After months of construction, The Equal Justice Initiative’s Elevation Convening Center and Hotel has embarked on its first phase of opening.
The complex was converted from the previously long-abandoned midrise formerly known as the Hilltop Arms Apartments at 600 Montgomery Street in Cottage Hill. At present, it includes two restaurants, hotel rooms and a fitness center.
“We are very excited and proud to announce the opening of Elevation,” said EJI executive director Bryan Stevenson. “By converting an abandoned structure that has been deteriorating for decades into something beautiful, we hope to provide refuge and comfort to the thousands of people who visit our Legacy Sites and strengthen Montgomery’s economic health and cultural landscape.”
The completed complex will include an art gallery, a theater, and opportunities for research for guests staying in Montgomery to take in the civil rights history EJI works to preserve.
The two restaurants — Elevation Café and AYA Soulful Dining — will be “open to the community” as well as Elevation guests, EJI said. AYA Soulful Dining will offer a fusion of African, Caribbean, and Southern culinary roots, while Elevation Café will serve freshly baked items and sandwiches.
The partial opening on Oct. 8 is just phase one of Elevation’s opening. EJI said that construction around the complex will continue in preparation of opening their newest Legacy Site on the property in February 2026.
Montgomery Square, the new Legacy Site, will include sculpture art, new research and first-person narratives. It will document the history of Montgomery residents significantly involved in the fight for civil rights between 1955 and 1965 who are lesser-known to the public.
The Elevation Convening Center and Hotel is just one of multiple places downtown that EJI has opened within the last year in what Stevenson has previously said was an effort to both enhance the experience of visitors coming to view the legacy sites and bolster the economic development of Montgomery’s downtown. In recent months, EJI has welcomed Hero, a breakfast spot, and Little Donkey, a soul food and Mexican fusion restaurant.
