Birmingham Discussion Thread

[Dystopos]

[world weary answer]Birminghamsters have a habit of undervaluing their own treasures. Most people around here would rather wait 90 minutes for a table at P. F. Chang's than venture into Surin West. Maybe if the museum started charging $18 instead of letting people in for free they'd get more respect. Not that anyone around here would pay $18 to get into an art museum...

[my answer]I love going to the museum. There are some great exhibits lined up for the year of Alabama Arts, which began monday. I'm particularly excited about the William Christenberry retrospective and the upcoming announcement of a new exhibition space at Sloss Docks.

[DruidCity]

I'm particularly excited about the William Christenberry retrospective and the upcoming announcement of a new exhibition space at Sloss Docks.

My aunt went to school with Christenberry, so I'll pass this info along to her.

Are there still plans for a $15-million+ Sloss Visitor Center ?

[Dystopos]

Originally Posted by DruidCity

Are there still plans for a $15-million+ Sloss Visitor Center

Plans: yes. Funding: not yet. (And I think it was $10 or 11 M last time they were talking about it)

[LSyd]

Originally Posted by Larry Felton Johnson

I'm a very partisan Atlantan. But I visit Birmingham often for a variety of reasons. One of those reasons is your art museum, which I consider much better than Atlanta's High.

While I'm skeptical of attractions as a means of building urban vitality, I've always wondered if residents of Birmingham realize just how good that museum is relative to others in the region.

yes...and no. it's usually the transplants/new people to town that realize it.

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[CrimsonARC]

I haven't heard much about it in the news - but the groundbreaking for the Railroad Reservation Park happens this Friday at 10 AM at the Railroad Reservation Park site, if anyone wants to attend.

I'm sure this is just an event for the politicians can get some face-time wearing a hard hat, but hopefully we'll see some real progress on the park soon.

[Larry Felton Johnson]

Originally Posted by LSyd

yes...and no. it's usually the transplants/new people to town that realize it.

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That's a shame. I can close my eyes and visualize some of the exhibits: the history of hats, the statues of the elephant-headed Hindu god Ganesh, the complete sets of samurai armor, the modern glass sculptures, the wall of Chinese snuff bottles ... God, y'all have a treasure there.

[Dystopos]

Originally Posted by CrimsonARC

I'm sure this is just an event for the politicians can get some face-time wearing a hard hat, but hopefully we'll see some real progress on the park soon.

The "Railroad Reservation Park: Project Status Report" presented to the city on October 3, 2006 shows a schedule indicating that "pre-design" has not yet begun, and that we're looking at January 2008 to start construction, which would take about a year.

I have no idea why they're holding the "groundbreaking" today.

UPDATE: Background and more info at BhamWiki:Railroad Reservation Park (comments/corrections warmly welcomed)

[crash]

Originally Posted by Dystopos

Could someone with a subscription to the BBJ expand on this:
http://birmingham.bizjournals.com/bi...02/story3.html

This was in Sunday's paper:

City looks at Quinlan Castle future
SRI, Veterans Affairs and developer present proposals
Saturday, October 07, 2006
VICTORIA L. COMAN
News staff writer

Quinlan Castle, a landmark on Birmingham's Southside, could become offices and storage space, temporary lodging for patients and their families or luxury condominiums under proposals the city is considering.

City officials have been looking for a way to preserve the castle, built in 1927 and largely abandoned in the 1990s. The city got the property in 1993 when the property owner defaulted on a low-interest loan.

Southern Research Institute, a nonprofit research organization affiliated with the University of Alabama at Birmingham; the Department of Veterans Affairs; and Urban Development and Management LLC, a private company, submitted proposals to the city last month.

All three plans would protect the appearance of the castle, which has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1984 and, in 1998, made the Places in Peril list of the Alabama Historical Commission and the Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation.

Birmingham Mayor Bernard Kincaid said Birmingham developer Herschell Hamilton also made a proposal, but later withdrew it.

The stone walls and wooden doorways of Quinlan Castle, formerly called the Royal Arms Apartments, depart from the character of the mostly glass, brick, concrete and metal-clad buildings nearby. The castle is made up of two buildings connected by stone archways around a courtyard.

