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Fall 2001 Volume XI, Issue II $4.00 THE PUBLIC FORUM FOR DESIGN IN ALABAMA DesignAlabama Inc. Board of Directors: Cathryn Campbell Gerachis, Chair Good'/I}'n. Mills and Cawood Inc. Montgomery Nancy Mims Hartsfield, Vice Chair Auburn University Auburn Elizabeth Ann Brown, Secretary Alabama Historical Commission Montgomery Charles Callans, Treasurer Birmingham Realty Birmingham Arnelle Adcock Centra! Alabama Electric Cooperative Praitville Joseph R. Donofro Donofro & Associates Architects Inc. Dothan Marty Ellis Business Council of Alabama Montgomery 80 Grisham Southpace Properties Birmingham Tin Man tau Auburn University Auburn Robert Martin Southern Progress Corp. Birmingham Kenneth M. Penuel Southern Company Services Inc. Birmingham Kay F. Roney Wafface Community College Doihan Patricia E. Sherman Patricia E. Sherman, Architect Gadsden Karen H. Seale, Executive Director Philip A. Morris, Director Emeritus Desi nAlabama Volume XI, Issue II Cover: Scenes of new urbanism at work and play in Alabama's suburbs. Letter from the Director A return to the traditional neighborhood structure found prior to World War II, new urbanism promotes the creation and restoration of diverse, compact, mixed-use communities that contain housing, work places, shops, entertainment, schools, parks and civic facilities within easy walking distance. In this issue we will examine the impact of this movement, as well as established principles of urban design, on Alabama's suburban communities and its influence on the renewal of small town centers and university campuses. As we look at this new approach to the quality of life in our communities. it seems fitting that we also remember a designer whose work addressed many of these same concerns. Both founder and director of the Auburn University Center for Architecture and Urban Studies, Franklin Setzer significantly influenced the direction of publiC design policy throughout the state. As executive director for DesignAlabama, he helped smaller communities develop successful strategies for revitalization. Frank also played an active role in The Tuesday Group, an organization dedicated to the availability of quality affordable housing, along with many other projects for the Birmingham area To honor the many contributions he has made to our organization and the communities of Alabama, this issue is dedicated to the memory of Franklin Setzer, December 1948 - May 2001. Karen H Seale Editor: Karen Seale Managing Editor: Tomie Dugas Art Director: Nancy Hartsfield Associate Art Director: Ross Heck Assistant Art Directors: Kelly Bryant, Tomie Dugas, Samantha Lawrie, Wei Wang Contributing Writers: Jessica Armsirong, Tomie Dugas, Philip Morris, Karen Seale This publication is made possible through funding by the fol/owing contributors: Alabama State Council on the Arts National Endowment for the Arts Employment Consultants Inc. A special thanks to Philip Morris for his ongoing assistance and advice with this publication. Submission Information DesignAlabama encourages submissions from its readers. Articles 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., P.O. Box 241263, Montgomery, AL 36124. Items for Project News and Details 01 Interest should inciude a paragraph summary detailing the nature of the project, the design firm, principals and associates involved and any other details that may be of interest such as unusual or special design features, completion date. approximate cost, square footage, etc. Also include the name, address and phone and fax number of the client and an individual whom we may contact for further information. Direct inquiries to Karen Seale at (334) 396-5341 or mail to: designalabama@attnel. Past journal issues are available for $6.00 including postage and handling. Contact Karen Seale at the above numbers for availability information and to order. © 2001 DesignAlabama Inc. ISSN# 1090·0918 This issue of OesignAlabama was designed and produced on MaCintosh Computers utilizing QuarkXPress 4.0. Proofs were printed on a HP 4000N and iinai output on a Compugraphic 9400. Creating a village on the Auburn University carnpus p7 DesignAiabama is a publication of DesignAlabama Inc. Reader comments and submission oj articles and ideas lor Applying urban concepts to suburban developrnent. p9 FEATURES "SubURBAN MOVES" CONTENTS & Uncovering the historic heart of Main Street cornrnunities. p.23 NEW URBANISM IN THE SUBURBS, 9 ...............................•..•......•..............•..•...•.........•........••................•....................•........•.........................•.............................• - MOUNTAIN BROOK 10 FAIRHOPE HOMEWOOD HOOVER GORHAM'S BLUFF/MOORESVILLE PHENIX CITY 12 14 16 18 20 ----- - - ---------- - ---------- ------ ----- -- ---- - ------------- VESTAVIA HILLS 21 tulure issues are encouraged. MT LAUREL 22 ARTICLE MAIN STREET MATTERS BUILDING A SENSE OF COMMUNITY. DEPARTMENTS ProjectANews Work of statewide significance. DesignllMakes A Difference Auburn Conceptual Plan. Designer~Profi ie Web Designer Wei Wang, .....................•........•.. Historical'iPerspectives Renovating Historic Schools. Details+Of interest Noteworthy observations, _ ..... __ ... . u.~___ _,, ___ . ___ .~ ____ . _____ ._____ _ ____________________________ _ 23 4 7 26 28 29 TOllmer's C!l1'nll\l' Designing Web sites the Wei Wang way. p.26 ProjectA.News 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. Top to Botlom Dothan Fire Sla/ions North Elevation. Dothan Fire Sia/ions East Elevation. Original Feed and Seed. Train Depot Renovated iar Administration OesignAlabama 4 Brookwood Middle Schoof. ............................A .. ' .. c·h+·t .. e. . c. . t .. u .. r. . e. ........................... · KPS Group of Birmingham is providing design services to Temple Emanu-El in the renovation of their existing facilities. The project encompasses renovation and preservation of the 1913 sanctuary in Birmingham, design of a new education facility replacing the existing one and life safety code compliance for renovated areas. The new education building includes administrative offices, banquet facilities, library, computer room, music rehearsal room and art room. Improvements to the chapel and social room will also take place New construction and renovation totals 62,500 square feet and includes parking for 130 cars. The $12 million project is scheduled for completion summer of 2002. Temple Emanu-Ei. Donofro and Associates of Dothan has designed a new central fire station complex and administration building for the City of Dothan. The project comprised renovation of an 8,000- square-foot 1930s vintage train depot and a 112,000-squarefoot 1920s feed and seed warehouse. Architect Joe Donofro convinced the city to renovate the feed and seed building in lieu of razing it and constructing a new facility. The station is designed to house three 18-man shifts and four full apparatus bays. The design reflects the first masonry single-bay firehouse in downtown Dothan with the shallow arch bay openings Steel trusses and columns were exposed throughout the building and painted red. The exterior galvanized metal skin speaks to the railroad warehouse and the feed and seed that once occupied the property Besides the architectural contribution the complex makes to the municipal building inventory, it also provides a major economic impact on the low income east side of the core area. A Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood Inc. of Montgomery has designed the new 11 O,OOO-square-foot Brookwood Middle School now under construction in Brookwood. The school combines 800 students from Brookwood and Vance and will serve as the nucleus of a much larger 4,000-acre master-planned development located along a five-mile stretch of highway connecting the Mercedes-Benz plant and the new Capstone community. The facility will include