And the prize goes to…

Posted on December 11, 2012 | 7 comments
Poised, yet again

Poised, yet again

Yesterday local media reported that the City-owned block directly east of Railroad Park (above) is poised to be sold to Alabama Power Company for almost $3 million. Currently surface parking, the lot was the subject of a well-publicized “ideas contest” in 2011, which resulted in a winner being awarded $50,000 by the Community Foundation. Many were excited by the high-profile nature of the contest, the professionalism of the process, and the engagement of the community–through crowdsourcing— to help determine the future of our built environment downtown. It was much more difficult to find anyone excited about the actual winning entry, which struck many as a confusing grab bag of odd components.

Perhaps even more perplexing was how the contest, and the winning entry, disappeared from public view almost instantly: after all the publicity and community engagement, the radio silence was quite a contrast. Very little has surfaced about the project since the Foundation announced this past March that they’d seek proposals to develop the site using the themes outlined in the winning entry. Now, Alabama Power steps in to purchase the property which lies across Powell Avenue from the historic steam plant the company already owns (and is on the verge of decommissioning).

The Foundation expressed its support for this latest development in a brief statement on their website. Since there are no details about the nature of the development, we can’t really comment except to hope that if this purchase does go through, that Alabama Power is able to put together something really exciting and community-oriented for both this lot and a renovated steam plant. The curious fate of this property now moves into an interesting next phase (the City Council should vote on the sale today). Stay tuned. And just for fun, below is part of our own entry into the contest.

small EXHIBITSANDVISTOR CENTER-final

[thanks to the Birmingham News for the aerial pic]

UPDATE: City Council approved the sale today, and the Community Foundation said they endorsed the sale due to pledges from APCO that the ideas generated by the contest would be incorporated into future plans.

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Holiday cheer

Posted on December 6, 2012 | 7 comments
The new roof is a good start

New roof for a new start

It was this past January when the historic Powell School suffered immense damage due to fire; what a welcome sight to now see Stone Building Company rebuilding the roof, stabilizing the brick, and otherwise weatherproofing the structure (above). Kudos to the Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation which, in cooperation with the City and numerous volunteers, has organized this effort and is marketing the building for redevelopment.

This was the City’s first “Free School.” Before the fire it sat vacant, garnering little attention. Ironically, the fire illuminated the building’s potential: perhaps in the New Year we’ll see plans moving forward for renovation. Which would be pleasing.

Also pleasing should be the announcement–promised soon by REV Birmingham (formerly Operation New Birmingham)–of two new major housing developments near Railroad Park totaling some 450 units. Fingers crossed that downtown will have lots of positive news to look forward to in 2013.

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Design Review November 28

Posted on November 27, 2012 | 1 comment

Here’s the Design Review Committee agenda for tomorrow (November 28). Remember, the meetings are open to the public and take place at 7:30 AM at Auburn Urban Studio, 3rd Floor of Young and Vann Building, corner of 18th Street North and First Avenue downtown.

I. Call to Order:  Minutes of the November 14, 2012 meeting.

II. Name: Ms. Mary McSpadden

Site Address: 5500 1st Avenue, South, Smiles For Keeps

District: Woodlawn

Requesting approval for: Signage

III. Name:  Mr. Paul Irwin (Irwin Brothers Remodeling)

Site Address:  4142 Crescent Road

District: Forest Park Local Historic

Requesting approval for: Garage extension, addition of front yard parking pad to existing driveway, and new patio tile

IV. Name: Mr. Joey McClure (Joseph McClure Real Estate)

Site Address: 218 20th Street, North, Bistro Two Eighteen

District: Birmingham Green

Requesting approval for:  Sign

V. Name: Mr. Rakesh Patel

Site Address: 1016 20th Street, South, Homewood Suites  

District: 5 Points South

Requesting approval for: Elevation revision approval and site plan

VI. Name: Joe Rabun (Rabun, Rasche, Recetor, Reece Architects)

Site Address: 2221 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd., North; Westin Hotel

