Design Alabama: The Public Forum for Design in Alabama, Volume 13, Issue 2, 2003

              Fall/Winter 2003
Volume XIII, Issue II
$400
THE PUBLIC FORUM FOR DESIGN IN ALABAMA
DesignAlabama Inc.
Board of Directors:
Debbie Quinn, Chair
FairiJDpe Cfly Council
Fairhope
Nancy Mims Hartsfield, Vice Chair
Auburn University, Professor Emeritus
Il;lonigomery
Michelle G. Jordan, Secretary
City of Decatu! Planning Department
Decatur
Joseph R. Donofro, Treasurer
Donofro & Associates Architects Inc.
Dothan
Amelle Adcock
Centra! Alabama Electric Cooperative
Prattville
Elizabeth Ann Brown
Alabama Historical Commission
Montgomery
Charles Callans
Birmingham Realty
Birmingham
Janet Driscoll
Driscoll Design
Montgomery
Scott Finn
Auburn University
Auburn
Cathryn Campbell Gerachis
Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood Inc.
Montgomery
80 Grisham
Brookman! Realty
Birmingham
Debra Hood
Greenville
Carolyn Hutcheson
Troy State Universiiy
Troy
Tin Man Lau
Auburn University
Auburn
Robert Martin
Southern Progress Corp.
Birmingham
Kenneth M. Penuel
Sout/7em Company Services inc., Reiired
Birmingt'!3m
Kay F. Roney
Waflace Community College
Dothan
larry Watts
BirmingiJam Regionaf Pfanning Commission
Birmingham
Gina Glaze Clifford, Executive Director
Philip A. Morris, Director Emeritus
Volume XIII, Issue II
Gover: Rolunda with Dale Chlhuly. Amber Luster
Chandelier, hand-blown glass, 17 feet,
2003. a gilt 01 The John F. Hughes Family.
from the Permanent Collection 01 the Jule
Collins Smith Museum 01 Fine Art at
Auburn University. Photography by Phillip
Spears. ©Tha Jule Coil ins Smith Museum
of Fine Art at Auburn University
This publication is made possible through funding by the following contributors.
•
Advantage Marketing Communications
•
Alabama Association of Regional Councils
•
Alabama Architectural Foundation
•
Alabama State Council on the Arts
•
Giattina Fisher Aycock Architects
•
Nimrod Long & Associates
•
Sherlock Smith & Adams
•
The Tutwiler Hotel
•
Williams-Blackstock
•
Editor: Gina Glaze eHfiord
Managing Editor: Tomie Dugas
Art Director: Nancy Hansfield
Associate Art Director: Ross Heck
Assistant Art Directors: Keity Bryant Tomie Dugas,
Dana Gay. Samaniha lawrie, Wei 'Nang
Contributing Writers: Alice Bowsher, Tomie Dugas.
Dana Gay. Philip Morris
A special thanks to Philip Morris for flis ongOl:'19
assistance and advice with this publication.
Submission Information
DesignAlabama encourages submissions from
its readers. Articies about work from all design dis­ciplines
are requested, as well as copy related to
historic preservation. Please submit copy along with
visuals (photos, slides, drawings, etc.) to
DesignAlabama Inc. PO Box 241263.
Montgomery. AL 36124.
liems for Project News and Details of
Interest should include a paragraph summary
detailing the nature of the project. the design firm.
principals and associates involved and any other
details that may be 01 interest such as unusual or
special design features, completion date, approxi­mate
cost. square lootage. eic. Also include the
name. address and phone and iax number of ihe
Client and an individual whom we may contact for
further information. Direct inquirias to (334) 353~
5081 or mail to: designalabama@arts.state.a!us.
Past journal issues are available for $6.00
including postage and handling. Contact
DesignAlabama at the above numbers lor
availability information and to order
© 2003 DesignAlabama Inc.
ISSN# 1090-0918
This issue of DesignAiabama was designed and pro­duced
on Macintosh Gompuiers utilizing QuarkXPress 4.1.
Proofs were prinied on a HP 4000N and final ouiput
on a Compugraphic 9400.
Work'lng together to enhance
Eufaula's historic character.
p.7
DesignAlabama is a publication oj DesignAlabama llic
Reader comments and submission of articles and ideas lor
future issues are encouraged.
Dasi nAlabama
CONTENTS
Employing materials in intriguing
ways for a fresh look.
p.16
FEATURES
"ARTFUL ARCHITECTURE"
Linking the old and new with
complementary design.
p.24
CREATING BALANCE & USING MATERIALS CREATIVELY. 11
THE FiNE ART OF BALANCE I
JULE COLLINS SMITH MUSEUM OF FINE ART 12
ARCHITECTS ON MATERIALS I SURVEY 16
JEFFERSON COUNTY DOMESTIC RELATIONS COURTS BUILDING 17
ALTAMONT SCHOOL ADDITION 18 - - --,,--~-..... -.------------
MINOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 18 ",,---_ .. _---
2200 LAKESHORE DRIVE 19 ___ ,,_____________ _ ____ ~"w ... _____ " ___ ,,.,, _____________ , • __ .. _____ " ••. _ .______________ ."., ..... ____ MOBILE MUSEUM OF ART 20
MASONRY ARTS SHOWROOM
DEPARTMENTS
Project.&News
Work of statewide significance.
Community.Profile
Eufaula Stays the Course.
DesignlllMakes A Difference
UAB Recreation Center.
Historical'i'Perspectives
Temp Ie Emanu-EI.
......._---------
Designer@'Profile
Graphic Designer Angela Stiff.
Details+Of Interest
Noteworthy observations.
21
4
7
22
24
27
29
Solving problems through smart
design with Angela Stiff
p.27
ProjeciANews
Project News
is a regular
feature of
DesignAlabama and
provides
an opportunity
to keep
up-to-date on
design projects
that have an impact on
our communities.
Choctaw County Schools
Volunteer Resource Center
Eagle Scoui Plaza Site Plan
DesignAlabama 4
rchitecture •
Barganier Davis Sims Architects
Associated of Montgomery has been
working with Choctaw County Schools
on the design of three new schools.
Choctaw Elementary. which
consolidates all elementary schools in
the northern part oj the county, is approximately 75,000
square feet, houses K-6th grade and is located in Butler.
Choctaw County High School is approximately 110,000
square feet and will house 650 students. Similarly, Southern
Choctaw High School encompasses 85,000 square feet and
will house 350 students. Both high schools will cost $63 per
square foot (minus only the site work), and each features a
media center, cafeteria and kitchen, computer labs, class­rooms,
a gymnasium large enough to hold 1,000 people and
vocational education space. Choctaw County High SCllool
will also have a new football stadium. All three schools are
currently under construction at an estimated $22 million.
HKW Associates of Birmingham has designed the Hugh
Kaul Foundation Eagle Scout Plaza for the Greater Alabama
Council of Boy Scouts in anticipation of their centennial
celebration in 2010. This 4.5-acre campus includes a new
2,00Q-square-foot Volunteer Resource Center, Eagle Scout
Tribute Wall and amphitheatre adjacent to the existing
council headquarters building
Visible from 1-459 in Birmingham, the center with its two­story
glass fagade will display scouting supplies such as
canoes, camping equipment and uniforms. The expanded
space will provide training materials, resources and
computer access.
Entering the plaza visitors will see the "Century of Honor"
Eagle Scout Tribute Wal!; etched in granite, more than
15,000 names of individuals who have earned the rank of
Eagle Scout in the Greater Alabama Council since the incep­tion
of scouting in 1910. The tribute wall is made of 32
8-foot-tall slabs of black granite joined to form a 90-foot­long
ascending wall on axis with the Statue of Liberty (at
Liberty Park) A bronze eagle with 12-foot wing span is
perched atop the wa II adjacent to the new Everett Ho lie
Amphitheatre The eagle was donated by BellSouth where it
once resided at the company's Operations Center. A natural
landscaped amphitheatre with tiered stone seating is situated
on a knoll with the tribute wall as a backdrop for speakers.
HKW Associates also has designed a new worship center
and education building for Grace Presbyterian Church in
Trussville. The structures cover approximately 31,000
square feet and include a 365-seat sanctuary; children,
youtr, and adult classrooms; 1 ~O-seat fellowship hall;
administrative offices and full-service kitchen. Ample
gathering space is provided with interior common areas and
exterior patiO space with future expansion plans for a gym
The two-story structure will be constructed on a hill
overlooking a heavily wooded green space with a creek. The
sanctuary's 55-foot-high steeple will serve as a beacon for
the new facilities. AntiCipated completion is late April 2004.
Stephen Reeves is project manager and Thomas
Goodman design principal for HKW
Grace Presbyterian Churei)
The Architects Group/lnc. (TAG) of Mobile has
completed a $3 million overhaul of Spring Hil! College's
Quinlan HaiL Built in 1898 as an open-air gymnasium, the
building in 1916 gained a second story used as a dormitory
which later was converted to classrooms. Architect Ronnie
Taylor left the building's original brick and steel riveted
beams exposed in the interior. Arches that had been
boarded up were exposed and converted into windows on
the first floor. The area that had previously served as locker
rooms for the Badgers baseball team was converted into
an open-air breezeway and lounge that overlooks the
baseball field so students can watch games. Classrooms
were enlarged and refurbiShed with new furniture and
fixtures, as well as $22,000 worth of state of the art audio­visual
equipment in each.
Spring Hi!! College's Quinlan Hajj
Quinlan Haf! Classroom
Also in Mobile on another campus, TAG has designed
renovations to Stanky Field at the University of South
Alabama, Construction has just begun on the project.
Improvements will include a concrete grandstand with
approximately 1,600 chair-back seats, Additional spectator
bench seating with backrests will be installed along with
new restrooms and concession stands, An 1,800-square­foot
VIP room and new press box are also in the plans,
USA's S!anky Fiefd
Evan Terry Associates of Birmingham has completed
construction documents for the new Campus Drive Parking
Deck at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, The cast­in-
place concrete structure with decorative brick and precast
elements is designed to accommodate 600 cars distributed
on three parking levels, Construction is expected to begin in
fall 2003 and be completed in December 2004,
UA Campus Drive Parking Deck A
TurnerBatson Architects of Birmingham is designing a
Child Development Research Center for the University of
Alabama in Tuscaloosa, The 61 ,OOO-square-foot facility
developed by the College of Human Environmental Sciences
will house a 1 DO-student day-care operation to facilitate the
study of children in a day-care setting with research and
teaching observation rooms, The state-of-the-art center wiil
Hatcher Design Associates of
Birmingham was responsible for
selecting interior finishes, space
planning and contract documents for
construction of the Greenhouse Spa,
located at The Summit in Birmingham.