a state-of-the-art media center, gymnasium, cafetorium, elective classrooms, science and computer labs, all organized around a central spine and common area. The 50,000 square-foot AB Shopping Center corporate headquarters in Shelby County designed by Williams-Blackstock Architects, PC, of Birmingham was sited to take full advantage of the woodland views. Large two-story arched windows punctuate the building exterior, and exposed structural steel beams aliow light : to penetrate deep into the open office areas. The exterior skin is ' brick with weeping mortar joints and limestone accents. AS Shopping Center Corporate Headquarters. The building plan arranges a single level of large open office spaces with tail ceilings surrounded on three sides by private offices and a mezzanine with a radius cantilevered steel balcony overlooking the open office area. A multi-conference room that spans the building entrance is centrally located on the mezzanine with dramatic views from glassed-in conference rooms overlooking the lobby and open offices. The primary circulation path is accentuated with a geometriC, clear-sealed, stained concrete floor pattern, which leads from the sky-lighted atrium lobby to the wire-enclosed cab and exposed steel shaft elevator to the mezzanine conference spaces. The building interior finishes feature exposed structural steel, rough plaster walls and clear-finished MDF wall panels. Open office workstations use standard painters' scaffolding on wheels with clear finished birch worktops to continue the contemporary theme and rearrange easily. The Colonial Bank Building, also designed by WilliamsBlackstock Architects, PC, of Birmingham, is a five-story, 125,000-square-foot, $12 million corporate office building located on one of the most viSible sites in Birmingham. An intricately detailed curved glass iagade provides a dramatic presentation to highways 280 and 31. The deep green glass complements the limestone-colored, pre-cast concrete base on the building, which is richly articulated and steps down at the glass curve of the building and provides a strong series of punched window openings with floor-to-ceiling glass punctuating the other fagades. At the top floor of the building, floor-to-ceiling glass forms a continuous horizontal band that crowns and accentuates the curve in the building with a parabolic curve in the glass parapet. To keep the roof sight lines clean from the highway, a clever solution was developed to place the cooling tower under the building with a horizontal intake and exhaust, which also saved costs. The structural system is a concrete pan joist system with the exception of the roof where steel framing was employed to not only produce economy, but to also create a curtain wall system that removes all columns from the exterior fagades and provides a sweeping panoramic view at the top floor along the curved fagade. Colonial Bank Building. A Montgomery's Barganier Davis Sims Architects Associated has designed a three-story addition to the local Alabama Public Television (APT) station, as well as renovating the existing facility with a new entry and updated lobby. The 13,000-square-foot addition is grounded in the geometry of a cube deconstructed to reveal a layering of texture and material. A new entry that derives from a similar language creates a dynamic threshold leading to the hub of the new facility. The lobby design was driven by an existing column grid resulting in a space rich in form and function. Three metal-clad panels accommodate the columns set in front of a curved wall separating the lobby from open office space. Flat screen monitors front the panels and display each of the channels broadcast by APT, as well as a high definition signal. APT Station with Addition ... Even farmers' markets benefit from design. The Saturday market that unfolds in Birmingham's Pepper Place was designed to allow circular pedestrian traffic flow with farmers and their trucks at the interior and freestanding vendors at the perimeter. The layout, by architect Chris Engel of Workshop7 LLC of Birmingham, is based on maximizing visibility, providing access from multiple entrance points and creating a pedestrian street sized appropriately for the event. Because the market is assembled and disassembled each Saturday, it is necessary to utilize the farmers' trucks as workspace and storage for extra produce/merchandise. Part of the market's success comes from its mix of vendors, the visitor's ability to browse shops in the Pepper Place area, share breakfast with friends, view cooking demonstrations by top chefs and enjoy a variety of live music. Pepper Piace Farmers· Markel A TurnerBatson Architects provided the architectural and interior designs for the recently completed addition to Southside Baptist Church in Greenville. The 12,500-square-foot addition features a sanctuary to seat 650 people, lobby with exposed wood structure, multi-purpose room, brides' room and covered walkway to the existing facility. The project team, based in Birmingham, included Richard FOD, AlA, principal architect. Joanne Riddle, MIA, project designer, and Karen Taylor, designer of interiors. &. Construction has commenced on a $15.2 million expansion to First Baptist Church in Montgomery designed by Borden McKean & Payne Architects. The Montgomery firm's designs for the addition include a new 1 ,300-seat sanctuary, 500-seat fellowship hal" choir suite, media center and adult education space. David Payne, AlA, was partner-in-charge and associates Dave Ford and Dondi Williamson were project architects. First Baptisi Cfwrch with Ao'di/ion "··",·",·,,,··,····,,G··r··a·p··!t·..,·G·····D,,e-·s··j·g ·fl··"··"···"··,,,,,,,· An awareness campaign coordinated for the Alabama Council of the American Institute of Architects (AlA) by the Tapley Finklea Group Inc. (TFG) was designed to reshape perceptions about architects among policy-making groups such as legislators, code officials and school board reps. After conducting a survey that indicated a lack of understanding about architect training, certification and education and of how architects improve the safety of a building project, the Montgomery firm launched a campaign that integrated print ads, direct mail and public relations to address the misconceptions. Implemented to correlate with the start of the 2001 legislative session for the greatest impact on government officials, black-and-white print ads appeared in various trade publications and the Montgomery Advertiser. Two direct mail pieces were specially designed and delivered. An oversized 12x18-inch poster rolled in scroll form displayed a design contrasting the "architect blue" of blueprints, against the bright red of the AlA logo and hot colors of the flames. Dramatic images and phrases referring to hospital fires and protecting the safety of young children were selected as powertul yet realistic motivators to encourage reading. TFG hand-delivered the piece to legislators during the 2001 session and mailed it to others in a 12- inch tube. The second piece, a postcard reinforcing the key message, was mailed at the end of the 2001 legislative session. Post-campaign survey results showed clear indications of improvement, and most notably, the awareness campaign drew attention effectively to tr,e reality that architects with special training, certification and education bring a unique level of safety and value to every building project. Noelle M. Hara, was creative director and Laura A. Heil, graphic designer. One Side of the A/A's Direct Mail Poster. A. Lewis Communications of Mobile has developed a logo and marketing advertising campaign for LoDa, the city's Lower Dauphin Street District. The campaign touting the tag line "Entertainment's Oldest Address" includes collateral giveaways sporting the new logo, banners, billboards and radio commercials. Colortul banners communicate arrivai in the