Only squatters have occupied at least some of Quinlan's 72 apartments in recent years. The building is now marked by broken and boarded windows, cracked and chipping red paint and damaged doors and gates.

The Birmingham City Council voted in 1999 to sell it to adjacent Southern Research, which wanted to tear it down and use the property as part of its Southside campus. SRI officials backed off the deal later that year because of financial concerns.

Southside icon:

Kincaid said he remembers when Southside residents objected to plans to demolish the building.

"I think that sentiment still holds," he said. "It's kind of an icon for Southside. If it were to come back on line, it would please me to no end."

Still, Kincaid said he is most concerned about parking. Too few spaces have hindered past efforts to redevelop the castle. "The parking restraints obviously would have to be taken into account," Kincaid said.

Under the three proposals:

SRI offers to buy the castle for $400,000. SRI did not say how it would use the site but refers to an SRI-commissioned study. It could become a central utility plant, a storage facility or be used for office or laboratory space. The building could be renovated or, if it were used to house utilities, the interior would be demolished "while preserving the facade as an outer shell around the utility equipment."

SRI's proposal says parking would be on its adjacent land.

Veterans Affairs officials propose investing more than $4.5 million to renovate the building to be used as short-term housing for patients and families being treated at Birmingham VA Medical Center.

The VA proposal cites on-street parking along Ninth Avenue South as well as other possible places on SRI property south of the site across Ninth Avenue South and east of the site across Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard at a Southern Research-owned clinic. It also suggests the possibility of parking under the building and more parking that could be available north of it.

The VA didn't say how much it would pay for the property.

Urban Development and Management proposes buying the castle for $520,000 and turning it into about 32 luxury condominiums. The company's proposal includes the development of 50 spaces of underground parking.

Kincaid said if parking is worked out, he supports the building being occupied again. He said the building was a focal point for Southside before the city got so many high-rise buildings in its skyline.

"I think it would be a conversation piece. It might even be a tourist attraction."

Kincaid still must review the proposals before they are considered by the City Council's Finance Committee. The council then would take up the matter.

E-mail: vcoman@bhamnews.com

© 2006 The Birmingham News

[B'ham Bound]

Personally, I'm not fond of the "DiverseCity" campaign. I believe it's highly unimaginative, cheap, and a poor attempt to reference our position in the Civil Right's Movement. Overall, I think it's a mediocre promotion that, unfortunately, leaves a lot to be desired. In any case, I stumbled upon some new print ads on the BCVB site. Here are some of the better ones for those who haven't seen them: (the others can be found here)

[crash]

It may be more fitting than you realize...

The new chair of the department of Psychiatry at UAB came from The University of Michigan (I think).

He was amazed at the diversity of both the Psych residents and the Psych faculty and staff. He said the most diverse it got at his old job was Christian or Jewish.....

[DruidCity]

Hearing any fallout yet from the Amsouth-Regions merger, as far as the impact on Birmingham jobs and buildings ?
Will an even bigger bank like Wells-Fargo gobble up the combined bank next year ?

[LSyd]

i hope Quinlan goes luxury condos. no storage space, power plant or rehab.

"diversecity" isn't that bad. cheesy, but not too cheesy.

hopefully "RegionsSouth" or whatever it'll be called will build a new tallest, and annex Wachovia.

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[CrimsonARC]

In the news - one interesting note about Stonewall possibly becoming a hotel.
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Jimmie Hale site to be condos
Mission will move to the former Thomas school
Wednesday, October 11, 2006

MICHAEL TOMBERLIN
News staff writer

Developers have purchased Birmingham's largest and best-known homeless shelter with plans to convert the building into a home for $200,000 condominiums and commercial space.

Brothers Leo and Ed Ticheli head an investment team that bought the 27,212-square-foot Jimmie Hale Mission near Red Mountain Expressway for $550,000. They plan to invest around $5 million converting the two two-story buildings into condos.

Continued here...

[CrimsonARC]

Apartments on Clairmont being razed to build condos
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
VICTORIA L. COMAN

News staff writer

Birmingham developers could begin tearing down five apartment complexes along Clairmont Avenue by year's end to make way for condominiums.