The spa provides reflective atmosphere through a serpentine
floor plan and barrei-vau',ted ceilings, Treatment rooms,
changing rooms and a lounge area are connected through a
curved corridor, which uses a fountain as a focal point The
limestone floors, clear finishes, maple millwork, soothing
wail colors, Italian tile and custom light fixtures combine to
provide a soft, soothing atmosphere, The retail area is
flooded with natural light to provide an open feeling and the
perfect environment for make-up application, The modern
technology requirements of the point-of-sale and
scheduling counters are concealed in the millwork to
maintain a clean, uncluttered appearance
The Greenhouse Spa
The Architects Group (TAG) has completed a corporate
headquarters building for Integrity Media in Mobile. The
45,OOO-square-foot building was sited between two existing
buildings to improve employee communication,
accessibility and productivity of its religious videos. films,
music and literary publications, To capitalize on the
secluded wooded campus, TAG sought to bring the
outdoors in while allowing the exterior shell to recede into
the landscape, The use of natural exterior colors and
mirrored glass allows the building to fit into its
environment by reflecting its surroundings, The interior
design continued this theme using colors of nature with
open planning. The three-story glass atrium, glassed
offices and meeting rooms, open cafe areas and open
furniture planning allow employees and visitors to see
through the building and experience an awareness of the
outside at all times,
The atrium is the main focal point of energy with its marble
fountain, planting beds, 6-foot suspended globe and mosaic
also include auditoriums, an indoor play space, administrative floor with compass-like design representing nature and the
offices and research suites Construction began in August and firm's international involvement. There are 10 meeting
is scheduled to be complete in January 2005. rooms, both formal and informal; an open plan cafe; media
UA's CfiNd Development Center
center to demonstrate the company's products and central
lobby to connect and organize security with other buildings
on the site. The latest technology is incorporated throughout
the facility with remote-controlied mechanical and iighting
systems and emergency back-up systems to enhance
communication and productivity, The oval shape of the
corporate logo is used as an architectural element throughout
- in floor and ceiling treatments, signage, cabinet handles,
curved wal! shapes and entrance canopy - to further
emphaSize the owner's mission, Alice Cutright was interior
designer and Dan Borcicky architect for the project
/ntegrity Media's Entrance Lobby
Integrity Media's Media Center
Goodwyn Mills and Cawood of
Montgomery is landscape architect for
Phase II of the downtown revitalization
improvements for Prattville. Set in the
historic district of downtown, the
project conjoins with Phase I
improvements completed in 2003. The
proposed plan includes construction of a creek walk and
observation deck, The deck overlooks scenic Autauga Creek
and provides a signature location for fest'lve city funcrlons,
The two amenities also connect a newly constructed 75-
space parking area to historic downtown sites. The
landscaped parking area and creek walk will be lit with
decorative period lighting for late evening walks or city
festivities. The area has been designed to include sound
equipment for use during festivals or holiday celebrations,
Prattville's Creek Walk Plan
5 Volume Xiii. No. II
Expo Displays of Birmingham has
established an ongoing exhibit
design relationship with The Alabama
Sports Hall of Fame, a Mobile
museum that displays sports
memorabilia from Alabama athletes
past and present. In 1997 Expo
Displays was involved in a major renovation to the museum
which included designing a new floor plan for the additions
and manufacturing several hundred feet of showcases to
match existing cases already in place,
As past additions to the museum had created flow problems,
Expo Displays was hired to completely redesign the layout
and make proposals on the best locations for fixtures and
showcases. The project involved removing several thousand
items of memorabiiia from the museum, creating a detailed
inventory list of every item, labeling and packing and
storing the items at a remote location, designing and
building new showcases and fixtures to match the existing
ones and then reinstalling the memorabilia back in the
showcases in a logical order The museum expansion was
designed to house memorabilia until the year 2009. For the
past four years the display firm has supplied the museum
with new showcases and installation services for new
inductees and installation of the new memorabilia,
relocating it to become part of the permanent exhibit.
PolyEngineering Inc. of Dothan
designed a new HVAC system for
the health education building at
Wallace College that had been
closed due to mold problems.
Jeff Tyler, PE, determined that
instead of multiple units serving
different zones in the building, the existing chiller should be
used in conjunction with one variable-volume, chilled-water
air handling unit to serve multiple zones.
One of the more challenging design issues involved
including a desiccant in the new system for enhanced
humidity control. The resulting air handler was a custom­designed
dessicant wheel unit created by Tyler and the
Engineering Department at Trane which furnished the
equipment. The system has performed so well that Trane has
decided to use the new Wallace system as a prototype for a
complete new line of air handlers.
Dessican! Whee!
DesignAlabama 6
..;;;-:':':-~-----------.
Driscoll Design Inc. of
Montgornery has recently completed
a project with the Gloyd Group Inc.
of Delaware for Pfizer Animal Health.
The book, "Atlas of Cornrnon Painful
Conditions in the Dog and Cat,"
documents through detailed medical
illustrations, radiographs and other diagnostic images, what
causes the pain of common pet ailments. It will be
distributed in print form to veterinarians to help with client
communications and to clarify pet owners' understanding of
medical treatment options and in electronic form for use by
Pfizer Animal Health's international units.
Pfizer At/as
Dana Ezzell Gay has designed a new visual identity for the
Auburn/Opelika Convention and Visitors Bureau
representing both cities with one unifying mark. The clean
simple design uses a typeface easily readable whose letter
forms create a modern yet unique sense of place. The italic
form suggests a feeling of being on the move. Placing the
CVB text in a circle highlights Auburn/Opelika and the
ampersand (&) serves not only to link Convention "and"
Visitors Bureau, but it also unifies Auburn "and" Opelika. A
horizontal version was created to give the CVB an alternate
graphic to use if the format required a horizontal layout.
Gay, a graphic design professor at Auburn University and
freelance designer, chose a color system for the logo of
deep blue (Pantone 295) and vivid green (Pantone 576) to
represent the unifying aspects of sky and land the beautiful
blue skies often seen behind the tower of Auburn University's
Sarnford Hall and the rolling green grass found both on the
campus of Auburn and the golf greens of both cities.
Currently, a system of graphic symbols is being generated
to work with these logotypes. The symbols will highlight
various aspects of the twin cities including Auburn
University, golf and other visuals representing the historic
buildings, dining and shopping in both downtowns.
:\\~~TJOIII
(jo~ Au.bu.rn
\ Opelika :.1>0 ~ "s BUt\~"
CONVENTION &. VISITORS BUREAU Auburn Opelika
A&OCVB fogo with horizontal option
Tuscaloosa city officials are in
the process of hiring
consultants and launching
studies as part of the $80
rnillion redevelopment plan for
downtown. The studies will help
determine what areas can be
developed for what use and specify what percentage
would be governrnent and what private development
The proposed urban renewal project focuses on a
seven-block area south of the new municipal court
building on Sixth Street Centerpiece of the plan is a
$50 million federal court building surrounded by a mix
of upscaie shopping and dining along with offices and
apartments. Bill Snowden is city planning director
and will oversee ihe year-long process.
A
After more than a year of preparation and preliminary
work, the City of Birmingharn has retained Urban
Design ASSOCiates (UDA) to lead a team updaiing
the City Center Master Plan. Work is set to begin in
January 2004 and extend nine-12 months. The
Pittsburgh-based UDA, founded in the late 1960s by
British-born David Lewis, has over the past decades
established a national reputation for its urban design
work in Norfolk, CinCinnati, Pittsburgh, Charlotte and
other cities. The firm employs a strong participatory
process and uses rigorous analysis of existing patterns
to produce plans that reinforce local place character.
In early 2002 the city engaged an Urban Land
Institute (ULI) team to develop an overall strategic
framework for a city center master plan, calling on both
city center interests and adjacent neighborhoods for
input. That material will provide a base from which the
planning process proceeds. Birmingharn's city center
includes rnore than 3 square miles extending roughly
frorn the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex
on the north to Five Points South and from 1-65 to the
Red Mountain Expressway, plus the Lakeview/Sloss
Furnaces district to the east.
UDAs approach to
urban design is
thoroughly presented
in a recent book
authored by the firm,
'The Urban Design
Handbook," published
by WW Norton.
Information on the
firrn and the
publication can be found on their Web site:
www.urbandesignassociates.com. A
Community.Profile
BY PHILIP MORRIS
au a
stays the course
Lovely Eufaula has a well-deserved reputation
for taking good care of its historic resources.
Lately, the city has been taking steps on
several fronts to enhance its best features and
work on problem areas. Design has a key role
in the process.
Top left and right:
The magnificent Shorter Mansion and the
landmark fountain at Broad and Randolph represent
Eufaula's historic and civic aspirations.
Group photo:
Among the citizens working to create a better Eufaula while
preserving its historic character are: Martha Boyd of the
Eufaula/Barbour County Chamber of Commerce; Jay Jaxon,
Eufaula mayor; Paul Emerson of Eufaula Pride; Mike Hamrick
(with hat), architect with Biondheim & Mixon: and Neil
Yarbrough, city horticulturist The group is posed on the
porch of the Old Central of Georgia depot Hamrick was
project architect on the renovation and restoration of the
depot for use by the chamber of commerce.
AMONG THE INITIArIVES,
• Deueloped a Eu/aula 2020 Strategic Plan that along witb
economic development, education and health care places priority
em preseruillg both tbe 7latural and built environment, enhancing
community appearance and using these to recruit business
and residellts
• Created a cily horticliituralist position to gUide civic landscape
maintenance and improvement
• Passed a tree ordinance to protect existing trees and ,Ipecifj; land­scaping
on commercial deuelopment
• Passed a sign ordinance to control number and size 0/ s(gns
• Commissioned a Downtown Action Plan to identify areas/or
public and priuate developm.ent
• Hired a cit)' planner
• Adopted a design reuieu) process to protect residential and com­mercial
areasfrom. inappropriate changes.