district and add a festive atmosphere to the shopping, dining and entertainment experience. Visit wwwmainstreetmobile.orgtoviewthe banner designs and billboards created for the client Main Street Mobile. &. LWT/KBK New Media of Montgomery has designed a new Web site for Earth Elements, producers of potpourri and other scented products. To convey the highly visual and textural nature of their product, art director Laura Rainey empioyed photographs at an unusually large size so the texture and color would become the strongest elements. "By giving the photos approximately onehaif to two-thirds of the compositional space, we created a striking layout," she notes. "To add some depth, I chose photos whose right side had a hard edge that could be partially masked, leading the eye into the copy on the leit side of the page" This slight overlap further emphasized the products, making them as dimensional as possible in the 2-D space of the Web. Established to inform Earth Elements' customers about their products, as well as showcase the seasonal selection of scents, the site has a letter from the co-founder, FAQ page, product locator and catalog. Earth Efemenls Web Site. Sherlock, Smith & Adams of Montgomery was selected by the Redstone Military Association to design a continuing care community for Huntsville area ! residents. Phase I of the 82-acre project will: be the development of one- and twobedroom homes in the form of 90 independent living apartments, 40 independent living villas, 45 assisted living apartments and 42 skilled nursing beds. Common areas will include dining, social gathering, recreation and other enrichment activities. Main entries will provide a distinct identity for each resident group. The facility was designed to maximize views of Huntsville from the ridgeline. Phase I construction documents are scheduled for completion in February 2002. Redstone Viffage The Gadsden Boardwalk Master Plan designed by KPS Group Inc. of Birmingham focuses on the Coosa Riverfront's image, pedestrian linkage to downtown, nautical linkage to riverfront recreation and role as a central civic corridor. The pian simplifies vehicular and pedestrian circulation and creates a safe, walkable : environment to the water's edge. A bandstand with sloping iawns : serves as informal seating for large events such as the annual . rivertront festival. Pastoral park-like areas along the river's edge replace existing parking lots with large lawn areas, shade trees and venues for sculptural art, pavilions and fountains. An elegant: wooden boardwalk flanked with ornamental lighting serves as the central spine of the corridor with seating areas for viewing riverfront activity and boating events. The plan features a new marina with commercial development scaled to complement the pedestrian environment and restaurants, shops and other commercial uses along the boardwalk. The marina includes boat slips, a ramp and convenience facilities with second and third story uses to include office, loft and/or hotel space KPS Group has recently completed work on the conceptual phase and is developing schematic plans for the boardwalk, marina and Third Street Park. Gadsden Boardwalk Master Plan. 5 Volume XI, No. II ·················I··R··tJ..at··s··t··r+·a··I······D··t!-·s·+g-·ft················· Last spring 15 fourth-year Auburn University industrial design students under the direction of Rich Britnell worked with Dr. Martens AirWair LLC to generate shoe concepts for both next year's line and for the year 2010. • Preliminary research and concept : sketches were presented to National Product Manager Thorn : Bridgham from Portland who later reviewed refined concepts : along with Dr. Martens' Global Design Director Ian White of . the United Kingdom. Both worked with the design team to . solidify their concepts, which were presented as 3-D design : models spring semester. Again this fall Britnell's fourth-year : design studio will work on more shoe concepts for Dr. Martens : and will conclude the project in December. Shoe ProiDlypes by (Ie!! to {igh!}: Tippi Ciark, Craig Brownlee. Stacy James ······················ ... ·u··t··e··r·-i-·o··r·····D��·e··s··i:··g··n····················· North Shelby Library in north Shelby County requested an attractive building that would be easily recognizable as a library to the general public. WilliamsBlackstock Architects, PC, of Birmingham provided full architectural services to design this 28,000-square-foot, two-story library incorporating custom features and an HVAC system that keep operational costs to a minimum. Designed to be empathetic to its natural setting, the strong clerestory lobby serves as an exciting, elegant circulation space and focuses the interior views on the beautiful wooded hillside. Interior design was performed in-house along with the selection, procurement and placement of a complete furnishings and equipment package. The project received a Bronze Award from the International Interior Design Association/Alabama Chapter in 2001. North Shelby Library. DesignAlabama 6 Alice Cutright of The Architects Group/lnc. (TAG) of Mobile worked with architect Dan Borcicky on their Mobile firm's recently constructed Region's Bank Financial Center in the western part of that city. She incorporated elements of the building's exterior with the lobby and work space. Traditional columns were repeated inside. The reception/customer service desk was custom-deigned to include sculptural brackets similar to the exterior bracket detail. To connect the interiors with Mobile's cultural talent, Cutright commissioned Mobile artist Eugenia Foster to execute massive oil paintings that related to Region's history. Cutright received an Alabama ASID Corporate Interior Design Award for the project Region's Bank Financial Cenler ............................ ·-E .. R.. g-·i .. ft·e .. e. . r .. i .. n·g. ..................... ·. ..... .. Alabama sports one of the first facilities in the nation dedicated solely to electronic vehicles. A joint effort between FORMWORKS Architects Inc. of Birmingham and four engineering firms, the Alabama Power ElectriC Vehicle Service Center serves both an educational and maintenance function. Utilizing the automotive showroom, conference/classroom and the bicycle room, the utility educates school groups and the public about electric vehicles. The showroom at the Birmingham center also features four maintenance bays for the company's fleet of electric vehicles. The spaces are no-nonsense, large and open within the 6,500- square-foot footprint. Structure, building systems and equipment are all exposed, neatly instai:ed and painted On the exterior an engineered rigid steel frame structure is covered with a split-face, center-scored concrete block skin pierced by 12- by-12-foot storefront windows. A bright red wave-form steel canopy spans the fagade. Engineers integral to the project were: Miller Triplett & Miller Inc. (civil), Ritchie & Montgomery PC (structural), Mackinaw Engineering Inc. (plumbing and mechanical) and Hyde Engineering (electrical). Alabama Power Electric Veil/ele SelYice Center. .... ·l;·-a .. n .. d .. s .. c .. a .. p'·e .... ·A .. r .. c .. h+-t .. e .. c .. t .. u .. r·e .... A new landscape architecture firm, KernsPearson of Birmingham and Asheville, N.C., recently completed a riverfront master plan for Valley. The former textile community's mills, no longer dependent on the river, have moved to more convenient and modern facilities thus diminishing the deeply rooted connection between the river and town. The purpose of the Riverfront Master Plan, says landscape architect David Pearson, is to establish a framework for recapturing and reconnecting the town to the river and to serve as a catalyst for recreational, historical and environmental opportunities. The project includes more than six miles of riverfront greenways and 200 acres of new parkland. Phase I, design development, is scheduled to begin fall 2001. Valley Riverironl Sketch and Masler Plan. .