District: Cultural

Requesting approval for: Sign standards and signage

VII. Name:  David Watts

Site Address: 2011 11th Avenue, South 

District:  5 Points South

Requesting approval for:  Façade renovations

IX. Name: Ms. Lara Watson (Reliable Signs)

Site Address: 2228 Highland Avenue, South (Highland Package Store)

District:  Five Points South

Requesting approval for: Signage

X.      Name:  Mr. Robert Thompson (Thompson Architecture, Inc.)

Site Address: 20 South 20th Street (Alagasco Center for Energy Technology)

District:  Midtown

Requesting approval for:  Parking Renovations / Landscaping

XI. Name: Mr. Tommy Wood

Site Address: 2329 1st Avenue North

District:  Morris Avenue

Requesting approval for:  Roof top greenhouse

 

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Lesser layers

Posted on November 26, 2012 | 6 comments

Someone held his ground

While the newest, the biggest, or the most fashionable are always interesting guideposts to urban wanderers, it can be just as satisfying to dwell on the older, the smaller, and the old-fashioned. The contrast is of course what makes urban neighborhoods interesting; too much of one or the other and that palpable tension gives way to monotony. Luckily New York City still has plenty of these lesser elements: as an example, see the small 5-story tenement building above at the corner of West 57th Street and 9th Avenue, which used to be part of a larger block of similar structures back when the Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood had lots of cheap housing for new immigrants in the late 19th century. In later years, the neighbors were demolished for large, modern apartment buildings but this one clings on to the corner, a reminder of a much earlier era.

My, how you haven’t changed

On a quiet East 4th Street in the Noho neighborhood is the Merchant’s House Museum (above), a townhouse built in 1832 whose upper-middle class family occupied it continuously–with little redecoration or renovation since the 1850’s–before leaving the house and its contents as a museum in 1936. Considered one of the finest Greek Revival-style row houses extant in the US, it’s one of those places you can walk by daily and never notice amidst the busy city that grew up around it.

An upwardly mobile microcosm

A testament to the fast pace of this city, the house was built on spec in a newly desirable location; within a few decades neighbors were leaving for leafier places further north but the Tredwell family stubbornly stayed put as both neighborhood and family fortune declined. Stepping inside is like finding a time capsule filled with pier glass mirrors and Victorian Rococo furniture.

Nary a chain to be found

A similar time capsule is found in the Fort George neighborhood at the upper tip of Manhattan island, where the ubiquitous chain stores seen in trendier locales are nonexistent (above). In the commercial center, you can buy a bottle of rose at the wine shop, enjoy a tuna melt at the lunch counter across the street, and then treat yourself to a fresh cookie at the bakery. The place has a faded charm that’s blissfully remote from the faster pace of neighborhoods below it.

Northern France, meet Hudson River

Emphasizing the remoteness is the remarkable Cloisters Museum (above), administered by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This Fort George landmark was designed in the 1930’s to incorporate architectural elements–including entire courtyards–from medieval European churches and abbeys. It has a breathtaking collection of medieval art as well, all surrounded by parkland facing the Hudson River.

Stunning

The austere, quiet interior is punctuated by stone portals, priceless tapestries, and carved reliquaries (above). It’s an easy way to transport oneself back 800 years.

What a Bronx address used to look like

Finally, a trip to the Woodlawn neighborhood of the Bronx reveals the Van Cortlandt House (above), nestled within Van Cortlandt Park, which is part of a former colonial wheat plantation of thousands of acres. The house,constructed in 1748, is furnished with family and period pieces. You can stand in the bedroom where General Washington slept and look out over the fields where both British and American troops gathered during the Revolutionary War. You can also see how the house’s position near Broadway, the Boston and Albany Post Roads, and the Hudson River were essential to the Van Cortlandt family’s mercantile wealth. As adjacent farms were sold to developers in the 19th century following the extension of subway lines, this house and property were instead preserved. And happily so, as visiting it gives us a deeper understanding of how this great city came to prosper.