Anyone who has driven into town from the north on Eufaula Avenue, a
tree-canopied street lined with grand historic houses and graced with a land­scaped
median, keeps the image in memory. And a turn onto Broad Street
reveals a largely intact historic commercial street similarly landscaped. It is
this historic garden city character that a cross-section of Eufaula citizens has
been working to solidify and extend.
Joining the city in these efforts have been groups like Eufaula Pride, vol­unteers
who have helped in projects like the renovation of Governor's Park
overlooking Lake Eufaula, and Trees Eufaula, which buys trees for the city to
7 Volume XIII. No. II
Right: This service station was renovated and given a sympathetic
addition designed by Michael Hamrick as the new home of the
Barbour County Farmers Market and office for Eufaula Pride.
Above: A restored Carnegie library and compatible addition (right) by architects Blondheim & Mixon
symbolize the city's efforts to build on its historic fabric.
plant. Alabama Power Co, has cooperated by putting power
lines underground in hisroric neighborhoods. And Eufaula has
a Main Street program working on downtown promotion and
development. Eufaula also has forged a parrnership with
Audubon International to adopt a citywide approach to pro­tect
natural resources and implement sustainability practices,
This city with a 2000 census population count of just
under 14,000 took steps early to protect its character with the
organization of Eufaula Heritage Association in 1965 and cre­ation
in 1970 of the Historic Chattahoochee Commission
(named for the river that forms Lake Eufaula) which covers
the larger region. The Seth Lore & Irwinton Historic District
was created in 1986, a district that embraces most of the com­mercial
center and adjacent neighborhoods and counts more
than 700 contributing buildings.
"Fortunately, we have wonderful architecture in Eufaula,
and we are using these buildings as cornerstones for our devel­opment,"
says Mayor Jay Jaxon. Now in his third term, he
recalls a DesignAlabama charrette team btought to rhe city
several years ago to head off a proposed elimination of a medi­an
on Eufaula Avenue Sourh, "Part of all this has been educat­ing
ourselves abour the importance of good design, and that
charrette helped move us in that direction."
Over rhe pasr several years the heart of town has become a
series of be forel after transformations designed by local archi-
DesignAlabama 8
Above: Trees Eufaula, a nonprofit group, works with
the City of Eufaula's horticulturalist Neil Yarbrough on
tree planting projects.
teets, The firm of Blondheim & Mixon Inc. developed great
skills in restoration and renovation and pur them to use again
and again. They have overseen the restoration of local land­marks
like The Tavern, Old City Jail and the Shorter Man­sion,
The Carnegie Library, which still serves as (he city's
library, was restored and expanded wi(h a sympa(hetic addi­tion
designed by the firm. And, in a drama(ic turn, Alabama
Power Co.'s Sourheast Division Office, an older modern
building on an important downtown corner, was remodeled to
a period in keeping with its context. On another prominent
corner (hey designed the adaprive-reuse of an abandoned ser­vice
sta(ion for Dakota Coffee Cafe,
Local architect Michael Hamrick, before he joined
Blondheim & Mixon, designed the renovation and expansion
of another former service starion into the Barbour County
Farmers Market and headquarters for Eufaula Pride, Hamrick
also has designed streetscape improvements for downtown.
"In some recent projects we have been trying to bring back
storefront canopies and other elements that once animated
downtown sidewalks and provided a nicer pedestrian feeling,"
Hamrick says. The two storefronts renovated for Lake Firness
now spOrt handsomely detailed canopies extending over a por­tion
of the sidewalk (see section drawing),
DesignAlabama 16
Rr[hite[ts 11rt mat~rials
These are interesting times in the material world - more specifically,
the world of materials used in architecture. In comparison to the bland
glass or unrelieved concrete that came to dominate building in decades
past, today architects are employing a wider range of materials and
often combining them in intriguing ways. This survey illustrates several
examples, as do the articles in this issue on the Temple Emanu-EI
addition (p 24) and the new art museum at Auburn University (p12).
lue Louise !f({IISS .Wller 1I111!1)arid lin'1I1 Jfille)" Allduvoll (;·ulk'ries hllw ({ more li"IIdifioJlIII c{Wi'red {rood ceiliJlg Il/{(l olber dett/ils
enclosed by oak tree basques,' says Dave Giddens, project rotunda, but I think people who use the museum won't
landscape architect for Nimrod Long & Associates, 'There think of it as a large, austere space They should feel
are smaller 'secret' gardens with small water features set comfortable there, And we think when people driving
within the larger framework" by see activity spilling out onto the terrace overlooking
the lake, they'll be intrigued to come for a visit, even if
On the grand gallery exposure, the museum
sits on a rise above the lake where the landscape is
they don't consider themselves art museum goers"
primarily sweeping lawn and groves of trees, In contrast Aitention to balance in design for The Jule
to the entry side where the mostly solid exterior is masked Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art has social balance
by gardens, here the museum building stands au/like in mind as well. •
a great country house in a park,
Here, again, the matter of balance plays out, as
Jordan sums up how he thinks the new museum will fit
into the university and larger community, 'We deliberately
designed the side seen from across the lake to be rather
monumental in order to establish a presence, But as people
approach on foot from the garden side, the building feels
more intimate, There are grand moments, like the
lfi!1; walls !"isllll!(1'j101l1I.'d II!JOI"I.' Ibe lI·ood jToo;'s Iri!1; II re(";s~ed
ba."ie/;o(/I'(i. li¥!l"erfilh'jm!!le."i fbe OjJl!lIillgs
15 Volume XIII, No, II
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DesignAlabama 14
Another aspect of balance in the design of The Jule
Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art is how it works within its
setting and approach. Here. in collaboration with landscape
architects Nimrod Long & Associates of Birmingham. the approach
road. parking. building placement and outdoor spaces all work
to make the place inviting
"Because they have so much space that must be
fully contained and without windows, museums can become
forbidding·looking,· says Jordan, "We worked the building
orientation and approach so that the side of the museum that
opens up with glass would face the main road," As a result, the
drive goes around the museum to reach parking and the entry,
with the grand gallery and public space left free to relate to the
setting, which includes a 3·acre lake created in an existing swale
between the building and the main road,
The architects, then, had to be sure that visitors
would not feel they were coming in the back To do this, the
spacious lobby leads directly to the rotunda, its curved
window taking in the whole scene, The rotunda is key, the
point of arrival from which v'lsitors proceed to either the art
galleries to one side or the auditorium, cafe and shop to
the other
Of additional concern was the transition from
park'ing to museum entry, Within a walled precinct a series
of outdoor rooms have been created to either side of a long
reflecting pool that leads to the museum entrance, "There
are panels of lawn to either side that eventually will be
To fef tlie i/lore o/Jel! sidc (!! I/x:
museum CI(!!J(:!.(' fbI' /(lh' (lilt! fbI'
Slrillgs ({rollnd Ibe /;uildillg /0 the
(t/{ft} IlJis ffew (l/OII,I.! fbI' gmlid
gal/el]' pas! [be glass Im/l oJlbe
c41 (n;Q!;{j toward If", (/rf grd/el:r
ell/mllee.' sbOil's [be lik(r belun'lI
so{id {lml {J'(msjJ(ll'elll material.
rl}{l! rims {bl'Ollp,b I/;e r!e--'!i:!.Il.
ffO/l! I~Yferior wafl,- flTC dad ill
{forerliN!' slollc. tI /-"ClIl'l'}" sci wilh
{ljJ{ll/em.
fiJe ml!iil ell!rlllice pII!!S risiIUl:,
100mrr/ fbe mfllildaitilb ifs
!Jale Cbibll{r (ll!flrielts 10 Ibe
/Jllrl.: (1m! lake be.)'oni/.
galleries, accessed from the grand gallery, are ali about neu­trality
plain walls, light maple wood floors and artificial or
indirect nafurallighL
'What we tried to express in these galleries of varying
size is that this is a collection of walls, that walking between
these walls and looking at the artworks is the experience," says
Jordan, "In several of them we decided to use curved ceilings
to emphasize the planar quality of the walls, They curve, in
Striking that balance between what Jordan describes contrast but they remain neutral with no texture or pattern,"
as "crypt,,1 ike" enclosures and the active spaces is neatly
resolved in the pian, An entry lobby and rotunda create a
clear break between the galleries on one side and the active
uses - cale, auditorium, museum shop, offices, restrooms
- on the other. Combined with the rotunda, the grand
gallery creates the celebratory, social space that opens to
views and outdoor terraces,
Here the ceilings reach 16 feet (higher still at the
rotunda), the walls are clad in the same travertine stone
used on the exterior and the floors in a pattern using the same
stone" The space liaws openly to engage the cafe and
shop; there are expansive views out across the lake and park
setting, Natural light fills the space In contrast, the eight art
Texture and pattern are very much at work, however,
in the travertine stone with which the exterior walls and the
interior wail accents of the grand gallery are clad, The choice of
material was very much driven by the museum's major bene"
factors, Albert and Jule Smith, who have traveled the world
visiiing museums, Jule's favorite is the Getty Museum in Los
Angeles, and she hoped the travertine used there could be
used for the Auburn museum "Architects relish the chance to
use a fine material like that," says Jordan, "But unlike most
stone, it works better as a skin than as a structural stone, So
we applied it as a veneer in a pattern to create surface interest
and texture" The finish is honed, but not polished,,"
SjJlI("!OI/."illlltfll/.:i;:gi!l
!/(I!II/'It! {<~b! (l1II! riew.', //)('
!o ('",!Jib!! stlilp!lIre 111111
decomlif'e (Ills.
13 Volume XIII, No, II
DesignAlabama 12
~lr(bitccfs (r'I"(!sbmll Sillill; (lJId P({rtners sited lbe/II/e ColtiliS .\il/ilb .ltllSe/l1il qf Fille ;lrt OIJ {/ rise o!"eJiookilJg (/ }-(IC/t' !akl' Itifb e.\1I(m.<es fI(gfrlSS n:l"ib!cfrolll fbe JJ(/.I~I'il/g m({d.
The Fine Rrt Balan[e
Photograph)! ~y Phillip Spears ;\Il photo~ propel1y of ©ThtJuie Co\lins Smith \!liS\:UJl1 ofnnc :\1"[ at .. \Ubllnl l'nircrsit:-
The new Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art, which serves as a gateway to the Auburn
University campus, has a key concept that runs throughout the design. That is, balance.
