Birmingham Barons Agree to Move Downtown Birmingham
Construction on a new $39-million to $48-million baseball stadium near the new Railroad Park to start in early 2011.

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2010/11/barons_reach_agreement_with_ci.html

Birmingham Barons Agree to Move Downtown Birmingham
Construction on a new $39-million to $48-million baseball stadium near the new Railroad Park to start in early 2011.

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2010/11/barons_reach_agreement_with_ci.html

Cool! Didn't they move out of Rickwood into a new stadium in the 90s though?

Cool! Didn't they move out of Rickwood into a new stadium in the 90s though?

Yeah, it was out in the 'burbs, though.

Birmingham Mayor William Bell, BJCC officials break ground for hotel, entertainment district project
By Roy L. Williams -- The Birmingham News

The city of Birmingham and officials from the BJCC held a ground-breaking today at the site of the planned $70 million Westin Hotel and Marketplace entertainment district.

The 300-room hotel will be built next to the Southeastern Conference headquarters building at Richard Arrington Boulevard and 22nd Street North. Outside the hotel officials plan to build a district of restaurants, nightclubs and retail shops that will extend on Richard Arrington Boulevard from 22nd Street to 24th Street North.

Mayor William Bell told the crowd of about 300-400 people at the groundbreaking that the Westin and entertainment district will help transform downtown Birmingham.

"This project gets us to the 1,000 hotel rooms next to the BJCC that we need to better compete and bring more conventions to Birmingham," the mayor said.

The city is leasing the land from the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex and will eventually give the property back to the BJCC. Officials said the project will help the BJCC attract bigger conventions and events that currently skip Birmingham.

The project is being funded by a 30-year extension of the city's lodging tax.

The hotel and district are being built across Richard Arrington Boulevard from a proposed $530 million domed stadium project that Bell has been put on hold due to funding constraints. Former Mayor Larry Langford held a ground-breaking at the dome site in July 2009.

Unlike that event, Bell has said that actual construction will follow the hotel and entertainment district groundbreaking. He said construction work won't begun until the city meets with Alabama Power officials about taking down some power lines along 23rd Street North behind the hotel site.

The city placed barricades along 23rd Street today so that site preparation work can begin.

I hope the entertainment district goes well!

I was in Bham over the weekend, what is the highrise that is T/O by UAB?

Musiccit, sorry it took so long to answer your question. The building you asked about is the new Childrens Hospital of Alabama the Benjamin Russell Campus. It is 12 stories and 700,000 sf of floor space. They will be moving everything from the old Childrens into this building, and use the old building for office and research space, it should be complete in the 1st quarter of 2013.

Birmingham Barons Agree to Move Downtown Birmingham
Construction on a new $39-million to $48-million baseball stadium near the new Railroad Park to start in early 2011. http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2010/11/barons_reach_agreement_with_ci.html

Sweet, a nice ballpark is always a great amenity for any downtown.

Image al.com
http://media.al.com/sports_impact/photo/8953632-large.jpg

^^
Great! Looks like a nice boost for B'ham!

UAB is also close to getting going on a $75-million oncampus stadium. It will be just a few blocks from this baseball stadium and the Railroad Park. Seating will initially be for about 30,000 but with plenty of room to expand. You can't really tell from this image, but the open endzone will face the Birmingham skyline, so it will make for a nice football venue.

http://media.al.com/sports_impact/photo/10006894-large.jpg

UAB also plans to build a bunch more dorms in the area between Bartow Arena and the Railroad Park. UAB is also planning a $40-million revamped, expanded student center. There are also likely to be some more research facilities at UAB coming down the pipeline. Lots going on around the Southside and it's about to boom with retail and entertainment surrounding the UAB football stadium, Birmingham baseball stadium, and Railroad Park.

Full story here.
(http://blog.al.com/businessnews/2012/02/bayer_properties_strong_progre.html)

So basically this is good news for downtown Bham. It's a $20 million, 60,000-square-foot entertainment district being built next to a $50mil hotel downtown next to our civic center. It's supposed to have bike paths and a lot of walkability stuff. Also a rooftop bar. Check the link for a video promoting it.


http://media.al.com/birmingham-news/photo/10263708-large.jpg

This is my first post, btw. I know lots of other stuff about development going on downtown. Also a bit of Montgomery and Tuscaloosa.

Welcome Urban South!

This is in Anniston but it's all Central AL :D


Longleaf Botanical Gardens


http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/2145/picture5iw.png

There is something big going up by Brookwood Village Mall and Brookwood Hospital. Anyone know what it is?

Are there no posters in Bham?

