[dcd829]

Here are some photos I took last week in Birmingham's Glen Iris neighborhood. Located southwest of downtown adjacent to UAB, Glen Iris is one of Birmingham's earliest suburban areas--today part of the city proper. It wanders up the northen face of Red Mountain and is home to an amazing collection of turn of the century American Arts and Crafts architecture. Much of the area is ripe for renovation and redevelopment, and things are starting to happen. My firm is currently designing a project to that will add 31 homes on vacant land adjacent to George Ward Park along the neighborhood's extreme western edge (which is why I was over there taking photos in the first place). I've lived in Bham for seven years and hadn't been to Glen Iris until two weeks ago...I am so impressed! I can promise you the neighborhood is one it's way back...there will be more development and restoration coming soon!

Here are some images of the historic stuff we are using as inspiration for the new homes we are designing:

amazing brick detail on this chimney:

a plug for my project

 

[LSyd]

nice tour, i wouldn't call it suburban. very nice old-urban hood. pics are a little too big though...
that new development looks nice. and i'm suprised you hadn't been there before...

-

 

[dcd829]

No, it's not suburban anymore. But it was when Jemison and others first developed it. Just like Forest Park, etc were 'suburbs' at one time. Just shows how much cities grow over time...

Pics are big, guess the office camera was set pretty high

 

[LSyd]

No, it's not suburban anymore. But it was when Jemison and others first developed it. Just like Forest Park, etc were 'suburbs' at one time. Just shows how much cities grow over time...

Pics are big, guess the office camera was set pretty high

well, that was so long ago i didn't really care. then again, my hood (Highland Park) was suburban then, too.

i haven't had as good an opportunity to photograph this hood as i would've liked; mainly in passing, although i've been running in it a few times, and looked at a few places there.

-

 

[jmancuso]

that could be "anywhere",NY becuase it looks very northern. b'ham is a great town even if lsyd lives there. DOH!

 

[LSyd]

that could be "anywhere",NY becuase it looks very northern. b'ham is a great town even if lsyd lives there. DOH!

not for much longer ya carpetbaggin' scum. :bash:

-

 

[dcd829]

ohhh, let me dust off my B'ham architectural history knowledge:

Bham looks northern because many of the early architects were good old Yankees (like myself, once upon a time!). because of its early industrial roots, business professionals of all stripes, archtiects included, came here as the city grew. in other cases, out of town architects designed things because there wasn't a large enough stock of in-town design professionals to handle the work (i.e., St Pauls' Cathedral, which is very up-north-Victorian Gothic was designed by a Chicago firm by order of the Catholic Churhc). because Bham wasn't even founded until after the Civil War, there isn't a whole lot here that looks classically 'southern.' most of the early stuff is american arts and crafts (like the previous pics I posted) and just about everything after that until the 40's-50's has some sort of English/European look. there are a few structures in Glen Iris that look a little more Southern (columns, big porches, etc) but not a lot. next time I've over there I'll try to take a few pics.

 

[jmancuso]

^ wuh? you're leaving? that's prepostrous! where to?

- carpetbagger

 

[Sean in New Orleans]

Sweet shots on a beautiful day!

 

[LSyd]

^ wuh? you're leaving? that's prepostrous! where to?

- carpetbagger

yeah mate, old news, never formally announced though. Columbia. then Paris? then Virginia, then who knows?

so dcd829, what part of the Brook you in? i need to explore that part of town more before i move.

-

 

[dcd829]

I am in Mtn Brook Village. Park Lane, right between Botancial Gardens and Bham Country Club. it's so beautiful in this hood, you've got to explore it before you go. it's easy to get lost and wander around...Mtn Brook's a pretty amazing collection of urban planning and residential architecture.

 

[LSyd]

I am in Mtn Brook Village. Park Lane, right between Botancial Gardens and Bham Country Club. it's so beautiful in this hood, you've got to explore it before you go. it's easy to get lost and wander around...Mtn Brook's a pretty amazing collection of urban planning and residential architecture.

one of my friends lives near there. English village is interesting and so close, but annoyingly far by foot, being over the hill from me. it's still on my list to photograph before i move though.

-

 

[dcd829]

yeah, I'm almost half way between Mtn Brook Village and English Village. yeah...that mountain is not so cool on foot!

 

[krazeeboi]

Nice pics.

 

[Raleigh-NC]

Don't know much about B'ham, but it never ceases to amaze me in these forums. Seems like there are a lot of nice old neighborhoods over there. Great photos!!! Hopefully, the new development will replicate successfully the old urbanity of the city. Keep us posted about the status of this project.

 

[BHM4ever]

Great photos of one of Birmingham's more overlooked areas. Thanks kay:

 

[Vulcan]

How much will the new Craftsman homes cost and do you have any floor plans?

 

[dcd829]

they will start in the low to mid 350,000's and no, I cannot release floor plans--client privilege stuff. Ingram and Associates is doing the marketing, www.ingramnewhomes.com. It should be coming online in the next couple of weeks.