Invictus Development has purchased two historic downtown buildings in Selma, Alabama. Selma, most notably known for the Edmund Pettus Bridge and the Voting Rights March, has a rich history going back to the explorer Lafayette, the cotton boom of the 1800’s, the civil war battles, and so much more.
Selma has a thriving art community and is used by a myriad of politicians as a backdrop for their campaigns. This proverbial “all talk and no action” response has left Selma a poor and underserved city on the Alabama River.
In 2019, Invictus built 56 affordable housing units in northern Selma. Having come to Selma for a number of years, Paula and Rick saw so much potential and historical significance in downtown Selma literally wasting away.
In August 2021, Invictus purchased the Adler Furniture Building built in 1860 and in January 2022 The Harmony Club built in 1908 with the intention of renovating both buildings back to their historical significance while modernizing them with the goal of bringing retail and residential to the downtown Water Avenue district.
Invictus is working with a group of local and regional artists and community leaders in a 501C3 non-profit, MACAS (Making Art Connections Across Selma) creating art events in Selma and the Black Belt. The annual Mural Arts Festival was first held in 2024 and was a big success. MACAS will be hosting the 2nd Annual Mural Arts Festival on October 18, 2025. The will be 8 muralists from the Black Belt and from Columbus Ohio in conjuction with the Columbus Arts Council who will be sponsoring 3 of the muralists. We invite you to donate to MACAS through the link below.
The goal of these initiatives is to make Selma a destination, not just for the Bridge, but for the many stories that Selma holds, and its historic architecture and growing arts community . Selma deserves investment; it is representative of the struggles and perseverance that can inspire change, a message that resonates around the world.
Join us in investing in Selma and MACAS. Here are two websites to preview the opportunities.
Below is are links to a couple of local Selma artists.
https://www.facebook.com/TinManSelma/
Charlie Lucas is a local Selma artist and member of the MACAS board. The link below is to an article written recently in the Washington Post magazine. Charlie represents one of the local contemporary artists that will be featured in the MACAS museum.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/magazine/2021/11/30/artist-charlie-lucas-selma/