There is the balance struck between quiet areas for viewing art and more active functions; between
spaces that must shut out harmful light and others that open to the landscape; between intimate rooms that
won"t overwhelm artworks and grand spaces for circulation and special events. Within its 40.000 square feet
of interior space and surrounding landscape. the design masterfully resolves these complex relationships. This
is a worthy new landmark that serves art and community well.
In an era when highly publicized museum architecture often appears to be more important than the
art inside, this design remains responsible. "The main driving idea shared by the architects and the clients is
that this needed to be an architecturally worthy building but without overwhelming the art," says Bill Jordan,
who was project archHect for the Birmingham office of Gresham SmHh and Partners. "In the less restrictive
areas. the social areas, the architecture can be more celebratory. but the galleries must be neutral spaces
that defer to what's on the walls"
by Philip Morris
Behind all of DesignAlabama's initiatives,
including this journa~ lies the belief that the work of architects, landscape
architects, graphic artists and those in other design fields is a matter of
larger public concern. Good design can make products more competitive,
campuses more inviting, cities and towns more livable and successful So
we reach out to serve, not designers themselves, but to help potential clients
and the broader public understand how design can work for them.
In this issue we focus on architecture, but across a very diverse spectrum'
Architects and their many kinds
of clients influence our environ­ment
in so many ways. This
issue, we hope, pravides some
sense of the scope of that impact.
~ We take a look at the recently completed Jule Collins Smith
Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University and how the archi­tects
thought through an approach that would let this important
new cultural facility serve a range of needs and users. Given the
setting, we also include the contribution of landscape architects.
~ We survey the work of several architects in a feature exploring
the use of materials in buildings, both new materials and
long-used ones given fresh applications.
~ We have a special contribution from Alice Bowsher, author of
"Alabama Architecture," who describes the combined restoration
and contemporary addition for Temple Emanu-EI in Birmingham.
~ We reprint an op-ed piece that brought attention to a questionable
building design at University of Alabama/Birmingham and show
how the university changed the design
~ We present a community profi Ie on Eufaula where, along with
historic preservation, civic landscape and planning, the work
of local architects has made a real difference in how the city
has shaped its place-character over the past decade or more.
thi!ijJ J!{)l'n~' btls more Ilmll 30 Jmrs e.\iJl!riellce ill JJlagccinl! {{'ork including leJ/l!rf!S lfS r:.w!Cttlire edi/or ({lid ediloNtI-fm;t;e {/ I Soulhm'{ lll-'lii/{.
Coo,l"lal Lirillg (llld Suu/hem Accents. At/bullg/) be refired in 20()O. JIr;rl'i.l" remains ac/irf! {t.'; {{ Fee/mice lITiler (fnd re..ljJtc!ed fee/uta OJ! desl!..!,II. as
In!!! ({3 (f majo)' con/dbutor to IJesigilil!fI{;rfIJw.
11 Volume XIII. NO.II
Right: At an important downtown site
Alabama Power Co.·s once-modern
building (below) has been remodeled by
Blondheim & Mixon to fit Eufaula's
architectural context
DesignAlabama 10
Below: These recently renovated storefronts have nicely
detailed sidewalk canopies (see section drawing at right)
intended to enrich the pedestrian environment.
"Everyone told us 'Make sure this is a plan for you',"
Mayor Jaxon says. "That's why we chose LDR, and our citi­zens
have enough spunk to see it thtough. Eufaula 2020 was
also key in building a broad base of support as we moved
ahead with specifics."
Already, the ciry with help from Eufaula Pride volunteers
has transformed Governor's Park into an attractive open space
with views of the water. "Almost everything we do these days
is a joint effort of the ciry and groups dedicated to seeing
civic improvements move ahead," says Ciry Horticultutalist
Neil Yatbrough, "We're pulling up asphalt and concrete and
replacing it with green in many locations, and we are focused
on using sustainable native plants wherever we can."
Much of Eufaula's efforts continue to be concentrated on
downtown, since it forms the economic base for the ciry.
But, growing out of Eufaula 2020, there is an effort to help
moderate and low-income neighborhoods that have not been
organized to do so, and then work to identify grants and
other sources of money for improvements. The community
has accomplished so much of what it has set out to do over
the years, it is not hatd to imagine them succeeding on this
fro nt as well. •
Right: Architect Hamrick also designed
streetscape improvements for downtown.
Below: LDR International's Downtown Action Plan
cornpleted in 2000 identifies a nurnber of public
and private projects to build on Eufaulas past
accornplishrnents.
Left: This before/after view shows Biondheim
& Mixon's conversion of an abandoned service
station into Dakota Coffee Cafe.
The Downtown Action Plan completed by LOR Interna­tional
in 2000 identified a number of strategic projects that
Eufaula could pursue ro build on what they have accom­plished,
These include:
• Widening tbe median along one block of Broad Street
to crectte tbe ejfect qf a town square
• Enhancing gateways into downtown; improuing open
spaces, especial!}' along tbe blullowrloohing Lake
Eufauia (Chattaboocbee Ricer)
• Creating C1 nell' Railroad Square using C(lccmi proper­ty
near tbe abandoned railroad depot
• Finding a neu' lise/or tbe lanciJllarie Bil/jICity Inn a/
Ell/Cll/ia AueJl1le and Broad Street as tbe ancbor/oJ'
an improceci Biujf City Place
o TUrJzinp, !be abandoned railroad through downtown
inio part ofa mils-to-frails s)lstem Iinhing he)' allmc­lions
in dOlelltown and nearbv
9 Volume XIII, No. II
Jefferson County
Domestic Relations
Courts Building
If the typical mirror glass box was a "one liner," as they say of a larger concept that drove the building design "We decided
about comedy, the brick, glass and stone exterior of the new to let the glass delineate the circulation, both the horizontal
two-story domestic courts building for Jefferson County by movement from the entry and the vertical movement up the stair,"
Birmingham's Giattina Fisher Aycock Architects amounts to a D'Agostino explains "That divides the building in two parts, and
nuanced visual essay that bears second, third and more looks, the textured brick walls on the east and south play up that factor
The north and west walls have just the lighter brick,"
What catches the eye most is a grid pattern of dark
brick slightly recessed across lighter brick walls, with both Sardinian granite walls used for the base on the east
the darker color and inset emphasizing surface texture and and extending full height at the entry also enrich the composition,
interest 'This is a concrete frame building with an exterior as do plaster soffits and stainless steel plates that bring criSp
skin made of brick veneer and a glass and aluminum curta'in definition to window heads and sills, These materials are both
wall," says Kyle D'Agostino, project architect. "The brick is fine and common, the light brick previously used in jumbo size
set in Flemish bond so the dark brick are headers with the for a criminal justice center and other county buildings nearby
short dimension exposed, They are set back 1/2 inch so they They were advanced by the architects as being durable and
create shadow, as well as being darker, The mortar was lower maintenance over the life of a public building that sees
made the same color as the l'lghter brick, and the jOints are heavy use and some abuse,
beveled so they also contribute a stronger shadow line,"
The building occupies a prominent downtown corner
a block east of the courthouse, and the textured brick is part
17 Volume XIII, No, II
AltunontSchoolAddition
DesignAlabama 18
The challenge for Birmingham's The Garrison Barrett Group in
designing this structure for Altamont School in the city's his­toric
Redmont neighborhood was to hide a large, unsightly
prefabricated gym and produce a place for students to gather
casually - on a very modest budget MaJerials selecUon
was strategic to its success,
'When people think of schools, and especially one
in a fine old residential setting !ike Altamont's, they probably
think of brick and stone and copper,' says project architect
Art Killebrew, 'But using finer materials on this project would
mean we couldn't produce the common space,'
So the iwo-story structure, a liner building extending
across the lull face 01 the gym, was constructed 01 concrete
and painted steeL From outside, the scale and rhythm of the
bays, plus clearly expressed structural elements that double as
ornament, makes it not only a worthy addition to the campus,
but a much-liked landmark, Inside, the space functions like an
enclosed street connecting several spaces, with Iloor space and
broad stairs for hanging out or organized activities: common
materials, but a most uncommon building,
f'bo/rJ...f.{mpi?I' {?l' Niull Ri::::o/Crl'lIlire Source." 02001
One of the things I'm enjoying in design now is using
common materials in unique ways," says architect
Neil Davis of Birmingham's Davis Architects, "For
example, you can use brick in patterns to get variety
and interest. That carries some additional cost, but is
still well under the cost of curtain wall or stone, You
can get a lot of bang for the buck"
For Minor Elementary School located in an
inner-city Birmingham neighborhood, Davis Architects
combined patterned and plain brick in different colors
with translucent wall panels, The mix of materials,
along with a range of building forms including curves,
cylinders and ziggurats, produces a playful but still
dignified grouping appropriate for an elementary schooL
Minor
Elementary
School
-\rchiten: /)wisJrc/)ifects llic. Biriililigblilil
Sin!CiiH:i! E!lgi!lL"~'r:. ~ff!!iil'>, Bi/(!('s [- .'ls'o('/!.:ii's Jile..
8ii"il!ill/JJt!il!
f'bologmj!f~r (!I· nm()ff~r ffllrsfc)"
2200 Lakeshore Drive .\rcl1i(crt: I/Y..- Nilehie O;7,!tl!!i:{;{ifm. Birminghail! Stnl(llli~li En.~in('er: iLIilC Hisboji l'iir{.> Ddflb;!!" flU:. fiirmingbtllii
In designing a new 40,000-square-foot building on a prominent light for the space within, "We selected a green color glass
site facing Lakeshore Drive in Homewood where they planned to with slight reflectivity," Langland notes, "We didn't want a super
locate their architecture studios, The Ritchie Organization (TAO) contrast between the opaque spandrel glass and the window
carefully selected materials to best realize their concepts, glass" The spandrel glass is also used on the elevator and
electrical rooms set behind the lobby pavilion at ground level,
Since the limited site mandated two floors above
parking, TRO used a projecting pavilion containing lobby,
also helping to mask the parking behind,
stairs and elevators to firmly ground the building and orient it Bringing additional richness to the fa,ade is a pattem
to the most important site feature, an existing lagoon reshaped of clear aluminum window mullions and black anodized alu-to
wrap around the new structure, They decided on brick and minum mullions that subtly delineate floor levels and pick up
glass for the exterior, but not just any brick or glass the black in the brick, "From a design standpoint, it is good to
have a building that catches the eye initially, but then offers
"We purposely used a medium iron-spot Endicolt more detail and some surprise as you get closer," Langland
brick," says project architect Paul Langland, "We liked the says In its location adjacent to the popular new Shades Creek
maroon color with the black for visual weight and, also, the walking/biking trail, 2200 Lakeshore Drive is seen not only by
tie to local iron-making history, It's also not often used around building tenants and visitors but also the public at large,
here, so it gives the building some distinction,"
In contrast to the brick-clad walls with large windows
on the west, south and east elevations, TRO decided to use all
glass on the north face, which produces optimum natural
19 Volume XIII, No, II
DesignAlabama 20
Mobile Museum of Art .\l"chiwn: 11x: :lrcbi!ec!s Group/iiic. .. lloiJf!('
\:1[('110r lk-siglll"l": f'be :li"cbifecls Gi"OlIjJ//nc. Jlobile
A dramatic two-layer canopy used by The Architects
Group/Inc. (TAG) on the major expansion of the Mobile
Museum of Art provides protection from the elements
plus a clear demarcation of the new main entrance.