Yeah, that is a 2-story Target.
Though I have mixed feelings about another big chain store near our downtown core, I like that they're making something unique and it's light on parking (which is good).

http://blog.al.com/businessnews/2012/05/developer_of_westin_eyes_forme.html

Anyways, the developer of the previous link I posted hopes to convert this (ugly) skyscraper into a luxury hotel (in addition to the current hotel they're building- I dunno, maybe the current one is more mid-range).

I wish someone would use one of Birmingham's many tall historic buildings (some of which are vacant right now), but I assume that it would cost more to renovate them. Still, if you're going to name your hotel "Europa" then I think you'd choose something with classical architecture over a steel/glass box.
Ah well, still good news for the city. Over the past year or so there have been massive improvements and efforts made to revitalize the city, including a new master plan which I've looked into deeply and I think it's very good.

Pic is just an update on the previous story I posted.
http://media.al.com/businessnews/photo/11035158-large.jpg

Pics are of recently-constructed and under-construction projects around the city. Of course these aren't all of them, but these are just most of the ones that I like. :bowtie:

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7230/7252489256_85b2c23326_b.jpg
Starting in my suburb of Bham, this is SoHo, a mixed-use development built along with a new city hall. I've never looked into it myself but from what I've heard, the condos are expensive. I'd really like to see more mid-range (and even some lower-range) condos/apts in downtown Homewood, but I guess that's what they're working on now.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8006/7252505462_413278937a_b.jpg
Another pic of the development. I like the design a lot. City Hall is in the center there.
It's in a suburb but actually very near the downtown core so I think it's a very positive thing for the city.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7243/7252504962_2dd9bb867d_b.jpg
Hallman Hill, a mixed-use project on a neighboring block. I like it. Upscale townhomes and condos. In the center there is an open space which won a national architecture award in Las Vegas for "Best New Open Space" or something.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8011/7252502254_cc158d4831_b.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7224/7252502768_80df769a3a_b.jpg
The other part of Hallman Hill (with all of the retail spaces now occupied) and the neighboring new Aloft Hotel. The Aloft Hotel is well-designed stuff but I don't really like the architecture. Ah well.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7080/7252503264_4b6eb33b8f_b.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7105/7252503832_df42cee545_b.jpg
Across the street is the under-construction "The Hill" mixed-use project, being built by the same developer. Very good layout, (although the aesthetics don't seem to be first-rate). Aimed at young adults.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7102/7252505964_58f95caef4_b.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7082/7252506496_026f094f5d_b.jpg
Now we're in Birmingham proper. This is 29Seven, a mixed-use project being built in a cool little district called Lakeview. You can see an article on the developer in the NYTimes here. (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/26/realestate/commercial/26alabama.html) Looking good, it gives the street a great new vibe. Looking forward to it.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7078/7252489730_5dcec5e52d_b.jpg
Nice little student apartment development downtown near the new Railroad Park and ballpark. Presumably for UAB students.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7222/7252499112_234b599875_b.jpg
Building the new Birmingham Barons ballpark. They're currently stationed in an outlying suburb but we wanted to bring them downtown to help spur growth in the area. Across the street from the new Railroad Park.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7072/7252498374_e97965c5fd_b.jpg
Some warehouse next to Railroad Park. The parking lot in front of me is scheduled to be developed into some supposedly-exciting mixed-use project which will be taking up the whole block. Currently they're looking at architects for it, but it has been confirmed that it will be built.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7211/7252499698_5a04279b78_b.jpg
A recently-opened (and good!) brewery adjacent to Railroad Park. Also, sorry for not taking pictures of Railroad Park but...I just didn't think they'd be very interesting. ~10 acres. It's a finalist for an Urban Land Institute competition for best new park in the country so that's cool I guess.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7087/7252490356_5ee3fb92d1_b.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7088/7252496024_6e532a04a5_b.jpg
Cityville Block 121. Good mixed-use project right in the heart of downtown.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7217/7252491938_d213e8e488_b.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7072/7252492584_3a57098e45_b.jpg
Liv on 5th. Same thing, essentially. About a mile away I guess.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7076/7252494876_e4f6ddf925_b.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7093/7252493488_b26566b0d2_b.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7213/7252495512_47b2cecc69_b.jpg
Good little mixed-use in the same district. Actually it's surprisingly big but segmented over different lots along the block.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7084/7252494224_bf094c4184_b.jpg
New hotel across the street.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7071/7252488716_7f7170c1cc_b.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7101/7252491344_941bbcfea5_b.jpg
Pepper Place, a renovation of ~2 very large blocks in the Lakeview District. Formerly a Dr. Pepper bottling factory and some other industrial uses. Pretty cool I guess. Not a new development but a recent renovation of a historic group of buildings. I'd like to see it go taller, though. Not enough multi-story buildings among it to give it a good urban vibe and too much damn parking.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7082/7252490742_e8951d2b52_b.jpg
It may be a hip new city-dweller locale, but southern identity is still strong in Pepper Place, as shown by the organic grits served in this cafe. Good to know, local identity is vital for a city.