 

 

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New hotel inches forward

Posted on November 14, 2012 | 11 comments

Perils of historicism

Today at Design Review Committee the developer of a new hotel on the west side of 20th Street South a half block south of the fountain in the historic Five Points South neighborhood presented a revised exterior scheme. We last saw this proposal over a year ago; since then the exterior has traded its “bland suburban” character for something more attuned to the Art Deco surroundings of the area (above). However, the proposal was denied, and the applicant asked to return to a special subcommittee that would work with him further.

Part of the issue is that the new structure sits on an historic base–a former music club and, previously, a Piggly Wiggly grocery store–and that base is unsuccessfully integrated with the new facade above. While the new facade is certainly an improvement over the earlier design, the devil is in the details (and no true details have been presented yet). If all those vertical bits and chamfers will be formed out of synthetic stucco, we may be end up with poorly-executed historicism. We’ll have to see how this one progresses.

Hip not

Also denied was a revised Pepsi advertisement (above), designed to wrap around the electronic message board at Two North Twentieth, the former Bank for Savings building at Morris Avenue and 20th Street North. The Committee found this new design still too inartistic and commercial to warrant such a huge, full-color, singular statement on the City skyline. A frustrated building representative may consider appealing this ruling. This City was built on commerce, and the old electric sign is grandfathered. But the Committee is clearly drawing a very firm line here.

[thanks to Rakesh Patel for the hotel sketch, and Harbert Realty for the banner]

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Planning and its absence; Design Review November 14

Posted on November 13, 2012 | 12 comments

A fresh start, much needed

An eagle-eyed reader pointed out that small signs have gone up in the two-story commercial building just east of the more elaborate Graves Building in the 1800 block of Third Avenue North (above) announcing a new development, k lofts. The owner (who also owns the Graves Building) plans two live/work spaces of about 2,200 SF each on the ground floor, and four loft residences on the upper floor of about 900 SF each. Design/build work is by Appleseed Workshop. Pre-leasing will begin in January for planned occupancy early 2014.

This project is particularly significant as the vacant Lyric Theatre–on the other end of this block–prepares for a fundraising campaign for renovation. Across the street are the massive McWane Science Center and Alabama Theatre, both in renovated historic buildings themselves. The other components of this block have had a disappointing trajectory until recently: When McWane opened back in 1998, all the commercial storefronts across Third Avenue were still filled with furniture and jewelry shops, as well as offices. It actually felt like one of the “fullest” blocks downtown. Now except for the long-standing Lyric Hot Dogs (since 1957) and the office of 2D Studio the buildings are all vacant.

A little planning can go a long way

Part of the difficulty in this former retail district (McWane Center was the original Loveman’s Department Store) has been the lack of good planning to capitalize on the popularity of McWane and the Alabama. In 1998 the City contemplated hiring a firm to develop a plan for attracting new users to the area around McWane but ultimately decided against it; this sort of planning has shown success in many urban areas (above, Nashville‘s downtown retail plan). As most retailers or restaurant owners will affirm, few want to go it alone: plans, with coordinated recruitment efforts, can steer investment wisely and create critical mass. It’s a shame this hasn’t happened here–or anywhere downtown. The only bright spot is that, as we’ve often pointed out in this blog, small building owners, developers, and businesses continue to “go it alone”  despite the lack of planning or coordination–sometimes with great success. Once k loft fills up, the owner plans more retail/restaurant space next door in the Graves Building. We could finally get the Theatre District this City deserves–the Alabama, Lyric, Carver, and RMTC Cabaret all supported by shops, restaurants and lounges within easy walking distance.