& Spain Park Sports Complex, adjacent to the new high school campus in Hoover, has been designed by Montgomery's Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood Inc. The project includes two high school baseball fields, two adult softball fields, a two-story restroom/concessions building with press box on the upper floor, as well as a 200-car parking lot and maintenance building. The remaining portion of Spain Park is reserved for use as a passive park with walking trails and pavilions. The $25 million project is scheduled to be completed by fall 2001 ,A Spain Park Sports Complex. Design.Makes A Difference • It has been called "The Loveliest Village on the Plains" long after it grew into a major state university) but a recent study commissioned by Auburn University has determined that the concept of a village set amid green space is what the campus should embody. ''The Image & Character of Auburn University" completed last May represents an unexpected approach to campus planning. At the suggestion of Trustee John Blackwell, the Auburn University Board of Trnstees engaged International Design and Entertainment Associates (IDEA) to study perceptions and expectations about the university. The study by the Orlando-based finn specializing in image and branding was supported by three committees working over a year's time. The concepts adopted by the board of trustees set the ground rules for a campus master plan since commissioned from Sasaki & Associates of Watertown, Mass. IDEA drew upon this finn'S wide experience in setting criteria for a new master plan. Auburn Conce tual Plan As seen in a bird's eye perspective of the Wop. Spratling campus design, by 1915 a balance between the ideals of Olmsted's approach and the Renaissance axial approach, espoused by the new classicists, was being developed. by Philip Morris "The Image and Character of AubUrn University" report prepared by International Design and Entertainment Associates. 7 Volume XI, No. II Biggin HaJJ 1951. This first expression of the new Jnternational Style on campus was designed by Pearson, Tittle and Narrows and includes on the west exposure a set of once operable vertical louvers that could be adjusted with changing sun direction. To quote from the report: "The criteria below include some factors that are functional in nature, but the overall objective is to set criteria that emphasize the quality of place, the quality of community and the continuing creation of a campus that is distinctive to its region and culture." • Criteria for land Use The plan should reinforce the established land-use patterns of the campus. The plan should sustain inherent functional and pedagogical values of the compact academic core that is surrounded by and integrated with residential, recreational and social functions. The plan should avoid further dispersal of academic functions beyond the established core area generally defined by West Magnolia, South College, West Samford and South Donahue, except for specialized research facilities and professional programs not requiring close proximity to the undergraduate instructional core. The underfying goal of this criterion is to maintain the pedagogical and community values of proximity among academic functions, as well as to conserve land and infrastructure resources by inhibiting dispersal. Criteria lor Campus Open Space The plan shOuld establish a clear, legible open space order that connecis the various precincts of the campus in a unified way_ This should be accomplished by preservation and enhancement of existing signature spaces such as the residence quads, Ross Square, ihe South College Street fore lawns and the area that contained the Eagle Aviary. It should delineate the open space corridors that will connect major pedestrian open spaces, including weH-defined street corridors such as Meil Street and West Thach Avenue. The plan should identify opportunities for the creation of an "icon' open space that establishes a compelling symbolic identity for Auburn. Criteria lor "Pedeslrianization" It is imperative that Auburn recaptures the basic idea of "pedestrlanization" on the campus by creating safe and attractive collegial open spaces, reducing conflicts with parked and moving vehicles and introducing venues into the heart of the campus that generate pedestrian interaction. The term "recapture" is a deliberate reference to historical images of an Auburn campus that was once oriented to clear, strong pedestrian open spaces. Planning for the enhancement of the pedestrian environment is not only an aesthetic and cultural goal, but also a functional response to the growing need for closer ties among academic disciplines. Criteria for Campus "Architectural Fabric" The plan should identify opportunities for building infill and replacements, wherein architecture strengthens and frames the pedestrian open spaces discussed above. The best examples of such "framing" are the dormitory quads north of Roosevelt. The prospect of incremental removal and replacement of Saunders, Allison and Parker is a good example of the opportunity to redefine buildings as a unified background to the open space fabric, The plan should set design guidelines for materials, massing and bullding fa9ade lines that restore the sense of scale and unity embodied in earlier buildings. The plan has to acknowledge that future architecture (laboratories, sports and recreation facilities, student commons, etc.) VIii! likely be larger in scale and mass than traditional buildings and, therefore, will need to have good articulation of fa9ades, abundant '1ransparency" at ground floor levels and entry plazas that invite gathering. DesignAlabama 8 Criteria for Circulation and Parking The plan must find ways of harnessing the automobile on campus so as to make the pedestrian experience safer, more attractive and more coherent and to utilize limited land resources in the academic core more effectively. The plan should examine selective street closures and a real· location of the parking supply to serve various user groups while reducing the amount of parking that breaks up the integrity of the academic Core. Criteria for Community Functions: "The Campus as a Village" The distinct cuttural conslruct of Auburn University as a "town" or ''Village'' is a powerful and unique factor that must be preserved and enhanced in setting criteria for planning the campus. The scale and character of future Social and public facilities should reinforce the viilage-like atmosphere. Even the inevitable large-scale laboratory buildings should be positioned in such a way as to frame spaces where social interaction, gathering and community activities can take place. The plan should accommodate an abundant array of places and functions that will foster the sense of community and collegiality. Those functions should include outdoor gathering places at pedestrian crossroads locations, public spaces reiated to common facilities such as the student center and the library and courtyards, mails and plazas that invite informal encounter. Criteria lor the Environment The plan should strengthen the relationship between the formal built environment of the core area and the natural systems (stream corridors, wooded areas and fields, etc.) that define the outlying areas south and west of the core. Stream corridors should be protected by the preservation of the wooded banks flanking the streams. Reforestation programs should be identified where they can effectively link various parts of the campus and "soften" the visual impacts of large-scale parking and building masses at the edge of the academic core. Thach Hall 19S1. Classified as Contemporary Georgian by Sam Brewster, former director of buildings and grounds, VanKeuren, Davis' Simplified bold design rendered in brick features a