This week we begin to make our way along the south side of Main Street in the block between Middle and Vine streets. As we have established previously, the intersection of Main and Middle streets has been considered “the center of town” for as long as anyone can remember. Beginning in the 1890’s the handsome Victorian home you see in these photos was erected by Capt. Henry Clay Reynolds on the parcel of land at the southeast corner and became, along with the Kroell house across the street, an elegant architectural landmark admired for many years by Montevallo citizens and visitors alike.
Capt. Reynolds came to Montevallo following his service in the Confederate Army during the Civil War and earned great success as a merchant in the general mercantile business. His popular store was located in what today is the old Victory Auto dealership building on Main Steet near the city hall. Over the years, he also became a principal landowner in the Montevallo area.
Reynolds is also remembered as the first president of The Girls Industrial School of Alabama (later Alabama College, then the University of Montevallo) whose energetic efforts to promote and establish the school in 1896, even though he had no background in education, are credited as the primary reason the school was able to attract female students from all over the state and enjoy success from the beginning.
Capt. Reynolds’ house is said to have been a meeting place for congressmen, senators, governors, and other political figures for years and is believed to be where he drew up the plans for the girls' school. Along with his wife, Mary, H.C. Reynolds is buried in the Montevallo City Cemetery.
Following his passing in 1920, the house became the home of F.W. Rogan and his wife Belle (Reynolds’ daughter) and is where they raised their children. We have featured Mr. Rogan, his store at the corner of Main and Shelby streets, and his various businesses in previous episodes of “Throwback Thursday.” The Rogans lived in the house for decades and it eventually became known locally as the “Rogan House.”
Along with the Kroell house and other large and impressive houses and commercial buildings nearby, the Rogan house also became the victim of progress. When local businessman, R.E. Whaley, bought up the block to make way for his brand new Whaley Shopping Center development around 1960, the Rogan house was demolished and carted away in the early days of site preparation.
Until then, Main Street and its side streets had presented a balanced mix of residential and commercial buildings whose co-existence contributed a slower feeling of home to downtown. With the advent of Mr. Whaley’s new conglomeration of retail stores, those days became memories of a different time.
Thank you Clay Nordan, Vice President of Montevallo Historical Society, for this information!