Urban voyeurism welcome

In the end, the market will dictate what fills buildings and storefronts. While we long for lots of ground floor retail activity everywhere, places like Nashville understand that’s not realistic–their market-savvy plan wisely targets a handful of key blocks and streets. Above we see another recent project designed by Appleseed, in the 2400 block of Second Avenue North, in  an historic storefront building down the street from Space One Eleven and Beta Pictoris art galleries. A large single-family residence, the unobstructed view is arresting (not everyone would be comfortable with this degree of transparency). It’s not a retailer or restaurant, but especially at night it adds a curiously intriguing perspective into the future of downtown. These investments are the sort of quirky, small-scale elements that keep Birmingham interesting, and we welcome them. Don’t forget about the need for better planning and strategy, though. A combination of individual charm and targeted planning would give us the truly 24/7 environment we dream of.

For more information on k loft, contact Kyle Kruse at kloftson3rd@gmail.com

And now, tomorrow’s Design Review Committee agenda. Remember, the meetings are open to the public and take place at 7:30 AM at Auburn Urban Studio, 3rd Floor of Young and Vann Building, corner of 18th Street North and First Avenue downtown.

I.         Call to Order:  Minutes of the October 24, 2012 meeting.

II.        Name: Mr. Mike Gibson (Appleseed Workshop)

Site Address: 2023 Morris Avenue,Kinetic Communications

District: Morris

Requesting approval for: colors and window replacement

III.       Name:  Mr. Charles Russel

Site Address:  423 20th Street South

District:  Midtown / Birmingham Green South

Requesting approval for:  Paint, awning and sign

IV.       Name: Mr. Brant Beene (General Manager)

Site Address:  1817 Third Avenue North (Lyric Theater)

District:  19th Street (Theater & Arts District)

Requesting approval for:  Exterior Renovation (Phase I)

V.        Name: Mr. Daryl Williams

Site Address:  514 19th Street Ensley

District:  Ensley

Requesting approval for:  Exterior Renovation

VI.     Name: Mr. Robert Buddo

Site Address: 5529 1st Avenue South

District:  Woodlawn

Requesting approval for:  Exterior Renovation and Landscaping

VII.     Name: Mr. David Brandt (Fravert Services)

Site Address:  2815, 2817, 2819, and 2823 Highland Avenue

District:  Highland Park Local Historic

Requesting approval for:  Signage

VIII.    Name: Ms. Lara Watson (Reliable Signs)

Site Address: 301 19th Street, North (Wiggins, Childs, Quinn, Pantazis)

District:  19th Street

Requesting approval for: Temporary Holiday Banners

IX.       Name: Mr. Rakesh Patel

Site Address: 1016 20th Street, South 

District: 5 Points South

Requesting approval for:  Elevation revision approval and site plan & signage.

X.        Name: Mr. David Brandt (Fravert Services)

Site Address: 2520 3rd Avenue North (Iberia Bank)

District:  21st Street

Requesting approval for: Projecting sign and window graphics

[thanks to Nashville Downtown Partnership for the graphic]

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Progress in 2 districts

Posted on November 8, 2012 | 15 comments

Black and tan, Todd English style

Downtown may be getting it’s first non-local celebrity chef restaurant: according to the Birmingham Business Journal, chef Todd English plans to open a Todd English P.U.B. (Public Urban Bar) concept at the new Westin Hotel currently wrapping up construction. While Todd English runs numerous restaurants across the US, most are in Boston, New York, Las Vegas, and LA. None are in the South (save one at Disney World in Orlando), making the choice of Birmingham pretty interesting. Could it be that our own nationally recognized local food culture is now attracting not just good press, but out-of-town nationally recognized chefs? The menu in the one other P.U.B. (Las Vegas, at City Center) is decidedly gastropub, with lots of sliders and draft beers (pictured above; we assume prices would be slightly lower in this market). Bar games such as beer pong are advertised as well. The beer-ish theme seems well-suited to a city undergoing a full-fledged renaissance in beer making and appreciation.

Curtains in the windows, dining coming soon

Above is the current state of the Westin (2200 block of Richard Arrington, Jr. Blvd. North) where workers are racing to get the hotel open in January. The main lobby will enter under the canopy with the nameplate; the restaurant space is on the ground floor to the right in the photo, with outdoor seating facing the planned Entertainment District, of which Texas de Brazil is the first announced tenant. P.U.B.’s theme and celebrity chef concept seem promising as a place that could attract convention-goers and locals alike.