symmetricallrant lagade with a stone base and pedimented entry pavilion. Ross Hall 1930. The Neoclassical building with Georgian overtones occupies the central position on Ross Square, a formal garden, Ilanked by Samlord Hall (east) and Fay Union (west). Designed by Warren, Knight and Davis, its symmetrical fagades are dominated by a Doric porticO (south), a balustraded stairway (north) and a crowning cupola. Samford Hall circa 1880. The earliest campus development followed an organizational and architectural style popular lor mid~19th century institutions. The original campus was oriented toward a commons, Samford Park, and directly addressed the town at its central crossroads. Buildings designers employed picturesque Victorian Romanesque styles, popular lor instifutional and municipal buildings of the period. "City" and "Suburb" are usually read as opposites, as in "City vs. Suburbs. II In this representation the city is dense, urban and diverse, the suburb low-density, non-urban and homogeneous. As applied to Alabama's urban places, these distinctions have always blurred. Except for downtowns, there are almost no urban districts in the classic Eastern Seaboard city sense, and even downtowns have generally not been places where people live. In Mobile, Montgomery, Birmingham and Huntsville, close-in neighborhoods are really early suburbs and mostly at the density of a garden district. URBAN~ by Philip Morris Even as downtowns now work to encourage residential lofts and 24-hour life, so the suburbs, which have always had their own individuality, are attracting offices and so-called townhouses, along with the shopping centers long a part of the mix. But the problem with so much of suburban development from the 1950s onward is that it became a helter-skelter spread of residential subdivisions and commercial strips. More recently, the cumulative sprawl has gotten so bad that the suburbs are often overwhelmed with traffic and congestion - once considered big city problems. Maybe it's because of the traffic. Maybe the new popularity of walking for health and recreation is behind it, but there are signs of a change in the suburbs. The new urbanism movement (OA Fall/Winter 1998) has put forward the model of a mixed-use, walking-precinct town as an alternative to autodependent, separated single-use zoning. Some federal transportation funds are now earmarked for bicycle and walking, not just for recreation. but as an alternative way to get around. And maybe, too, suburbs are just growing up, wanting to be more truly urban on their own terms. This emerging trend is the subject of "SubURBAN MOVES." The survey ranges from a well-planned pre-World War II suburb now discovering its implicit urbanism, to a high-growth suburb taking a new look at development standards, to a town of 12,500 that wants to grow as a town and not just random subdivisions. Some of the changes are subtle and gradual, so the full effect may be years coming. Others are dramatic, like the transformation of a 1970s mall with a new "Main Street" front. Just as the places differ, the specific moves are quite diverse. But these ideas about how to make the suburbs more interesting and livable have relevance just about anywhere. This should be an exciting movement to see unfold across the state. Philip Morris is an architectural writer and contributing editor to Southern Accents and Coastal Living magazines. 9 Volume XI, No. II 71)e Ci{r o/Mountain Brook has encoumged new injil/ daelopment in its three villages. These images shall.! English Village ·'bifore" in 1997 (left) and '·after," (right) II.Jith mixed·use buildings designed by Sprott long & Associates defining the edge 0/ new sideu'C/lks and a sInall plaza at the corner. The six-stol), condominium tower behind is r.·.· '\ . . *~ \ actual(J' in Birmingham. ~GjJEI]Mountain Brook bURBAND [J OesignA!abama 10 A bucolic 1920s suburb may not sound like a frontier for urban initiatives, but within the past few years the City of Mountain Brook, located just over the Red Mountain ridge from the heart of Birmingham, has done the following: • Linked its three commercial villages with trails and sidewalks • Invested in major streetscape improvements for the villages • Adopted urban design guidelines to protect and extend these pedestrian-scaled places • Revised its local business district zoning to mandate new buildings at the sidewalk line rather than set back suburban style • Changed its sign ordinance to include provisions for smaller signs compatible with the scale of the villages • Created a Villages Design Review Committee to oversee enforcement of the guidelines and ordinances • Commissioned a nationally known downtown development consultant to explore ways to strengthen and enhance the villages. These various actions have been taken to enhance both the economic performance of the villages and the quality of life for residents. City Manager Sam Gaston notes that sales taxes increased 9 percent after streetscape improvements (though this rate has since leveled Off). He also notes that merchants and property owners were involved from the start in planning and implementing the project, funded by a 25-cent increase in the local sales tax. As for community life, the sidewalks and trails have transformed the city with residents out walking or jogging (with or without their dogs), parents with young children in strollers, youngsters on bicycles, all animating the place. "When we come out of city council meetings at 9 or 9:30 at night, you see families on the sidewalk or around the fountain," says council member Alice Williams who has been an ardent supporter of these changes and who serves as councilliaison on the Villages Design Review Committee. Shawn on one of the new benches installed as part of recent streetscape improvements in Crestline Village are: (seated left to right) Craig Rogers, architect and chair 0/ the Villages Design Review Committee, Alice Williams, city council liaison with the committee, and Darrell '}fryer, planner and urban designer with KPS Group. Standing behind is Cify Manager Sam Gaston. Design guidelinlls for the lJillages dere/oped by KtS Group call for tbe wid!/) and jJmporlions ojs/orifron! ba}'s to be used in all remodeling and new building. The key guideline for building/street relations is jar buildings to bold to the sideu,wtk line to keep pedes· Irian scale and visibility. Parking lots should not disrupt the street frontage. Mountain Brook (pop. 20.000) is often viewed as exceptional and, thus, not a model for others. But both its original layout and recent attention to pedestrian amenities have caught the eye of other suburbs in the area. (See following features). Laid out as a motoring suburb and an escape from the city, the 1926 plan for Mountain Brook Estates included a sidewalk-fronted Mountain Brook Village with cars and people gently mixed around a distinctive landscaped circle. In this, landscape architect Warren Manning of Boston created a plan for developer Robert Jemison Jr. representative of the best early suburban planning where the auto was served but so was the pedestrian. By the time it was incorporated as the City of Mountain Brook in 1946, there were two other commercial villages absorbed into the city layout: the small-town grid of Crestline Village which became the town's civic heart with the city hall and library set within the commercial core; and English Village, a small crossroads center on the margin between Birmingham's Redmont neighborhood and Mountain Brook. Over the years, city leaders kept both the villages and adjacent neighborhoods distinct and strong by not widening linking roads or allowing commercial development to spread along them. Desirable Cndesirablc Desirable Undesirable Over the past several years, Nimrod Long III, a landscape architect and resident, was instrumental in getting the city to apply for federal funds to link the