BY ROB DAVIS
FOR THE OBSERVER
OPELIKA — An Opelika visionary was recently honored with the renaming of a historic building in the city she helped evolve.
Barbara H. Patton stood alongside city officials as the Southside Center for the Arts was renamed the Barbara H. Patton Southside Center for the Arts during a ceremony held at the building, which opened in 1929 as Southside Elementary School.
The Arts Center, which stands at 1103 Glenn St., is the result of a shared venture between The Arts Association of East Alabama, the city of Opelika and Envision Opelika.
It features a 300-seat auditorium for hosting performing arts, as well as plenty of space for visual arts, arts education and community events. Two wings of the Center offer space for conferences and meetings, and house the Lee-Russell Opelika Senior Center.
Patton, who was the first female mayor of Opelika and served two terms between 1996 and 2004, has always had a passion for the arts.
“I’ve always had a love for the arts, even though I don’t have an artistic bone in my body,” Patton said. “So many small towns don’t have arts programs for children and don’t have a venue for performing arts and visual arts.”
A native of Pensacola, Florida, and a graduate of the University of Alabama, Patton moved to Opelika with her husband Dr. Robert C. Patton in 1973. During her tenure as mayor, Opelika witnessed significant economic growth and development, marked by the development of the Northeast Industrial Park and the Tiger Town Retail Center. Patton was also instrumental in bringing the streetscape projects to downtown Opelika.
After her tenure as mayor ended, Patton served as president and CEO of the Opelika Chamber of Commerce from 2010 until 2017. She was named executive director of Envision Opelika and served on the Board Of Directors for the Alabama Department of Archives and History, Opelika Main Street, the Opelika Chamber of Commerce, the United Way of East Alabama, the Opelika Preservation Society, the Boys and Girls Clubs and the Genealogical Society of East Alabama.
Patton has been recognized with numerous awards and honors, including Opelika Professional Business Woman of the Year, Civitan International Citizen of the Year, Opelika-Auburn Jaycees Distinguished Service Award, Boy Scouts Distinguished Citizen, American Hometown Leadership Award, Dream Achiever Award and the Rotary International Paul Harris Fellow recognition.
Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller was pivotal in the renaming of the Arts Center.
“Barbara has done so much for the city of Opelika,” Fuller said. “Before I left office I wanted to get something named after Barbara Patton, and the Arts Center was the perfect building for that.”
According to Fuller, recognition and accolades have never been the motivation for Patton’s work.
“Barbara does it because she loves the city of Opelika,” he said. “Barbara was reluctant to have the Arts Center named after her, but I was determined to do it.”
What began as an elementary school to serve the children of Opelika, the historic building known today as the Barbara Patton Southside Center for the Arts, continues to serve the people of Opelika.
“I don’t really enjoy the recognition, but it is nice to be appreciated,” Patton said. “I have always had a passion for the reuse of empty buildings, and especially historic buildings like the Arts Center, so this is a wonderful honor to have my name associated with that particular building.”