Park, meet ballpark

A dozen blocks north at First Avenue South between 14th and 16th Streets, Regions Field, the new home of the Birmingham Barons, is taking shape across from Railroad Park (above, looking south from the park–check out the live construction cam here). Now that the rough massing is taking shape, the scale and edge it gives to the corner are feeling pretty good. Given the April 10 opening date, we should be able to analyze the finish materials and streetscape soon enough.

We hope there’s lots of coordination forthcoming between UAB, area property owners, developers, and the City to plan a new Parkside district that’s a win-win for everyone. With Good People Brewing Company expanding across the street, and Southpace Properties working on a new restaurant project (no drive-throughs, please!) next door, the potential is there. Now, if we just had that new streetcar to take us effortlessly from an IPA at the ballgame to a Spring Street Saison at the P.U.B….

[thanks to cdtatro for the P.U.B. pic]

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Rent this space!

Posted on November 4, 2012 | 3 comments

This post is a little different from usual, but please help me spread the word.

We’re renting out a unique downtown space: one-of-a-kind in Birmingham.  Live here.  Work here. Be part of the diverse neighborhood.  Your own private garden.  Your own private parking.

It’s part loft, part townhouse,  with access from both Second Avenue North and the alley —  just steps away from fresh coffee brewing at Urban Standard or beer on tap at Pale Eddie’s brings you into about 1500 square feet of flexspace.

Currently configured for a residence, with two bedrooms and a gracious double bathroom (with heated floor), this is also an excellent opportunity for a live/work — or even an office.

The light filled living room opens onto a rare urban feature for downtown, your own private garden.  Perfect for garden parties or bocce or just enjoying a quiet slice of outdoor space.  Private parking and alley access are at the rear of the property.

The high ceilings in the current dining area come with an upcycled pendant from Brooklyn, and hand-blocked wallpaper from St. Louis.  The adjacent modern kitchen with concrete tops and high-gloss cabinetry has a washer and dryer, five burner Fisher Paykel cooktop, Bosch convection oven, double dish drawer Fisher Paykel dishwasher, and a walk-in pantry.

One of the current bedrooms has its own built in office loft and large walk in closet, while the second bedroom on the upper level has double storage closets and is open to the living area below.

You might ask, why is this on the blog? It’s my personal condo that I’m putting up for rent to take advantage of other opportunities.  When we developed 2nd Row we helped create a new node of activity downtown and it is exciting every day to see the increased traffic on the streets as a result.  For more information, please contact Kim Mason at 205.254.0106 or Adrianne Curran at 205.790.2374.

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Can we afford it?

Posted on October 25, 2012 | 11 comments

Angled parking, streetcars, and rising hemlines

Recent reports in the Birmingham Business Journal have quoted the new owner of the historic Empire Building (First Avenue North and 20th Street) as wanting to redevelop the building into “low-income housing” as opposed to the boutique hotel he’d originally suggested. The reason stated was financing would be easier to come by. Two things are clear: one, the Empire is one of the City’s most recognizable and important buildings, due to its membership in the “Heaviest Corner on Earth” collection of early skyscrapers which formed the nexus of downtown for decades (seen above, first tall building on the left, in a photo ca. 1918). Two, this City has a huge need for more quality affordable housing. Does it necessarily follow that this project makes sense?

Disappearing act: first storefronts, then adjacent businesses

Affordable housing projects downtown have had mixed success. Older developments such as the conversion of the historic Bankhead Hotel into a Section 8 housing development for seniors (above, Fifth Avenue North between 23rd and 24th Streets) often have reputations for poor management, loitering and shady deal-making by the entrances, and reducing demand for adjacent development. On the other hand, the Phoenix Building–which we developed some 7 years ago with a mix of moderate-income and market-rate apartments–has provided affordable loft spaces for artists and others who want to live in an artistic environment. It’s known for photography studios, art shows/performances, and an eclectic vibe. Downtown could use more living units like that. Producing this means choosing the right financing program, marketing astutely, and managing effectively. The developer must have a clear intent at the outset: is it just to fill up a building with lower-income pesople? Or is it part of a greater vision for integration with the surroundings, and for harnessing a meaningful vibe? At Empire, the developer’s true intent remains a mystery.