Glass-and-steel construction lets it Jly.
'The design intent of the entrance canopy was
Supported by concrete columns, the larger canopy
cantilevers far out over the drop-oli area. The painted steel
structure consists of rectangular tube sections that form a curved
top truss beam holding up W-shape joists. This is topped by
tempered solar green tint glass, two 5-millimeter-thick layers
laminated with a 1.52-miliimeter-thick plastic interlayer
to accommodate pedestrians, cars and tour buses while Like a contemporary version of the iron-and-glass
creating a light and airy way into the museum," says the canopies used on many historic buildings, the canopy structure
Mobile architecture firm's director of design, Daniel clearly expresses the delight in what these materials can do.
Borcicky. 'The curve is used to carryon the motif used
throughout the exterior and interior" They even tip at
the same angle as adjacent concrete wall sections.
l'bo!og!"l/p/~)' by :1fl!c tb(!!./JI!II
Masonry Arts Showroom -\rchii('ci: (/f(l!!im{ F!s!Jeri!rcock Bimlillglir!lll
Masonry Arts, a Bessemer-based company that fabricates and metal and sand-blasted glass, which is uplighted at night to
installs exterior cladding for buildings all over the United produce a glow, like a sign that isn't a sign" While it creates
States, decided to open a retail stone showroom at Pepper the desired effect, this feature also reinforces the industrial
Place, the emerging design center in Birmingham's Lakeview history of the building and neighborhood,
District Architects Giattina Fisher Aycock took the renovation
of the one-story brick warehouse to a culling design level, Some years ago Masonry Arts added glass fabrica­tion
and installation so it could provide total cladding packages
Inside, under the direction of Chris Giallina, they to clients, To make this point and give the showroom entry
approached the space like an art gallery where stone is the extra punch, the architects took a leftover contemporary store-object
Huge slabs of granite are suspended from the walls front (door and sidelights) in the firm's warehouse and filled it
like hangings or mounted on moveable steel tube frames, and into the opening, The glass door is fritted - white horizontal
Masonry Arts craftsmen used their skills to turn the floors strips bonded to the interior surface in a ceramic silkscreen
into an exhibit of stone and tile choices, On the exterior the process, Frilled glass can be used to provide integral shading
warehouse character was essentially retained, but the entry for glass exposures, but the small amount here serves mainly
got a design kick, visual interest _
"We wanted the main entry to signal that there is
something dynamic inside,' says project architect Kris
Nikolich, "We designed a playful canopy made of painted
21 Volume XIII, No, II
In October 2002, The Birmingham News published a rendering of a major new University of Alabama at
Birmingham building, the Student Recreation Center, intended to anchor a planned quadrangle at the
west end of campus. Local architectural observer (and active DesignAlabama contributor) Philip Morris
wrote an op-ed piece that the newspaper published. A new university administration, it turns out, was
similarly concerned. Subsequently, UAB asked Birmingham-based Williams-Blackstock Architects, the
local firm involved in the project but not the design architect, to rework the design. Presented here are Dth e original design, m the critique, a the Williams-Blackstock redesign and II the follow-up com­mentary
by Morris. In this case, design - a redesign - did, indeed, make a difference.
DESIGN FOR NEW UAB BUll
NEEDS WRECKING BAll
The rendering of a new U:\B Student Recreation Center pub­lished
in The Birmingham );CWS on Sept. 19 is enough to take
your bre~lth away - but for all the wrong l'e'L'lOns. This is a
terrible design for a prominent location f~lcing Lniversity
Boulevard, and it undermines the announced desire to create
an appealing new campus quad.
There arc two pl'illlmy failings:
• The building is an awkward arrangement of simplistic
forms, a long rectangle of glass, concrete and brick that
turns up inconclusively at one end like an afterthought.
• Though it uses UAB's red brick and cast stone materials,
it is of brutal scale and provides no help in setting a
shared architectural language needed to shape the new
quadrangle it is supposed to anchor.
The glass expanse filling the University Boulevard frontage is
meant to expose activity inside at night and thus animate the
campus. But rather than be organized into bays that would
modulate the fa,ade and establish a pedestrian-quad scale,
it runs on as a mass with several unconvincing turns and
OesignAlabama 22
protrusions. Similarly, the brick is applied in large, unbroken
planes. Concrete wraps the big box and roof in a cartoon ish
manner. The design appears to recall the 1950s and, like so
much architectural production during that period, it reads as
a large object that takes no account of anything around it,
existing or planned.
It is on this latter point that the design of this building fails
most grievously. lAB has just adopted the new master plan
that includes a generous rectangular open space between this
site and the new student residence towers. The idea is to
create the kind of quad that makes traditional campuses so
appealing. To do thiS, buildings surrounding the space must
be designed to make good walls - they need to be deferential
to the space and to each other. Instead, this object~bllilding
is the very kind that destroyed so many campuses during the
1950s, '60s and '70s,
The desire to expose whafs going on in the recreation center
could be meshed with a design that creates the right rhythm and
scale for the new quad. It is not an either/or choice. CAB need
only look a few blocks east on L'niversity Boulevard for models
of how to address the urban context. The addition to the med­icallibrary
built a few years ago turned an isolated building
into one that welcomes passers-by with a handsome brick
arcade bordering the sidewalk. Similarly, the new public
health building on the sOllth side of the street moderates its
bulk and establishes a street presence with a series of bays.
About 1980, CAB amended its practice of random grO\vth and
commissioned a master plan that it has regularly updated. The
early isolated and often mediocre buildings (some of them
since rebuilt at great cost) gave way to an architecture that, at
the least, began to add up to something larger. All the more
reason this relapse from a larger concept of campus seems odd.
It will be argued that this project is too far along to stop. What
a mistake that would be: to spend $24.5 mHlion on the first
maj or building meant to create a whole-feeling campus - a
building that undermines the very idea. This project should be
scuttled and redesigned to be both an exciting expression of
energy and an appropriate component of the new quad .•
DesignlllMakes A Difference
DAB REDE
Views portraying before/after transformations can be informa~ • The large expanse of glass turns a high~visibility corner
tive and satisfying, and so it is with this pair - unusual in that and bas a more human scale, organized into vertical
the change came before construction commenced.
My critique of the original design for the new CAB Student
Recreation Center (The Birmingham ,ews, 1012/02) included
the comment: ·'The building is an awkward arrangement of
simplistic forms, a long rectangle of glass: concrete and brick
that turns up inconclusively at one end like an afterthought."
And, in regards to the larger campus: "It is of brutal scale and
provides no help in setting a shared architectural language
needed to shape the new quadrangle it is supposed to anchor."
1\0 more. After reviewing the matter, UAB asked \Villiams­Blackstock
Architects of Birmingham to rework the design
by a St. Louis architect \vhile retaining essential components.
\Vhat wiI! be a large, complex building containing an indoor
track, multiple basketball courts, swimming pool, indoor
soccer, exercise areas, a climbing wall and other features
has been given an urbane exterior. Large expanses of glass
still let the activity inside show through.
The new rendering (above), from roughly the same University
Boulevard angle, illustrates key moves:
• Fafade elements have been given a stronger brick-clad
frame. anchoring the whole and eliminating the amorphous
character of the original.
bays similar to those seen on the existing public health
building to the eas/'
�� An awkward ramp and isolating foundation have
been removed. a gentle earth slope now providing
handicap access.
At the same time, the Williams-Blackstock design has made the
building"s most dramatic feature - a Circular, glass-walled
running track that breaks through the fa~ade on the south and
west - more noticeable by setting it off with brick. And, oil
yes, by peeling away some extraneous exterior elements and
reorganizing some interior functions, the redesign cut the
cost by approximately $1 million. Good design doesn't have
to cost more.
There is some sentiment in this community that [AB should
go for star architects and exceptional buildings. But, as with
any satisfying urban setting, the majority of campus buildings
should modestly work together, adding up to something
greater than the parts. A better approach would be for CAB
to reone its design standards, assuring compatibility and
fulfilling campus plans. Exceptional architectural form should
be just that - exceptional. •
23 Volume XIII, No. II
The historic, Beaux Arts-style, early 20th-century synagogue is complemented by its new four-story addition through creative use of materials, cotor and pattern, along with form and siting.
Brick, limestone and a continuous string course establish continuity with the old, while color and pattern differentiate the new building.
DesignAiabama 24
On the interior of the 1913 temple, with its magnificent domed space, 1960s theater-style seating was replaced by pews, and the altar
was reconfigured and lowered to create a stronger sense of connection between the rabbi and the congregation.
oLd
Historic~Perspectives
New
Team for
the Future
blj Alice Bowsher wirh phoroqraphlj blj David Brljanr
A building that represents its own time
while relating successfully to its surroundings is one of architecture's great challenges. The preser­vation
and expansion of Temple Emanu-El in Birmingham has answered that challenge. It combines
rehabilitation of a historic earry 20th-century synagogue, a major new addition and urban design
elements that respond to the city setting.
A dramatic four-story atrium connects the old and new structures and
provides a gathering place. Exterior walls that form the sides of the atrium
allow each building to retain its own identity while the space inserts a
visual "breath" between the two.
Le bl~')toJ'ic ,~}'llagogue l~,) (( hanriWJme Beaul: AI'!s~szrle building des(qned by one of the ciz(,) leading ({rebftec/s.