villages and ne'lghborhoods with sidewalks and trails. Phase I of 6.4 miles and Phase II with 2.1 miles are complete, with existing sidewalks and trails mapped and new ones laid out mostly along major roads or streamside open spaces. Future phases of what is now called the Walkway System Master Plan, reaching out into more recent neighborhoods and linking parks, schools and other destinations, will bring the total to 25 miles. Another resident, planner Darrell Meyer, who joined KPS Group in Birmingham after retiring as longtime head of the planning program at Auburn University, was retained by the city to develop guidelines for the villages in 1996. These deal not with architectural style but with the massing, scale and placement of buildings in relation to sidewalks, plus the location of parking, all intended to reinforce the intimate urban character of the villages. "As in most towns, Mountain Brook's zoning ordinances were suburban-based, so the required setbacks wouldn't allow the villages to be built the way they were. We changed this so building to the sidewalk is standard for the local business district zoning that applies to the villages." Meyer also wrote the new sign ordinance reducing overall sign size in keeping with the villages' scale. In 1997 a Villages Design Review Committee was established to oversee the application of the guidelines Any proposed changes to the exterior of buildings, including signs and awnings, come to the committee for review and approval before permits are issued. Architect Craig Rogers is current chairman. It was this committee that recommended to the city planning commission and council changes to the zoning and sign ordinances after they discovered the need. Tbe (lil!ages now bmJe build-to rather than suburban setback lines, and an addition to [he historic Steeple Arts buifding in Crestline Village designed b)' architect Randy Marks extends the frontage of e:'dsting shops, 11 Volume XI, No. II DesignAlabama 12 To keep its new library accessible by foot or bicycle in the heart of Crestline Village, the existing library was torn down and temporarily moved to a shopping malt so the new, more urban one designed by llKW Associates could occupy the same location. Local architects have welcomed the guidelines. For an addition to the landmark Steeple Arts building in Crestline Village, Randolph Marks used the build-to-sidewalk provision to extend the existing storefront line while creating an attractive enclosure for a courtyard between the addition and the historic church structure. Rob Walker of SRW & Associates, who has designed a new two-story infill structure for English Village (retail below, Though it Jronts U.S. 280, the Tlelf) Mountain Brook plaza 280 retail block ~J' architects DesignFonn Picks up the ebamcter oj nearby )Jountain Brook Village, putting a pillage toehold on this major highU'(J)'- SRW designed this new injifl buildingjor aformer service station site in Engfish Village to repeat the scale and storefront Thytbm of the existillg 1920s buildings lIext door. The plan sbows the neu' buifdingJootprint in context with parking to the side alld behind. One trait of true urban planning is putting pieces together so they add up to something greater than the parts. The decision to tear down the existing too-small Mountain Brook Library in the heart of Crestline Village and build back a three-times-Iarger facility on the same site - one made after much discussion of options - is another sign of "SubURBAN MOVES." Keeping it within walking distance of Crestline Elementary School and the close-knit neighborhoods nearby, as well as strengthening this village as the civic heart of the community, was a major consideration. The new, tighter building guidelines facilitated the replacement of a suburban-building-with-Iawn with an urbanbuilding- with-plaza in a design by HKW Associates. offices above), says, "We are already attuned to what the design Most recently, the City of Mountain Brook in cooperation with guidelines are intended to do, so we welcome them." To replace a its new chamber of commerce, has hired Doyle Hyett of Hyett-Palma, a setback structure once used as a service station, SRW's design nationally known downtown development specialist, to study all three continues the commercial bays of adjacent 1920s buildings and villages in relation to each other and competing business/retail nearby. cladding with a similar clinker-brick texture. To meet the developer's A city-wide master plan update in cooperation with Jefferson County budget, the slate roofs will not be repeated, but copper was speci- planning staff is also underway. fied because it will weather to a similar tone. Another new building, Mountain Brook Plaza 280, while it fronts U.S. 280 and is not While it does have its exceptional qualities, Mountain Brook's contiguous to Mounlain Brook Village, picks up the urban charac- increased attention to the character of development, development of ter of the nearby village with storefront bays, brick detailing and a public amenities and the use of more sophisticated planning and distinguishing tower at the juncture of its L-plan. DesignForm, the design review to manage change are tools many towns, cities or architecture firm on the project, is led by Rogers who chairs the suburbs might emulate. _ review committee, so those involved were familiar with the guide-lines even though they do not apply to this highway setting. • �� • Fairhope Development Framework LEGEND DOWNTOWN VILLAGE CENTER DOWNTOWN IMPACT AREA GREENO ROAD VILLAGE CENTER GREENO ROAD IMPACT AREA NEIGHBORHOOD VilLAGE CENTER NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER IMPACT AREA Tbe det:elopment JramelCod~ /Jictured 011 the I'igbf i//ustJ'{ltes Fairhope's j)roposed/rtlltl'e dere/ojnnell! j)(!!fem. DottnfoU:1l represents a regional village eel/tel' and tbe ~:rmbolic center ojFaidJojX!. Greeno Road represents all au/omobife-based retail centel: a/I/Jollgb if is anticipated /bat landscape treatments li'Il! be used 10 effietive( r tie Ibis center info tbe amra// dere/ojJlI1fmt/ram/Juwk. the remaining eellters shO/nz flIlls/rate possible /OCfttiol1s/or smaller scale neig!Jborbood commercia! 01' il1s/ifuliollaf activilies. SOTE: [be cellteJ~~ indicated do JlO! represent (m exact projJOsed location. Rather, {hey sbOlt' IbeajJjJroximale sendee areas/or such ceJ1lel:~, Tbe ci(r.h01l'el:er. s/Jou{d 1101 ajJjJrol'8 Ileigbborhood cenlel:~ tbat are ajJproxi- ~.-,., '".",,"-,,~ "1"~'''J~nl.1 FaitH !~'II~I~URBANP1D····. ~. ' 'IJlU,lqw I I [~ ~-' Once a place apart, Fairhope (pop. 12,500) on Mobile's Eastern Shore has become part of a larger suburban growth zone. To get a handle on how it expands, the City of Fairhope early this year adopted a new master plan that mandates village-scale development rather than typical suburban sprawl. ''This process went on for a year and had wide community involvement," says Mayor Tim Kant, elected last October after years of heading the city's admired civic landscape program A national search led to the firm of Gould Evans Goodman from Kansas City They were selected because they had strong architecture and landscape architecture experience rather than more typical planning in just two dimensions. To engage the community, clear alternatives between market-driven and community-shaped growth were developed, and the community overwhelmingly chose the latter. The Alabama Chapter of the American Planning Association gave the Fairhope plan its 2000 Outstanding Planning Program award. Fairhope city planner Christopher Baker says the same firm is now helping the city develop regulations that will put the plan into effect. "We knew the plan would be a learning process for our residents, so we dedicated a great deal of effort on that front. Now we are doing the same with the developers and landowners." Compared to many cities, Fairhope already has regulations