Michael Carpenter, of Formation Methods, a real estate services firm, and Tom Hinton of Hinton Properties, brought a concept for the condominium buildings before the Forest Park-South Avondale Neighborhood Association last week. The men are developing the project with Euro American Advisors, a Dutch-based company.

It calls for demolition of the 188 apartments in the Patio Club Apartments, Forest Park Cove Apartments, Clairhill Apartments, Basset Apartments and Fairway View Apartments. Carpenter said the plans are for the development of 216 condominium units in six buildings on the estimated five acres between Clairmont Avenue, Eighth Avenue, 33rd Street and 34th Street.

Hinton said prices for the one- to three-bedroom units could range from about $180,000 to the low $400,000s.

The buildings would be constructed with brick, wood and stucco, creating a brownstone appearance with two levels of parking and four levels of residential space, Carpenter said. Hinton said parking for residents will be available on the two levels while guest parking would be available in the back of the buildings along Eighth Avenue South.

For now, residents remaining in apartments are renting their units month to month. Apartments that are empty are expected to be boarded up and their doors locked, the men said. Residents will be notified before they must move, he said.

Construction is expected to begin in early 2007 and take 18 to 24 months, Carpenter said.

The men first presented their proposal in September 2005.

[CrimsonARC]

...and right around the corner from the Clairmont development is a renovation of an existing low-income apartment complex (I don't think this has been posted yet)
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City apartment complex slated for makeover
Birmingham Business Journal - July 28, 2006
by Kaija Wilkinson

A run-down apartment complex off Clairmont Avenue at 700 34th St. South has been purchased by a group of developers who want to transform it into swanky but affordable condos for young professionals.

Partners Michael Cooney, Brett Connor, Court Davis and Clint Choate closed on the three-story concrete structure several weeks ago. It is now known as the Highland Court apartments. According to Choate, tenants have been notified of the plans and the last tenant is scheduled to vacate in September 2006, with construction starting shortly thereafter.

Continued here...



700 - a condominium

[Blazer85]

Looks like the BJCC officials are putting some of their pride aside in order to get something in motion. An article in today's paper mentioned that they're already talking to several developers about developing a retail area with restaurants near the BJCC as well as hotel developers about building at least 1 nearby hotel. In the past they had tried to make this part of the overall dome package, but I think it may be the right thing to do by trying to do these things separate of the rest of it. It will certainly be an easier sell to the public... that's for sure.

[neilson]

Originally Posted by Blazer85

Looks like the BJCC officials are putting some of their pride aside in order to get something in motion. An article in today's paper mentioned that they're already talking to several developers about developing a retail area with restaurants near the BJCC as well as hotel developers about building at least 1 nearby hotel. In the past they had tried to make this part of the overall dome package, but I think it may be the right thing to do by trying to do these things separate of the rest of it. It will certainly be an easier sell to the public... that's for sure.

Collins will make Something happen. It won't be the Dome, but I honestly believe that she's gonna make sure the county works toward something productive for the BJCC.

Meanwhile, John Rogers needs to STFU and quit trying to alienate B'ham by trying to strongarm Montgomery. You don't get funding by trying to be a pain in the ass, and that's the only tactic that Rogers understands.

[Leonard23]

Originally Posted by neilson

Collins will make Something happen. It won't be the Dome, but I honestly believe that she's gonna make sure the county works toward something productive for the BJCC.

Meanwhile, John Rogers needs to STFU and quit trying to alienate B'ham by trying to strongarm Montgomery. You don't get funding by trying to be a pain in the ass, and that's the only tactic that Rogers understands.

Rogers will never learn until he loses his job (which he should have this year but no one opposed him). It is about time the BJCC board has put their pride aside, but they should be trying to use the funding from the hotel tax towards expansion without the dome. This fund should go towards the total overhaul of the BJCC Arena (gutting out and retrofitting of the inside) and the expansion of Exhibition Halls.

[cmixon001]

Has anyone seen any renderings of the condos being planned for Clairmont? I saw a blurb in the paper that said they were planned to be something along the lines of brownstones, but I'm not certain.

[Dystopos]

I haven't seen any renderings, but it sounded like they were talking about using the ground floor for parking - which could be sort of unfriendly toward the street unless its well-designed with gracious stoops and landscaping.