William Wesloll, for a Reform Jewish congregation Irhose rools go back to 1882, short(J' after Ihe founding
of Birmingham,
In /be lale 1990s. the congregation - faced lriliJ llumerous/acilifles L'.:')ues; including outmoded ,~FgemS
and inaciequtzte sjJace /01' its )Jl({}lY actitifies Ihroughout tbe leeeh - under/oak a congJy:/;alioJl-lnd,e planlling
fJI'IJC~~S, Oul oftbi~ process il became ciear tballhe bistoric lempie not 0111)' represenled (ill imjlortanl re/(gious
beritage but aL<;o bad ({ role ill the congregation :\' rision /01' tbe/uture. symbolizing its long-standing commzmi(J'
inrohement and ieadersiJip,
Based 011 Ihe congregalion :I'priorities, Ibe bUilding comlliitlee and the f(PS Gl'OlIjJ-ied deSign leam defined a
jlhiiosopiJr to gUide Ibe deSign decisions,'
• 77Je bi~loric temple Iras the celllel1!iece of Ihe prq/ec!,' il lcould setlhe lonefor ererrlbing eL~e,
• 77Je neu' constrllclioll should not allemjJllo co!!)' Ihe sl)k oflbe tempie, but should be of il~ Oll'll lime,
designed to camplemellt and set off Ihe beaul)' of tbe hilloric slrue/ure,
• U71i(v and conlinuily lrete desired throughout.
Preservation of the 1913 Temple
Pmlenyilioii of Ihe 1913 lemple calledfor careful cleaning and repair of the etisling buildingfabric and
uhere liecel~~arF replacemenl in keeping with tbe character of the orzgina!' On the interior lIith * magnificent
domed ,00)(ICe, 1960s theatel'sl),le sealing Ims replaced by pell's that recalled Ihe origiJia{ 71Je altar uas reconfig­ured
and lOitered 10 create a stronger sense of connectioll betlreen Ihe mbbi and tbe congregalioll. !ltO rear
ha!con/e,'.,",. ltblcb had been closed 10 house mechanical eqwJJllzenl, lcere reopenedfor seating ,liodern f-JI)lC
sound Ciild lightiilg ,(l,,/ems wel'e inslalled and IIbeeichair accessibili(J'protidee!. liJe rebabilitalioli also created
a nell' chapel on Ihe 101/:el' IeI'd IIbere the arA',/i'Om Ihe 18861emple il usee!.
New Construction
77Je crux of a successfid design relationshij! helween old and nell' is Ihe illieraciion belireen Ihe litO. At limzjJle
Emanil-E!, INI is jiarlicular6' striking in (1) the jArsimlliilk Ihat joins the tll'O bUildings and (2) tbe iillelplal'
belween Ibe tII'O/{10ades and theil' relalion 10 Ihe street
25 Volume XIII, No. II
Deeply recessed windows that create a rhythmic pattern across the front of the addition gradually diminish in width as they move closer to the original
building. That manipulation paired with the angle that the two-story segment projects from the addition reduces the mass visually. leading the eye to
focus on the historic building.
A dmJJlalicji!llr-sIOlJ' atrium mediates Ibe juxlajJosition oJlbe old
{{nd /lew stJ'llc/ures. 7/Je glazed JjJ{{ce inse}'!s {f lislttll 'iJreatb" betl{'een
tbe lu-v, allowing each buildillg to retain ils own identizr e,\jJf'e:;Yed
tbrougb (!.rtel'iol' lmlls tbat form tbe sides oftbe atrium, At the same lime.
slass curtain-ltall ends open tbe ,~jJace to tbe slJ'eet and Irees beyo7l{/,
crea/ing tbe/eel a/em outdool' room {{nd be(f{btened (fff'al'eness o/tbe
ci(J'selling. Programma/ical(r. tbe alriwll adds a /oyel: [/ point of
gatbering ctJld reeeiring betll'een fiJe his/oric lcoJ'shij) ::'jJace and /be
f)'lOderl1le{fl'tlfng. ac/ministra!il'c, socitll,\jJ{{ce::;,
Crealive lise a/materials, coloJ' and jJat/ern ~ {{long l{'itb form (lnd
siling ~ sets up (I Iirel)'. complemenl({J'Y relationsbij) be!ll'een nell-' and
old as tbe tltO inleljttCe ldtb /be street. J1:le jJrogram required t! Im:~e.
/olir-s/olJ addition. Brick liJneslone and a continuous siring course
eslablisb conlinllii), Iriib Ibe old Il'bile color and paltem differenliale Ibe
neu' building. A darker bl'Ol1'11 brick tUl7lS Ibe ji!llr-slor)' fel,Ylde inlo {1
recessire bachdrop. Projecting/rom it at {lJI angle, (f tll'O~S!Oiy 8egment is
jilwd in bmwn 111ld buJfcolored brick laid in Flemisb bond 10 aeate a
rid) cbeckered palte1'l11bal ecboes tbe buff color and brichrark oflbe
h,sloric slruclul'e, Tbis {1rtjitl manipulalion reduces Ibe mass I'isllall),
(11l1/, by ils angle, leads ibe eve to jocus all tbe bistoric building. [be ejJixl
is beightened by deej)(r recessed lL'indou-'s that creet/e a rI~v!bmicjJ{!tterJl
acl'O'" tbe Font of Ibe building, gradually diminishing in u'ldlb as ib~)'
mOIN closer to the bistoric building. Slrlfctltl'ed jJarking across tbe alley
10 Ibe real' IJl'Ol'idesjor some 130 ((/1'5,
Interiors
A desire for uni(v - beilceen interior and exterior and old and new
~ dl'Ol'e interior design de(;L)'ions. Interior coloJ's ({nd pattern elernen/s
cieri/,e jimn tbe bistork buildingj(tiJric: green Fain tbe cOjJper dome,
I'lIsl ji'om the terra colla-tiled roof bronze jiwn tbe color o/Ibe /I'ood
entr)' doors, naluml bues jimn Ihe limestone and buflbriCk. A deel)
aubergine is used as accent, A sial' a/David motif found in tbe stained
glass and in the ends o/cm on;ginal pelc, is inCOll)orated in tbe custom
car1Jels, Interior Irea/men/s Ibrougboul tbe res/ oftlYe fetcilily are cieri/'ed
j i'om lcba! is lIsed in tbe scmctuCll')', ail-'inIJ tbe eniirejcicilit)-, {! strotl{J • - <'> <'> • <'>
sense Ofltnl~F. 'i'
OesignAlabama 26
The two-story segment of the addition is faced in
brown and buff-colored brick laid in Flemish bond to
create a rich checkered pattern that echoes the buff
color and brickwork of the historic structure while
redUCing the mass visually. A darker brown brick
turns the four-story fa~ade into a recessive backdrop.
Alice Jieriwether Bowsher is an architectural historian and jJresen/{itionist,
autbor of "Alabama Arcbitecture, Looking at Building and Ptace" and
past -president of tbe Alabama Presel'cation Alliance,
Ab(lve: Close-up of a !abel applied to the Montgomery Cllamber af Commerce's tabbed
Designer~Profile
liy ilana ezzell gay
Building a successful company involves having a vision and pursuing
it with determination and perseverance. However, building a company
that successfully nl.lrtmes creative thinking and promotes smart deSign
is about much more than having a vision. It's about solving problems.
Sadly, in our day-to-day hustle, having vision and solving problems can get lost somewhere amidst deadlines, phone calls,
appointments and other details of running a company, Inevitably, those details leave little time to ask whether or not you are
accomplishing your company's goals Are you producing work that is meaningful to your clients and work that you find
interesting and challenging? What approach to design is crucial to developing an effective identity for your client? How does
your design contribute to the community?
With these questions in mind, meet Angela Stiff, principal and creative director of Copperwing Design, Her Montgomery­based
firm develops visual identity, company literature, sales promotions, exhibits, packaging, Web site development and
more for a range of clients from Hyundai Motor Manufacturing to the Montgomery Chamber of Commerce, Establishing
a company's identity - which involves creating a visual form that fulfills a function and serves multiple purposes��heips
Stiff promote business both clearly and concisely, Her innovative concepts and design solutions have resulted in
award-winning television and print campaigns, and she has received numerous ADDY Awards, as well as the Montgomery
Advertising Federation's 1999 Copywriter of the Year, 2001 Designer of the Year and 2002 Copywriter of the Year
divider pages which highlights tbe system of color and image developed to communicate
the chamber's new vision. Right: Jackson Thornton's Benefit Resources brochure.
27 Volume XIII, No, II
S\iif's philosophy, "sound strategic planning and a strong
concepi," resonates throughout her work, Her designs reflect
the belief that design and aesthetics can be used as powerful
communication tools "Great ideas can come from anywhere
- brainstorming sessions or individual think time - and
creative thinkers who can reach strategic goals are critical
to targeted design work," she asserts, "The design process
that follows supports that original concept, and the end
result is a message communicated with clarity, conSistency
and appropriateness,"
Along with her partner, Nell Rankin, Stiff manages a team
of eight employees, Their work for Jackson Thornton, a local
accounting and consulting firm, and for the Montgomery
Area Chamber of Commerce illustrates how Copperwing's
smart design contributes to the community, "Jackson
Thornton required a message that spoke about its multiple
areas of specialization, as well as the strength of the
company as a whole," Stiff explains "We developed the
identity system around this strategic concept which provided
the road map for every other expression of the company,
Aesthetically, we largely employed color and photography
to distinguish the specialized groups, and typography, tone
of text and layout to tie it all back together" This approach
targeted Jackson Thornton's multiple audiences with one
unilying voice,
DesignAlabama 28
Through their work, graphic designers have the potential to
be agents 01 influence and change. Their ability to create
solutions challenges not only their way 01 thinking, but
that of the surrounding community. StiH's work with the
Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce presented another
unique design chailenge. 'The identity system needed to
be Ilexible and easily customized, but congruent with the
chamber's identity," says SiiH. "We lirst developed the
positioning, "A City of Promise. A World of Potential'
Then," she adds, "we delivered a well-planned system that
included components such as labels that could be easily
and quickly applied to tabbed divider pages and die-cut
windows that allowed pages underneath to be interchanged,
This flexibility empowered the client to change the attitude
and style of the materials lor specific aUdiences."