in place to manage how it grows. Its big-box ordinance, for example, restricts the size and location of large-scale retail buildings. If located in the Greeno Road area where they already exist, freestanding stores can be up to 18,000 square feet. Anywhere else in town the size is limited to 8,000 square feet. The 'Idea is to keep Fairhope's small town character. Following is the Fairhope Land-use Plan. 13 Volume XI, No. II To facilitate community discussion, a series of three alternative land-use strategies were prepared. They were presented to both the steering committee and at a town hall meeting for review, discussion and direction. Land-use Plan [ Alternatives] In a final town hall meeting, a group consensus was formed regarding the most appropriate land-use pattern for Fairhope. (See Alternative C.) ." .. In the first alternative. it was envisioned that the future of Fairhope would be determined solely through typical market and development forces. In this scenario. Fairhope would develop with strip commercial centers along primary arterials. Residential subdivisions would fill-in sporadically between these corridors. and parks, schools, churches and other institutions would locate expediently - wherever cost effective. A key advantage to this option is that it represents the mainstream of American development practices; thus, it is relatively easy to implement. It does not, however, adequately address the vision, goals or objectives of the plan as developed in the community participation process. DesignAlabama 14 I!lll "''''''''''''~'''' ?UIILiC Alternative A projected Fairhope build-out if there were no signijiCClllt changes to existing land-lise policies and if dereiopment decisions u-ere designed to be dejimmtia/ to the wishes of the dew/opmen! communil)'. • / Keighhorhood .\. ........• ~ Stlip Commercial )' • In a marke!·dn"ven approach, commercial development occurs in a "sln'p" configuration along corridors and at the intersection of arterial roadways. Residential subdivisions are typically inwardly focused Parks, churches and schools are located in an expedient manner, primaril;! in areas with fou:er land costs. Btiflers betu'een residential and commercial uses are essential. The second alternative attempted to direct market forces to a greater extent than envisioned in Alternative A. In this scenario, the city would use zoning policies and infrastructure development strategies to direct the timing of new development. While the strip-oriented commercial corridors would still exist to some extent, they would be phased in a more orderly manner. A comprehensive trails and bicycle path system, interlinked with parks, would be developed as a part of the city's physical framework. The result of this development pattern would be better sequencing and predictability of infrastructure, but it would not fully address the city's image and character as expressed and identified as a priority in community meetings. Altemative B proposed a Fairhope build-out based On modified traditional/and-use policies that represent a selJ'II'·pattemed community, where cost is not the primary loeational determinant. Trails While a "strip" commercial configuration exists, the cit)' would utilize zoning poliCies to limit the size and COl1- figuration. A proactive approach would be necessary to coordinate parks and institutions. A trails system would link parks into an Ol'eratl open space network. [Preferred Plan] .\'eigbborbood Cbaracf(!J' ~ / ( MIXED USE -7<:::.-~f":NTER '" Off-Set Mixed-Use Center jhxed-llse center may occur across em il1!e;:~eclioi1 OJ' 1rUbin ol/e or more il/tersec/ion quadl'flJ1!s as illustrated. After considering the three alternative land-use scenarios, the community participants and Steering Committee worked to develop a preferred scenario to act as a framework for future development in Fairhope. MixeD USE Streets Bisecting Mixed-Use Center i! clustered. mixed-use eel/fer cOllsisling q( commercial OJ' institutional uses ancbors eael; rillage. A planned parks and trails system finks tbe til/ages. Village Center Character In a third altemative. Fairhope was envisioned as developing in a series of wa!kable villages. Each viliage would be centered around a mixed-use cluster consisting of parks and open space, a trail/bikeway connection, institutions, retail and residential. Although the exact nature of each village center would be market driven, a premium would be placed on the clustering, coordination and land-use integration of these and other uses. In this scenario, three levels of retail are envisioned for Fairhope: Downtown as a regional center, Greeno Road as a community retail center and smaller neighborhood village centers that are not competitive in scale and use with either downtown or Greeno Road. This altemative was overwhelmingly favored by community participants in the planning process, although there was a recognition that this was the most difficult of the three alternatives to implement LEGEND RESIDENTIAL PARK I OPEN SPACE PUBLIC Alternafire C presents a build-out scenario u"bere JUJU' grou:tIJ has been directed il1[o riflage pal/ems designed to j)FOI!ide my/ous /ereL~ oj support fo loca! or regiol1al residents. ;\'01£: Tbe {ocatiolls oj cOlJlmerciaflq/jice, park/open space and public falld-uses are approXimate. Tbey lfere presented at comlnuni(r meetings for dL~Cl(ssiOIl pur/Joses on(/: The Fairhope Framework creates a hierarchy oi vi!lage centers that wili be located throughout the city to meet different local and regional needs. Each of the village centers will be designed to include or be linked to: • Compact, wa!kable neighborhoods with approximately a one-mile walking radius • Public space, such as a square or an important intersection • Pedestrian/bicycle trails and open spaces linking all villages, including downtown and the waterfront • A commercial and/or institutional core that responds to market-driven realities. II 15 Volume XI, No, II The City of Homewood (pop. 25,000) has its own "downtown," a streetcar-era shopping district that includes city hall and related uses, the core of which was given streetscape improvements several years ago. More recently, Homewood has extended civic landscape improvements along its Greensprings Highway/Columbiana Road corridor. But the most dramatic move from disconnected-suburban to linked-urban pattern is happening in the valley parallel to Shades Creek. Tbe first 2.5 mile part oj a pedestrian/bicycle trail along Shades Creek connects rna/or destinations, ineluding Homewood Higb where a bridge :.pans the creek DesignAlabama 16 After years in design and processing, the first phase After the Shades Creek trail was master planned, of a planned six-mile pedestrian and cycling trail has opened. a major change in the plans for renovation of Brookwood The 12-foot-wide, asphalt-surfaced trail parallels the creek and Village regional mall was announced by Colonial extends 2.5 miles from the west end of Brookwood Village to Properties, the mall's new Birmingham-based owners. Columbiana Road. Designed by Homewood resident Jane Rather than upgrade the mall in its existing configuration Reed Ross of Ross Kelly Landscape Architects, PC, the trail (two-stories with anchor department stores at either end), serves both recreation and transportation. It opens up creekside open space that has long given Shades Creek Parkway/ Lakeshore Drive a true parkway character but was never accessible on foot or bicycle. And it links a regional mall, Homewood High School, Samford University, the new University Park development, several neighborhoods and other office buildings. Phases II and III will extend the trail west for a total of six miles, connecting with Wildwood shopping center, John Carroll High School and other sites, terminating in West Homewood Park. the decision was made to open it up with a Main Street-like frontage and new restaurants