The James B. McMillan Building has been home to many departments, including Alabama Heritage.
Ever since the University of Alabama was founded in 1831 it has served the community and the state in its pursuit of excellence and in the legacies of its many graduates. The James B. McMillan Building is a significant part of the University of Alabama and can be found on the northern Bryce Campus.
The building is named after the late James Benjamin McMillan, who was born in Talladega, a graduate of Alabama Polytechnic, University of North Carolina, and University of Chicago. McMillan also attended Johns Hopkins and Columbia University, before becoming a professor of English linguistics at the University of Alabama from 1931 to 1975. He was a renowned dialectologist, managing editor of the Alabama Review from 1947 to 1963, and the founding director of the University of Alabama Press. The prestigious McMillan prize is named in his honor and is given to the author of a manuscript “chosen as most deserving in Alabama or Southern history or culture.”
The McMillan Building was formerly known as Ward 34 West and was built in 1956 to house male geriatric patients. A recreational garden was created behind the building that was enjoyed by both patients and staff. The housing director shifted the patients to another location in 1974 and Ward 34 West was used for forensic patients with criminal backgrounds who had to be housed in a secure location.
Today, the offices of Alabama Heritage are to be found in the McMillan Building on the second floor and has called the McMillan Building home since 2021. Alabama Heritage is the state’s premiere historical publication and is published by The University of Alabama, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, and the Alabama Department of Archives and History. Beloved Alabama author Fannie Flagg, author of Fried Green Tomatoes, said that Alabama Heritage magazine “should be read by every Alabamian young or old. It is always interesting and informative.”
The James B. McMillan Building is also home to the University of Alabama Press. The press was established in 1945 by President Raymond Paty and is the only academic publisher in the state. In 1964, the Press joined the American Association of University Presses. The press touts that it “publishes books that foster an understanding of the history and culture of this state and region.” The press publishes between eighty and ninety books a year and has more than 1,300 titles in its backlist.
The McMillan Building is also home to the Psychology Clinic, which benefits the mental health of our community, along with the Crimson Calling Center, which is an integral part of the The University of Alabama National Alumni Association.
You can find the James B. McMillan Building at 200 Hackberry Lane.
The McMillan Building was formerly known as Ward 34 West and was built in 1956 to house male geriatric patients. A recreational garden was created behind the building that was enjoyed by both patients and staff. The housing director shifted the patients to another location in 1974 and Ward 34 West was used for forensic patients with criminal backgrounds who had to be housed in a secure location.
Today, the offices of Alabama Heritage are to be found in the McMillan Building on the second floor and has called the McMillan Building home since 2021. Alabama Heritage is the state’s premiere historical publication and is published by The University of Alabama, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, and the Alabama Department of Archives and History. Beloved Alabama author Fannie Flagg, author of Fried Green Tomatoes, said that Alabama Heritage magazine “should be read by every Alabamian young or old. It is always interesting and informative.”
The James B. McMillan Building is also home to the University of Alabama Press. The press was established in 1945 by President Raymond Paty and is the only academic publisher in the state. In 1964, the Press joined the American Association of University Presses. The press touts that it “publishes books that foster an understanding of the history and culture of this state and region.” The press publishes between eighty and ninety books a year and has more than 1,300 titles in its backlist.
The McMillan Building is also home to the Psychology Clinic, which benefits the mental health of our community, along with the Crimson Calling Center, which is an integral part of the The University of Alabama National Alumni Association.
You can find the James B. McMillan Building at 200 Hackberry Lane.
About the author
Katharine Armbrester graduated from UAB in 2019 with an MA in history and received an MFA in creative writing from the Mississippi University for Women in 2022. She loves the world of periodicals, Alabama history and writing.
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