When Is Ali Art Museum Made in Pompano Beach

The Ali Building still resonating with soulful art, music and life

By Nelson Underdew

Photos by Ronald Lyons

A prominent piece of Pompano Beach Black History was revisited on last Wednesday.

The historic Ali Building, a fixture in the community of Pompano and a powerful symbol and reminder of the resonant African American history of Southward Florida, was reopened with new purpose subsequently decades of vacancy.

The Ali Building was built in 1933 and is located at 357 Hammondville Route (now also Martin Luther King Boulevard) in Pompano Beach. The business firm was congenital, owned, and occupied by Frank and Florence Major Ali, an flush Blackness couple who had emigrated to Pompano Beach from Cuba and The Commonwealth of the bahamas respectively.

Frank Ali kickoff used the 2 story holding every bit a barbershop besides as a residence. Florence Ali was a skilled seamstress and fashion designer and also operated her business out of the home.

Florence, however, wanted to give Blacks in Broward much more than just hand crafted dress and haircuts.

During World War Ii she established the Negro Beauticians of Broward County and successfully lobbied to take county appointed Black inspectors of hair salons and barbershops. She also insisted upon using her own home, affectionately referred to as the Ali Building by neighborhood residents, every bit a boarding firm for Black travelers who couldn't find lodging in the then segregated state of Florida.

The Ali Edifice housed famous performers such as dancer Bill Robinson, and trumpeter Louis Armstrong during their visits in Jim Crow's Southward Florida.

The Ali couple divorced in 1953. Frank and Florence died in 1966 and 1982 at the ages of 59 and 84 respectively. The Ali Building has remained vacated since the tardily 70s.

Fast forward to 2007, when a Ms. Hazel K. Armbrister refused to let the history of the Ali Edifice exist destroyed by corporate interests and government short sightedness.

"Pompano Beach decided that it was going to practise community redevelopment," Armbrister recalls "one twenty-four hours I was beyond the street, [from The Ali Bulding] and I saw the orange netting they use when they're nearly to tear something downwards, and I said Oh my God! They can't tear it down!

Then I went down to [Pompano Beach] Urban center Hall and got a hearing  with the city manager and told him you tin't tear information technology down."

Armbrister is the president of the Rock Route Restoration Historical group, an organization defended to preservation of Broward county'southward Blackness History. Her efforts delayed the sabotage of the Ali Edifice long enough for a partnership between herself and the Pompano Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) to come upwardly with a new plan for the historic structure.

The Ali Building has been completely renovated and will be reopened equally the Ali Cultural Arts Center, a multipurpose venue, which volition simultaneously serve as a museum to commemorate the history of the edifice and the customs, an educational center where classes will be taught to the children of Pompano with a specific focus on the Arts, and an outdoor performance space which will host concerts and events as it was demonstrated during Wed'south soft opening for media and invited guests.

Performers included the Earthquake Percussion department of the Blanche Ely High School Marching Band, appropriately named as the booming from their drums rattled the foundation of the Ali Building as the house itself seemed to dance with the excitement of enjoying the visitor of its get-go guests in over 30 years.  The opening was headlined by Josh Miles and The Sweet Somethings, a soul and jazz ring from Dallas, Tex.

"At that place will be a community room, with artwork displayed exclusively by artist in this com-munity" said Drew Tucker, a percussionist and the managing director of the Ali Cultural Arts Center. "At that place will be dance classes for kids here."

Tucker continued with his artillery spread out wide beyond the space he was describing; a large room on the bottom level of the building, with cute oak finished floors that seem to beg for the borer and twirling of children rehearsing a dance.

The walls of the Ali Building

are now adorned by beautiful paintings done past local artist, Alice Jones. Among the paint-ings is a massive and stunning portrait of Frank and Florence Ali, a more than than appropriate reminder of the origins of the service that edifice provides.

"This is exciting!" exclaimed Pompano Beach Mayor Lamar Fisher "This is a in one case in a life-fourth dimension opportunity to bring cultural arts to our community."

The K opening of The Ali Center will be on November 5th and volition include live music, refreshments, and tours of the building.

"If the Alis were to see what has get of their home, I think they would be satisfied," said Armbrister with a smile.

Later on a long, rich, and tumultuous history that includes settlement and development, residence and prominence, absenteeism and near riddance, The Ali Building of Pompano Beach volition meet its own preservation and restoration, and ignite the rejuvenation of the customs that it served for over 80 years.

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Source: https://thewestsidegazette.com/the-ali-building-still-resonating-with-soulful-art-music-and-life/

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