The Alabama Department of Archives and History recently completed a transformative renovation that reimagines two of its major gallery spaces and elevates the visitor experience across the building. As part of this effort, 1220 played a key role in fabricating and installing a wide range of exhibit elements, including a striking sculptural ceiling feature engineered not only for visual impact but also to improve acoustics within the museum’s 1940s marble-clad architecture. New colorful signage inside and on the building’s exterior helps welcome visitors, while the refreshed “Voices of Alabama” gallery offers a clearer, more compelling narrative flow through updated displays and environments.

The newly renovated galleries showcase hyper-realistic scenic displays, fully custom asymmetric cases, and the state-of-the-art AV moments. Many components throughout the second-floor exhibits were intentionally designed at an oversized scale – from the playful houses and rocket ship in the Children’s Gallery to the massive artifacts featured in the Military Gallery, where 1220’s artifacts department engineered custom mounts to safely support each piece.

Because the historic building lacks a freight elevator, 1220 engineered a custom pull-ramp system over the marble staircases to safely transport these large components upstairs, where they were then seamlessly joined, finished, and installed in place.