That wraps it up. Thanks for following along with my city's revitalization.

Nice pictures, I've never been to Birmingham but I always thought it was a pretty decent city.

Good job on the photos. Looks like some very attractive projects going on there.

Took a few shots today. This is the Westin Hotel and adjoining entertainment "district" (restaurants, shops, etc.). Seems pretty cool.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7105/7258314060_eea5677d83_b.jpg
That smaller building next to it seems new but I don't know what it is.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7085/7258315528_211f072b33_b.jpg
Impressive looking.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7072/7258317398_821d9273a9_b.jpg
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7244/7258316770_4ff211fbaa_b.jpg
With the little surrounding buildings

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8004/7258318058_e6be760e1d_b.jpg
From the other side, another little building.

I like having another good hotel in the area, but I must confess that I'd prefer that the adjoining buildings weren't just one-story. That's not really good for an urban area. Oh well.

A comment on Jeremy Erdreich's blog (constructbirmingham.wordpress.com):
"From an inside source, the new owner is looking at the Brown Marx building for condos and is currently in design/budget phase. Not sure of the architect but the engineering is being done locally. No word on whether there will be any 1st floor commercial space (one would hope!)."

Does anyone happen to know who owns the building? I think that my mother said it's some wealthy family around Bham and that she works with one of them, but she might have been talking about a different Heaviest Corner building or maybe even Leer Tower.

http://www.yourcitycenter.com/getFileFromDB.ashx?ContentID=423

As you can see, it's a massive building and its age (1903) grants it special historic status for us here. If it's true, this is the most exciting development news for Birmingham in several years!

^that's great news. of course, i remember a similar announcement 6-7 years ago. Brown-Marx is odd because it was basically doubled a few years after it was built. then it got an awful reclad/modernization in the 60s that stripped off the terra cotta and ornamentation.

Liv on 5th.

it used to be a warehouse of some kind.

thanks for the great pics. i miss Birmingham.

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Been watching the Westin gradually go up, great development! Theres also been a lot of development happening around the airport.

Are some of those developments you posted in Five Points South? Love that part of Bham, lot of homeless folks though. Haven't been in that area in a while...

I'm not really sure what qualifies as 5-points south but tbh I don't understand any of the enthusiasm for that place. It's just a giant intersection with a bunch of 1-story and/or ugly buildings spreading out from it. If there was a cool roundabout with a statue or fountain in the middle then I would understand but really it's just a few blocks with potential that needs about half the buildings demolished or refaced and/or added onto. I hate seeing one-story buildings in an urban setting, it goes against almost everything essential for good urban form. Anyway Liv is by UAB and somewhat near 5-points. It's a good catalyst for the area but at the same time there's a massive empty industrial building across the street and next to that is a neglected parking lot. Damn shame, too, because that exact spot offers a spectacular view of the skyline. I see future development going more towards filling in the space between Liv and Cityville because it's one of the few parts of downtown where the streets aren't so incredibly wide that you feel like you're in a sea of asphalt and there aren't any of those frustratingly-retarded one-way streets in the few blocks between them. Behind that empty industrial building (which actually looks pretty cool), there's also a nice stone-paved alley so it would be a great opportunity for a developer with any sense to put some nice townhouses there and really give a kind of European vibe to the area, and I don't say that lightly.
The one-way streets in that area (and all of downtown) are really inhibiting growth and need to be changed absolutely ASAP. It would cost ~$8mil to change all the one-ways downtown but it's easily worth twice that.
There are some new businesses going into 5-points but it desperately needs a centerpiece in the intersection and new construction. If someone put in some good apartments I'd live in one.

Also musiccity I haven't heard of any new development by the airport, but if you know of something I'd love to hear. All I know is that they were working on the airport itself.
And yes LSyd there are rumors every few years of some important historic building downtown being revamped so I always take that with a pinch of salt because good lord, Birminghammers are tired of getting their hopes up. And there are several historic buildings, like the Paramount, that just had the most awful "modernizations," it's criminal. Horrifying to think of what we lost.
I knew that Brown-Marx's cornice was removed (and now it looks so lacking), but I didn't know about the other refacing. Thanks for telling me, I always thought it looked a lot more ornate in older pictures but didn't know why.

I might be getting 5 points South mixed up with the area where the Western Supermarket and the Synagogue is. I also love the drive down Red Mountain. not on 280 but on back roads.

5 points south is great, at least when i lived there and last visited 2 years ago. it has a nice fountain with sculptures. it could use a few more good shops or music venues as i heard that some of the bars/clubs closed.

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