Two Piedmont sites receive National Historic Landmark designations

The National Park Service recently designated the F.W. Woolworth Company Building and the Blue Ridge Parkway as National Historic Landmarks. 

The two sites join the likes of Alcatraz Island and the United States Capitol as cornerstones of American history. 

Skip Alston, long-time Guilford County commissioner and co-founder of the International Civil Rights Center and Museum in Greensboro, said the designation for the Woolworth building was a long time coming. 

"We've been working on this for the past 6-7 years," Alston said. "We’ve gone through several steps and qualifications to get to this designation." 

The museum sits inside the former Woolworth building. 

On Feb. 1, 1960, four Black college students, Ezell Blair Jr. (Jibreel Khazan), Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil and David Richmond sat at a segregated lunch counter inside Woolworth. 

Alston said what happened next solidified the site as a turning point for the Civil Rights Movement and American history. 

"So people from all over the world tried to use that same tactic in order to bring about freedom and justice and end discrimination in their areas," Alston said.

To meet the National Historic Landmark criteria, Alston said the International Civil Rights Center and Museum had to commit to purchasing the building next door to Woolworth and eventually expand into it. He said that plan is in the works. 

Alston added that while he considers the landmark designation an honor, it’s also a stepping stone to the larger goal of getting the building recognized as a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage Site.  

The Blue Ridge Parkway, which offers scenic views of the mountains after which it is named, stands as a symbol of American resilience during the Great Depression, when its construction began.