Repairs, repainting coming for historic Trussville building

An iconic Trussville building is getting a facelift.

The Trussville City Council on March 8 authorized the city to pay approximately $19,000 for exterior repairs and repainting to ACTA Theatre and Heritage Hall.

Some roof repairs were recently completed, and the new work will include repainting and completing various exterior repairs.

The building was constructed in 1938 by W.J. Perry of Winfield for $19,967, the lowest of 11 bidders that vied for the construction of a retail general store and filling station. The building was part of the United States Farm Security Administration’s plans for the Cahaba Project, a government homestead project built in the wake of the Great Depression. In 1951, four years after Trussville incorporated as a town, the town bought the general store to establish a community center and library. It later served as band and choral rooms for Hewitt High School.

In 1988, on the building’s 50th anniversary, the Trussville Industrial Development Board restored the building. The building was dedicated to the preservation and development of the historic, civic and cultural heritage of the city through the Trussville Historical Board, the Trussville Area Chamber of Commerce and the Arts Council of the Trussville Area. The backside of Heritage Hall, near the Trussville City Pool, is ACTA Theatre, where local students and residents participate in dramas, comedies and musicals.

The city council also re-appointed Steve Ward to his second term on the Trussville City Schools Board of Education, with that term ending May 25, 2027. Ward has served on the board since 2017. Prior to his retirement, Ward served as a teacher, counselor, assistant principal, principal and college professor in Georgia.