainey House.

The cultural arts have been a part of Columbus from the beginning and have also served as an important catalyst for our community’s growth and economic development. Three of our natives have shaped and influenced the worlds of music, literature, and art. Their legacies are international and deeply rooted in this community.

Today, the homes of Ma Rainey and Carson McCullers are preserved and celebrated. I am here to request the childhood home of Alma Thomas be given that same ability.

The first question one might ask – is can you share with us who Alma Thomas was and why her story is significant to Columbus?

In 1890, Amelia Cantey and John Thomas moved to the Rose Hill neighborhood, an antebellum suburb of Columbus. They became the first known African American couple to own a home in the neighborhood. They built this beautiful Victorian home located at 411 21st Street.

Alma Thomas was born on September 22, 1891, the eldest of Amelia and John’s four daughters. Her father owned a business on First Avenue and worked in a church, while her mother was a dressmaker and homemaker. Alma’s mother and aunts were also teachers and Tuskegee Institute graduates.

Family tradition also states that the manuscript for The Souls of Black Folks, by W.E.B. Dubois was typed on the front porch of the Thomas home by Alma Thomas’ cousin, Inez, who was Dubois’ secretary.

Alma was creative as a child, although her serious artistic career began much later in life. In 1907, when she was fifteen years old, her father moved the family to Washington, D.C to escape racial tension at that time and to seek better educational opportunities. For Alma, who demonstrated early artistic interests, the move meant not only being able to attend high school but also being able to attend one that offered art classes. She studied kindergarten education and earned her credentials in 1913. She later enrolled in Howard University in 1924, at the age of 30, and became the first graduate of its newly formed fine arts department.

Alma’s teacher and mentor, James V. Herring, granted her use of his private art library, from which she gained a thorough background in art history. A decade later, she earned a Master of Arts degree in education from Columbia University.

During the 1950s, she attended art classes at American University in Washington, D.C. She studied painting under several prominent Washington D.C.-based artists and art professors who were highly influential in the local art scene during the mid-20th century. They influenced Alma and developed her interest in color and abstract art.

In 1960, Alma Thomas began to paint seriously when she retired from her thirty-eight-year career as an art teacher in the public schools of Washington, D.C. She would emerge as an exuberant colorist, abstracting shapes and patterns from the trees and flowers around her.

Alma was in her 70s when she produced her most important works. Earliest to win acclaim was her series of Earth paintings — pure color abstractions of concentric circles. The final years of her life brought awards and recognition. In 1972 at the age of 77, she was honored with a one-woman show at the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Corcoran Gallery of Art; that same year one of her paintings was selected for the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Before her death in 1978, she had achieved national recognition as a major woman artist devoted to abstract painting.

She was a pioneer in American abstract art achieving multiple firsts and breaking barriers for women in the visual arts. Her vibrant paintings — inspired by gardens, nature, and the cosmos — are celebrated in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the National Gallery of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Art Institute of Chicago, the White House, the Whitney Museum, the Corcoran Gallery, and other major museums across the country, including our very own, The Columbus Museum.

Her work continues to inspire new generations to experiment with form and color. Preserving her childhood home honors her role in American art and showcases another important piece of the cultural fabric of our community.

Alma Thomas’ story began in the Rose Hill neighborhood. Her childhood experiences in Columbus shaped her worldview, and the roots of her creativity were grown from this very soil. By safeguarding her home, Columbus affirms its pride in producing one of America’s most important abstract artists who has achieved worldwide recognition. Preserving her house gives our community a place to celebrate her extraordinary journey and inspire young people with the message that great achievements can come from right here in Columbus.

Earlier this week, Historic Columbus purchased the Alma Thomas House. We are proposing to:

• Relocate the Alma Thomas House to an existing city-owned lot next door the Ma Rainey House on 5th Avenue in the Liberty Heritage Historic District;

• Restore the structure on its new site;

• Engage an Advisory Committee to assist with creating the visitor experience and exhibit themes throughout the house museum;

• Contract with a professional museum curator for exhibit design and installation of the new exhibit and program space to celebrate Alma’s story alongside Ma Rainey’s; and

• Then, the home would become a city-owned house museum.

Historic Columbus would also establish a preservation fund to ensure the long-term maintenance of the house. We would also own and insure all interior contents of the house museum – as we do with the Ma Rainey House.

Placing the Alma Thomas House beside the Ma Rainey House on 5th Avenue – and within a couple of blocks of the Liberty Theater - creates a powerful arts synergy in the Liberty District. Together, these landmarks also tell a larger story — not just of individual achievement, but also of the strength of the arts within Columbus.

This pairing these two also addresses a practical need: the Ma Rainey House is often stretched for space when school groups visit. The Alma Thomas House will provide much-needed room for exhibits, programming, and student engagement.

The Columbus Museum has also been very supportive of this project. They have a staff member, as well as several Board members, who will be serving on the Advisory Committee, and they are interested in future collaboration with educational programming and field trips.

The Liberty District is rich in history and, like many historic neighborhoods, is undergoing the process of revitalization. Anchoring the Alma Thomas House and the Ma Rainey House in this district strengthens its identity as a cultural destination and increases opportunities for heritage tourism. These anchors not only preserve history but also spark new investment, attract visitors, and bring economic vitality to the area.

The complex will serve as a beacon — where art, music, history, and community come together to honor the past while building a brighter future.

What is the bottom line for the City Budget?

Historic Columbus will be raising approximately $1 million for our side of the project – to relocate, renovate, install exhibits, and establish a preservation fund. The numbers for the Ma Rainey House on this slide were provided by the Parks and Rec department. The Ma Rainey House currently has a little over $32,000 in annual expenses which includes one part-time employee. We would request the city to duplicate what it currently does for the Ma Rainey House. If the decision is made to incorporate an additional part-time employee, the ability to increase the number of school groups and tourism in general to both sites will then exist.

So, Why Now?

First, Momentum: The city has already made an investment in the preservation of the Ma Rainey House and the Liberty Theatre. You all are also committed to the overall revitalization of the Liberty Heritage Historic District. Let’s build on that and create a partnership to provide another anchor to ensure the neighborhood’s success in its needed renewal.

Second, Opportunity: Now that Historic Columbus has been able to purchase the home; we have an incredible opportunity to create a nationally significant cultural site right here in Columbus with the blessing and support from the Thomas Family. It would also be the only house museum in the country dedicated to Alma Thomas. How special is that?

At Tuesday evening's City Council meeting, Florene Dawkins, Alma Thomas Project Chairman, and I made the presentation. Our City Council had no objections to the proposed partnership. A Memorandum of Understanding will be developed and brought before council on Tuesday, January 13th for final approval!

Alma will be on the move later this spring! We will keep you updated!