Hell’s Kitchen, meet Midtown West

As urban areas redevelop, existing, poorer populations are often replaced by newer, wealthier ones in a process known as gentrification. The Empire report strikes many as out of sync with the normal trajectory: low-income users will be injected into an already gentrifying neighborhood. In New York City, an example of the more familiar trajectory is seen above across the street from our apartment building where poorer residents on fixed incomes share the block with young professionals moving in (Harborview Section 8 housing ca. 1976 to the left, with our building ca. 2012 in the background, West 55th Street looking south between 10th and 11th Avenues). New York has a long history of affordable housing intertwined with market-rate housing in a variety of ways. Other cities in the US–at least in post-war period–not so much. Affordable housing needs to be integrated into any vibrant urban neighborhood–but all-to-often, it isn’t. With negative consequences for all.

Save it, but in the right way

Another out-of-town investor has recently explored turning the Thomas Jefferson Hotel (above, 17th Street North between First and Second Avenues) into low-income housing. This building, with its prominence on the skyline, and interior filled with high-ceilinged, ornate ballroom and restaurant space, is much better suited to a sensitive mixed-use plan (which may include restaurant, event space, housing, and hotel rooms) currently being explored by the local Thomas Jefferson Tower group. We need more investment from places outside of Birmingham. But in this case, the local group is much better attuned to how this building could integrate into the neighborhood.

In the end, we want to encourage all incomes groups to live downtown. But the appropriate way to situate the mix is complex, and needs to be thoughtfully planned. We’d love another Phoenix Building. But not another Bankhead Tower.

[thanks to Birmingham Public Library for the Heaviest Corner pic; bamaboy for the Bankhead Hotel pic; caedan for the TJ Hotel pic]

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Design Review October 24

Posted on October 22, 2012 | Leave a comment

Below is the agenda for this week’s October 24 Design Review Committee meeting. Remember, the meetings are open to the public and take place at 7:30 AM at Auburn Urban Studio, 3rd Floor of Young and Vann Building, corner of 18th Street North and First Avenue downtown.

I. Call to Order:  Minutes of the October 10, 2012 meeting.

II. Name: Mr. Alex Krumdiek (Krumdiek A+I)

Site Address: 109 Richard Arrington Jr Blvd (AIA Offices)

District:  21st Street North

Requesting approval for: Façade renovations and awning

III. Name: Ms. Sharon Bradshaw (Scott Services)

Site Address: 2100 3rd Avenue, North, Cadence Bank

District: 21st Street District

Requesting approval for: sign

IV. Name: Mr. James Barden (B & B Quality Construction, Inc.)

Site Address: 2121 2nd Avenue, North (Old Spencer Building)

District: 2nd Avenue

Requesting approval for:  4th Floor Renovation

V. Name: Mr. Stephen Boehme (Twin Construction Co.)

Site Address: 3208 Carlisle Road

District: Red Mountain Suburbs Local Historic

Requesting approval for:  Stairwell addition; door installation to replace existing window

VI. Name:  Mr. Charles Russel

Site Address:  423 20th Street South

District:  Midtown / Birmingham Green South

Requesting approval for:  Paint, awning and sign

VII. Name:  Mr. Keith Rouss (Harbert Realty)

Site Address:  2 North 20th Street

District:  20th Street

Requesting approval for: Roof top advertising sign

VIII. Name: Mr. David Brandt (Fravert Services)

Site Address:  1913 5th Avenue, North, Chic-fil-A

District: Birmingham Green

Requesting approval for: signs

 

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