Allowing form and function to clearly and conCisely commu­nicate
the goals oi both Jackson Thornton and the Mont­gomery
Chamber of Commerce, not to mention Copperwing's
other clients, oliers Stifi the opportunity to help local busi­ness
succeed, In turn" this success positively impacts the
community, While the irnpact may not always be immediate,
StiH's clear, consistent and appropriate design approach
feeds the local community with a healthy dose of economic
growth, Implementation of a strategic plan which successfully
targets its market can trigger several results - more prod­ucts
may be purchased, services rendered and resources
expanded to improve and grow the local economy, This is
called smart design,
leU: Brochure design which uses color, typography and photllgraphy
to distinguish Jackson Thornton's utility, Construction and
Technology groups. Right The Mantgomery Chamber of Commerce's
labels and tabbed divider pages 1'1111cl1 highlight its vision through
a weH-planned system of calOr and image.
Ultimately, smart design is about paying attention and striv­ing
to positively influence perception by building one's
reputation in the community Listening to the client's vision
allows graphic designers to solve problems by making the
clieni's goals their own. Angela Stili oHers creative thinking
and promotes smart design, Her broad base of experience in
deSign, advertising and production, where she has served as
art director for advertising agencies and area corporations
such as Gannett's Montgomery Advertiser and Birmingham­based
Southern Progress, has contributed to her ability to
make the client's goals her own. She identifies with their
visions, listens to their needs and supports tr,e idea that
"design is as much about good planning and organization
as it is about color or typography,"
"It is a problem-solving mission," Stift asserts. "It is asking,
"What makes this work and why?' It is about honing some­thing
down to its core, its simplest form, and then finding
the voice to communicate it. It is about clarity and purity of
message, And," she adds, "'discovering that is what makes
it exciting." III
Dana Ezzell Gay is an assistant professor of graphic design at Auburn
University and a freelance writer speCializing in graphic design.
T cp to bottom. iett 10 right
Cornay residence. Birmingham.
Ross Kelly Landscape Architects
Parsons residence. Birmingham
Holcombe. Norton. Pritcne!!
Warren residence. Birmingham
Nimrod Long & Associates
Hugh Kaul Children's Zoo. Birmingham
R.oss Keiiy Landscape Architects
The Summit. 8irmingilam
Nimrod Long & Associates
Aldridge Gardens. Birmingham
Nimrod Long & A.ssocia1es
Bayer residence. Birmingr,am
Nimrod Long & ,I\ssociates
A
Details+of Interest
w A D s
2002 Alabama Landscape Architecture Design Awards
The Alabama Landscape Architecture Design Awards program is held every two years by the Alabama Chapter of the American Society
of Landscape Architects (ASLA). The 2002 awards were presented last fall in Birmingham A jury of Mississippi landscape architects
selected one honor and six merit award winners from a fieid of 22 entries by local landscape architects ranging from single-family
residential designs to a 4.000-acre regional park master plan.
The Bayer Residence by Nimrod Long & Associates of
Birmingham received the only honor award in the design/con­struction
category which recognizes site-specific works of land­scape
architecture including urban design. Merit award winners
were the Cornay residence and the Hugh Kaul Children·s Zoo by
Ross Kelly Landscape Architects of Birmingham; the
Parsons residence by Holcombe, Norton, Pritchett of
Birrningham; and Aldridge Gardens. The Summit and the Warren
residence by Nimrod Long & Associates.
The research/communication category recognizes research pro­jects
that address challenges resolved using solutions of value
to the profession and/or achievernents in communicating land­scape
architecture issues. Valley Riverfront Master Plan by
Kerns/Pearson of Birmingham received the only merit award
in this category.
29 Volume XIII. No. II
TOPS Redesign Award
Patricia Cooper, an Auburn University graphic design student
from Housion, won a national competition to redesign TOPS
News, the membership magazine of the nonprofit weight-loss
support group TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) Issues are
mailed 10 times a year to more trlan 230,000 members, Cooper
submitted her designs for a cover including redesigned mast­head,
table of contents, Culinary Corner and selected depart­ment
headings, Besides winning the top cash award and having
her designs used as a template for future issues, she has been
hired on a freelance basis to design additional department head­ings
tor the magazine,
Cooper's design strategy took into account the audience and the
organization's goais for redesigning the magazine: a tresh yet
sophisticated look to appeal to a readership of mostly mature
women, Visually, the new masthead conveys gradual weight loss,
Department headings reference the club's curving logo, She also
designated two font families for a unified look, paring down from
roughly 35 decorative fonts used in previous issues. "We were
very impressed with Patricia's design and how well it satisfied
our needs, We think our readers are going to love the fresh look,"
commented Melissa Baxter, TOPS communications manager,
Development Documents
The Library of Architecture, Design and Construction at Auburn
University has a collection at documents that could be helpful to
planners, Researchers interested in the development of city and
community planning in Alabama, as well as planners looking to
the past for a record of prior planning efforts in the state, will
find the collection useful, Documents also focus on issues such
as housing, wastewater management, road and transportation
development and, especially, economic development and revi­talization.
They were collected by Emeritus Professor
Darrell Meyer, who developed the graduate program in com­munity
planning in 1978 and retired from the university in 1997.
Meyer secured the documents from planning agencies, commis­sions
and boards across the state, For more information on the
collection, contact LADC librarian Boyd Childress at 334-844-
1752 or childgb@auburnedu.
nAlabama
THE PUBLIC fORUM fOR OESIGN IN ALABAMA
DesignAlabama 30
"'" The Culinary
~ Comer
Beiar,: end After Vib\'S of (:eopecs TOPS News Redesign
Samuel Mockbee and the Rural Studio:
Community Architecture
The Birmingham Museum oi Art (BMA) has organized a traveling
exhibition which surveys Samuel Mockbee's work with
Auburn University's Rural Studio program Mockbee (1944-
2001) was an idealist who put into practice one of the boldest
programs in contemporary architecture, The Auburn University
professor and co-founder oi the school's Rural Studio believed
that architecture could playa determining role in combating the
brutalities of poverty. Mockbee inspired his students to create
vanguard designs and utilize an array of innovative, cost-effec­tive
building materials that included tires, recycled license plates,
shredded cardboard and scraps at carpet baled into building
blocks. Rural Studio students have designed and constructed pri­vate
homes, community centers, a chapel, playgrounds and a boys
and girls club in West Alabama's Hale County.
The exhibit wi:! feature three structures built in the museum by
13 fifth-year students as a preview beiore being constructed on
location in the Black Belt The temple, "klssing pavilion" and
video-viewing theatre will be built from bales of carpet yarn, hay
and cardboard respectively. Viewers may enter these structures
and personally experience the novel impact at Mockbee's archi­tectural
vision, Also teatured are a selection at Mockbee's per­sonal
notebooks, a dozen models and more than 100 pho­tographs
of completed projects, as well as several large-scale
paintings by the architect, inspired by his work at the Rural Studio.
The exhibit will be on display in Birmingham from October 5 -
January 4,2004, then travel to Washington, DC, and Scottsdale,
Ariz, For information on the show, contact the museum at 205-
254-2566 or through the Web site at wwwartsbmaorg
Places in Peril list for 2003
Planning Project Award
Darrell Meyer, FAICI', and his team of planning experts at
l(PS Group Inc. of Birmingham won the 2003 Planning Project
Award from the Alabama Chapter of the American Planning
Association for work on the Auburn Village Centers Strategic
Development Concept Their plan is a new approach building on
the best of the city's own heritage, The concept encourages
deveiopment of retat: into compact patterns ot village and neigh­borhood
centers surrounded by and serving adjacent residential
neighborhoods. These centers in turn will be supported by other
centers and corridors iocated caretuHy around the city,
Museum of Design
While Alabama has DesignAlabama, a statewide program to pro­mote
public design awareness and education unique to the
South, Georgia has a museum devoted to design in Atlanta,
Former!y the Atlanta International Museum of Art and Design,
and now the Museum at Design, its recent name change came
out of the realization that the merit of its exhibitions and the suc­cess
of its educational programs was rooted in the universal !an­guage
of design, not in cultural expression Founded in 1989 the
museum became an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution in
2000 and is one of fewer than 10 museums in the United States
devoted exclusively to design. Its mission is to provide engaging
exhibitions and public programming that investigates the mean­ing
of design and its influenoe as a force for communication in
the world, Previous exhibits have tocused on sustainable archi­tecture,
landscape design, the design of everyday objects, cos­tume
design and pop art furniture design,
In its debut fall season as the Museum of Design, visitors will
experience art, invention and everyday objects viewed through the
prism of design. Among these exhibits is one celebrating the 100th
anniversary of human flight by showcasing the newest innovation
in airplane design the Geobat by Alabama native and Auburn
University graduate Jack Jones, Like no other aircraft in aviation
history, the Geobat is the first perfectly circular aircraft design
capable of being tully acrobatic. It has been featured in Popular
SCience's "What's New" section and won a Discover Magazine
2002 semi-finalist award. This exhibit will run from October 2-
December 20. For information on the museum call 404-688-2467
or visit the Web site at www,museumofdesign,org, Information
on the Geobat may be accessed at www,geobatcom,
Geot-at PrOtotype
The Alabama Preservation Alliance (APA) in conjunction with the Alabama Historical Commission (AHC) present their list of the
state's 12 most endangered sites for 2003.
