City of Foley Acquires Land For Possible Civic Center or Museum
By Dale Hines
Blue RAM Media/Gulf Coast News
October 14, 2025
FOLEY, Ala. The City of Foley is acquiring more land after approving the purchase of more than two acres on East Violet Avenue north of Heritage Park.
The parcel, known as the Gatlin Property, is east of the Wilbourne Antique Rose Trail.
Mike Thompson, Foley city administrator, said the family that owned the property also agreed to donate a parcel located south of East Violet Avenue east of Heritage Park. That parcel is about one-third of an acre in size.
At this time, there are numerous possibilities of what the land may be used for, including a new civic center or a museum, and Foley officials said that they are studying what will fit on the land and in the community.
Foley officials are studying uses for the acquired property that include the site of a new civic center and a city museum.
City plans call for the current Civic Center to be replaced with a larger facility. Mayor Ralph
“Our Civic Center was built when I was in high school, a long time ago, and when our city was 5,000 people,” Hellmich said for a news release. “We have outgrown it. It is not big enough, and so we’re going to build one that will hold somewhere around 800 people. We want to build it over on this site, and we’ll be able to preserve the majority, if not all, of the big oak trees.”
The city is also considering plans to build a museum to commemorate Foley’s designation as an American World War II Heritage City by the National Park Service. Only one city in each state or territory can receive the AWWIIHC designation.
The museum would commemorate Barin Field, which opened in 1942 as a Navy training base in Foley, and the community’s role in World War II.
“Foley was selected as a World War II Heritage City because of our involvement with naval aviation in World War II and our contribution our city has to naval aviation and what it meant to our country’s defense in both the Pacific and since then,” Hellmich said. “If there’s enough room on that site, we’ve been talking about putting the museum there.”
As our city continues to grow, the amenities and attractions will also grow with it.
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