BRYCE HOSPITAL, Tuscaloosa - The first institutional build­ing
solely for the mentally ill in Alabama, Bryce was constructed
berNeen 1853-1861. An
elongated three-story masonry
structure with Italianate details
and a Roman Revival portico
was designed by Samuel
Sloan, a leading mid-19th
century architect in collabora­tion
with Dr, Thomas Kirkbride, a leading physician in mental
health care. Kirkbride's linear plan is based on the philosophy that
reason could be restored to many patients through humane treat­ment
and careful attention to surroundings, Bryce is the oldest and
most intact Kirkbride linear plan hospital still in existence,
In 1995, it ceased to house patients but is still partially used for
administrative purposes, Lack of maintenance has led to failure
of the roof system, and water damage threatens the structure,
The AHC has a preservation plan currently underway for the hos­pital,
but one historiC structure, the Lodge, constructed in 1878
as coal storage and later used as housing for African-American
male patients needs immediate intervention,
DOWNTOWN FAIRHOPE, Baldwin County - Fairhope was
created in 1894 as a Utopian colony emphasizing progressive
education, individual ini­tiative
and the ideals of a
social reform that pro­moted
cooperative living
and respect for the natural
environmenL That way of
life is now threatened due
to lack of local govern­ment
planning and zon'lng, as the community deals wirn an eco­nomic
resurgence begun in the 1990s
The commercial district has a significant number of historic
storefronts, none higher than two stories, in turn-of-the-century
styles, Residential neighborhoods contain a wide range of styles
frorn Fairhope's settlement years: early Colony cottages in wood,
locally made clay block and stucco, Craftsman-influenced bun­galows,
American foursquares, Mission and Spanish eclectic
and the plain farmhouse The scale and proportion of the historic
houses to their lots provided an aesthetic and visual cohesiveness,
Now, this historic character with its human scale is threatened,
Two of the most significant cornmercial buildings on Fairhope
Avenue, the 1914 Tumble Inn and 1924 Magnet Theater, are
under imminent threat of demolition, Two-story storefronts are
being replaced with larger buildings that provide for more value
per square foot. Tear downs are occurring in the historic neigh­borhoods,
also threatened by escalating property values and out­of-
town ownership, Bay cottages (above) are torn down to make
way for houses too large for their iots,
A comprehensive pian, adopted by Fairhope's city council in
2001, encourages preservation of its architectural legacy and
pedestrian scale: it also encourages new development to foilow
the historical model, However, local government efforts have
failed to create the called for ordinance that will provide the
means to protect Fairhope's historic properties, as there is fear
such an ordinance would stifle development
EAST SELMA INDUSTRIAL AREA, Selma - The East Selma
Industrial Area lies between the Alabama River and major rail­road
lines that once
served the city, In the
late 19th century, this
area prospered as
Selma became a hub
for cotton production,
Due to a changing
economy and general
downfall in the agricultural industry, many of these historic ware­houses
are abandoned and dilapidated.
The Stewart, King and McKenzie warehouse on Selma Avenue is
under immediate threat of demolition. This late 19th-century
warehouse once housed a cottonseed oil industry, Nearby, the
Dallas Compress (above), spanning nearly four city blocks, also
sits vacant Once one of Selma's most significant warehouses,
lissier Hardware was demolished for its bricks, The creation of a
National Register district here would be the first step towards a
local historic district which would provide for local protection.
HASSINGER HOUSE, Birmingham - The Hassinger House is a
remnant of the earliest developrnent along Highland Avenue, a
grand residential boulevard,
in the late-19th century. The
1898 house was designed by
architect T, U Walter III for
prominent Birmingham
industrialist William H.
Hassinger, Its turret, gables,
verandah and asymmetrical
profi Ie are characte(lstic of
the Victorian Queen Anne
style, while the porch's Ionic
columns and Ilat wall surlaces
are classically inspired, antici­pating
early 20th-century tastes, Intense development pressures
threaten the Hassinger House, Once an area that was entirely
residential, popuiar Five Points South has become increasingly
commercial, Though the house is restorable and appears to be
sound structurally, it is only rnarginally maintained at present
ARLINGTON SCHOOL, Bessemer - A 1908 ClaSSical Revival
school buiiding, Arlington was Besserner's first high schooL Its
most distinguishing
features are the deco­rative
brick and stone
fagade, basketball
courts with interior
sky lights and jewel
box theatre with raked
floor, proscenium stage and horseshoe balcony. The city school
system abandoned Arlington in the early 1980s. Now dilapidat­ed,
a community development corporation owns the building
along with developers who intend to adaptively reuse the building;
however, they have met many funding issues along the way,
The deterioration continues, and as each year goes by, the reha­bilitation
costs increase, A highly visible landmark for the city, it
is part of a second proposed local historic districL As part of a
local district, the school building would be eligible for federal
rehabilitation tax credits,
FRANCES BYNUM HOUSE, Courtland - Incorporated in
1819, the small town of Courtland near Decatur boasts a fine
concentration of early architecture, The town has made signifi­cant
preservation progress in recent years, however, one of the
earliest and most significant houses, the tall, hipped-roof
Frances Bynum house, stands abandoned, Located on a large
wooded parcel on the northwest corner of the Court!and National
Register historic district, it is among the oldest Iramed dwellings
in the state, The house features a rare "hall and chamber" floor­plan:
A large room or "hail" is flanked on one side by a smaller
retiring room or "chamber." Though remodeled around 1900,
tr,e interior betrays its age in quaint "cross-and-bible" doors and
other remnants of early woodwork,
Passed down through the generations and now owned by out-of­state
heirs, the house faces destruction unless it has new owner­ship,
and Quickly (Update Recognizing its significance, the APA
recently purchased the house with the intention of stabilizing it)
COLEMAN HOUSE. Uniontown - The Coleman home speaks
to the tirnes of a better economy - when Alabama's Black Belt
farmers still pros­pered
and small
towns were a way of
life. Built around 1906
in the NeoclaSSical
Revival style, the
Coleman horne fea­tures
a central double leaf entrance with full transom and side­lights,
a dominant full-height portico with paired terra cotta
Corinthian columns, a side porte cochere, decorative quoins and
exterior corbelled chimneys,
A couple from Maine recently purchased the house, but ran into
difficulties while repairing it The house is now offered for sale
again. If the present owners do not find a buyer, they will demol��ish
the house for salvage to recover from financial losses,
DAY'S GAP, Cullman County - In spring 1863, Confederate
Gen. Nathan Bedford Forrest leit Tennessee in pursuit of US,
Col. Abel Streight who
with his 1500-man
brigade was on a raid to
destroy the Western &
Atlantic railroad in west­ern
Georgia. On April 30,
Forrest caught up with
Streight at Day's Gap in Cullman County. The first assault
occurred at Staples Hollow, Forrest then took his cavalry up
Sand Mountain where the Confederates attacked; Streight
repulsed this attack, and Union troops continued their march,
Forrest pursued, and a running series 01 skirmishes and engage­ments
began; these running cavalry fights were unique to the
Civil War. Forrest finally surrounded the exhausted soldiers near
Rome, Ga" where he forced their surrender on May J
The actual site of the engagement on Sand Mountain is now a
comrnunity called Battleground. Without formal protection, Day's
Gap is threatened by relic hunting and needs proper mainte­nance
and protection,
KENNEOY HOUSE, Mobile - Completed in 1857, the
Kennedy House is one of Alabama's most important examples of
the combination Greek Revival and Italianate architectural style
that flourished in the last decade before the Civil War. A tall.
temple-like Iront portico is NeoclaSSical in basic form and pro­portion,
but the detailing is Italianate The side-hall plan has a
singie wing set back from the street to allow for a small private
garden, Inside, the mansion boasts a curved stairway enhanced
by an arched statuary niche, ornately carved wooden trim and
decorativeiy plastered ceilings
In 1950 the Historic Mobile Preservation Society presented
American Legion Post No, 3, longtime owners of the mansion,
the society's first architectural award for respectful use and
maintenance of a landmark, Fifty-three years later, the mansion
is abandoned and deteriorating, and the American Legion would
like to sell the house. (Update: Through the acquiSition of grant
funds, the American Legion is working on plans to rehabilitate
the house.)
OLD EASTABOGA & TRAVELER'S REST, Talladega County­Located
near Eastaboga Creek, Old Eastaboga received its name
from the Native
American word for
"where people reside"
Records show there
was a post office near­by
in 1834.
Once located along the Jacksonville to Montgomery stagecoach
route, Traveler'S Rest Vias a popular stop for travel-weary pas­sengers
This Alabama I-house (above) dates to the early 1830s,
as does the group of historic homes in the settlemenL
Now vacant and deteriorating, Traveler's Rest has been long
abandoned, and two nearby houses suffer a similar fate, Once
these early homes are lost, so goes the settlement of Old Eastaboga
An exceptionally fine exarnple of an I-house, the Jared Gross
home, is iocated just north of Traveler's ResL In 1850, the stage­coach
trail was widened and planked becoming the Central
Plank Road. However, in the 1880s, when the railroad came
through a mile and a half north, Old Eastaboga began its decline,
Though the physical structures are deteriorated, with the proper
direction and stewardship, these historic resources have potential,
PENSION ROW, Madison - PenSion Row is emblematic of
many small town African-American neighborhoods, For much of
the 20th century, it was
home to most of Madison's
black citizens. This once
thriving community is losing
many of its landmark and
background buildings, in large
part a result of the end of
legally sanctioned segregation,
For many such communities, assistance for rehabilitation and
improvements is available, But Madison's growing status as an
affluent bedroom community jor Huntsville has brought a high
overall income level that renders Pension Row ineligible for
these grants The Madison African-American Alliance Group
(MAAG) is actively working to revitalize the neighborhood
through emphasizing and retaining its character,
ALABAMA'S RURAL CEMETERIES, Statewide - Rural his­toric
cemeteries are threatened by abandonment, neglect and
vandalism, Often they are not marked on maps, and many his­toric
burials were never rnarked or marked w'lth materials since
vanished, Vandals have destroyed or stolen many for the black
markeL Police are often unaware of laws protecting cemeteries
or do not have the resources to respond when violations are
reported, Yet another threat arises from well-intentioned citizens
who clean the historic marker with substances too abrasive,
Historical societies, genealogical societies and concerned citi­zens
are taking inventory of cemeteries in each county, The
University of Alabama Department of Geography has an excel­lent
database of Alabama's burial grounds, and the AHC, with
assistance from local citizens, is compiling a historic cemetery
register, Technical assistance is offered to local groups who
seek assistance in maintaining historic cemeteries, +
31 Volume XIII, No. II
Desi nAlabama
Volume XIII, Issue II
PUBLIC DESIGN AWARENESS AND EDUCATION
Artful Architecture
DesignAlabama Inc. works to increase awareness and value of the design disciplines
Go out with a The plaln work, [! trut~
that influence our environment. We believe that the qua<zi'ty of life and
definite purpose lS that zt s not only goo /
economic growth of this state are enhanced through attention to and
and stay with your work for people ~o be sho~kea
investment in good destgn.
as long as that purpose occaszonally, but
remains definite. absolutely necessary
Alabama Council AlA
- Bobby Jones
o the progress of society
There is nothing ugly;
that they should be
I never saw an ugly thing
hocked pretty often.
in my life:for let the form _ George Bernard Shaw
of an object be what it
may, -light, shade and
perspective will always
make it beautiful.
- John Constable
Alabama Architectural Foundation
This publication was made possible Ihrough lunding by Ihe contributors listed above.
For additional information about DesignAlabama, please call (334) 353-5081.