overlooking Shades Creek. The concept was developed by StreetWorks, a retail consultant from New York, with HKW Associates, the architects, and Nimrod Long & Associates, the landscape architects, both of Birmingham. This major change from suburban to urban type makes the "village" in the center's name descriptive for the first time since it was built in the 1970s. And since the City of Homewood is paying for a new dedicated street that extends through the site, the change meshes well with the new Shades Creek pedestrian link. Wben renovations at Brookwood Village are completed tbis fall, storefronts Willface a new public street bull! across tbe properly by tbe Cit)' a/Homewood and connecting to tbe new Sbades Creek trail. In presenting the Brookwood Village plans last January at the Birmingham Museum of Art's Annual Review of Architecture & Design, HKW project architect Mark Coyle showed slides of the existing mall's blank walls and described how the new frontage with storefronts and restaurants in full view would make the shopping center "Iook like someplace you'd just like to be." Within, there will still be an enclosed mall component, but a new two-story pavilion inserted at 90 degrees and fronting on the new street will give it more visibility and urban presence The change at Brookwood Village is obviously inspired by the huge success at The Summit a few miles away at U.S. 280 and 1-459, built from scratch as a single-loaded "main street" by Bayer Properties with design by architects CRH of Birmingham and Nimrod Long & Associates. In shopping center circles this is termed "openair shopping." In the Homewood case, what is remarkable is how timely this shift was to the planned redo of an aging mall and how well it complements the new pedestrian link. Though the City of Homewood has not yet picked up on the more sophisticated urban pattern planning now being explored by Mountain Brook, Fairhope and others, it quickly rose to the occasion when it agreed to spend more than $7 million on the new street fronting Brookwood Village. The newly urbanized center may not have the diversity of architecture and uses nor the connectedness evident in Homewood's downtown, but it represents one giant step away from isolated suburban patterns toward something people seem to want. _ 17 Volume XI, No. II Anchored by its prime revenue source, Riverchase Galleria, and made attractive to expanding neighborhoods on the Birmingham metropolitan area's south edge by a school system created seven years ago, the City of Hoover is now the sixth largest city in the state with a population of about 65,000, Successful as it has been in attracting growth, the pace and shape of development - or, rather, the lack of shape - caused a major change in leadership last fall when a new mayor and city council majority were elected on a smart growth platform The national movement promotes a more intelligent and responsive approach to growth: meshing land-use and transportation, protecting environmental features, reinforcing existing towns or neighborhoods and mixing uses together in a way that gives people the option to walk or ride a bicycle rather than depending solely on their cars. Mayor Barbara McCollum in one of her first initiatives put together a task force and consultants to develop a citywide master plan to look at such issues. Echoing the distinctions raised in the Fairhope land-use plan between market/developer-driven, directed-market or preferred- pian approaches, Mayor McCollum and her supporters look to the planning process to help them make good decisions and even correct past mistakes. "When I meet with developers, I tell them we don't want to stop growth but to make sure we protect our natural beauty, deal with traffic and accessibility and create longterm value for our community," she says. Her experience on the city planning commission and city council helped shape her sense that the city need- 0 ed to be more proactive about how (? h it develops. DesignAlabama 18 LS'( Really, (( major properZF oltner in Hoover, is currently developing The Preserve witb smafler lot hOlises placed around a centml green that opens at one end to tbe city's lIew 250-tlcre Moss Rock Preserre. Tbe Ritercbase G'al/eria with its office (lnd bole/IOlrers [lisibJeji'om c.s. 31. along wilb olher retail dereioj)ment, sels the present image of ffoOl'eI: HOOVER ON-THE·CAHA8A 01'i-THE-CAc!ASA $OllU1WCS\ Vf!iaS<: Concopt b:;::~ ,'I !'" b:~: 1-, ,"" Hoorer-on-tiJe-Cababtl, a concept pkm commissioned by tbe City off/oOMr, proposes tbe Cababa RifeI' be used to create a lltilural-foatllre focusjol' both existing and lIew neighborhoods. Pedesfrialljriendf)'. mi.yed-lise m'l/ages are proposed at cerlaill localiolls along /be u.'ay. If the best features of Hoover are the master-planned Riverchase development begun in the 1 970s which includes well-landscaped office parks and residential areas, as well as Riverchase Galleria, there are signs that more intimately mixed-use urban patterns will have a place in its future, balanced with greater recognition of natural features. When Virginia Williams, formerly chief administrator for Birmingham Mayor Richard Arrington Jr., joined the city as iirst director of development four years ago, she oversaw development of a study called "Hoover-on-theCahaba" It turns out, the 27-mile-long city which grew from its origin near 1-65/U.S. 31 eastward toward U.s. 280 as new subdivisions requested annexation, includes the Cahaba River for most of its length. The plan, which recently has been fleshed out with an environmental inventory of what needs protection, calls for the river to be made an important image and amenity feature. This includes providing new visibility and access in existing neighborhoods and creating a series of pedestrianfriendly villages along the river in yet-developed land. The lead planner on this study, Darrell Meyer of KPS Group, has been teamed with planning consultant Bob House on the Hoover master plan to incorporate aspects of new urbanism and an armature of green into the process. In the meantime, USX Realty, which has used good but typical suburban planning for the extensive development of Trace Crossings over the past decade, has begun construction on The Preserve, a 300-acre pedestrian- scale residential district centered on a village green and adjacent to the 250-acre Moss Rock Preserve that the City of Hoover purchased as public open space The plan by Nimrod Long & Associates originally included a retail village component, but objections from existing residents eliminated any commercial use. Smaller town home and cottage lots are concentrated at the center to help establish the feel of a traditional walking neighborhood. Memphis-based architects Looney Ricks Kiss, who have a "'=M,r; ",~,;w,,-c( t>''''",-,«, ,.,"""-;".vc; ... '" For all of its life, Phenix City (pop. 28,000) has been a de facto suburb of Columbus, Ga., on the other side of the river. But as part of a master planning process, the town decided that making a proper urban center everyone could enjoy and be proud of should be a high priority. Out of a day-long brainstorming session held in August of 2000, KPS Group of Birmingham has developed a plan organized along Broad Street which, at 164 feet wide, is four feet wider than the famous Monument Avenue in Richmond, Va. A double allee of trees and monuments relocated from elsewhere in town will establish a strong civic presence. At the north end, near a new bridge across the Chattahoochee River, a small hotel and conference center are planned. At the south end near the old bridge is another hotel and an office building. In between are a mix of residential and retail plus an existing city hall and chamber of commerce building. A grocery store, the only one serving both downtown Phenix City and Columbus, will be relocated to a new downtown shopping center to be built nearby with traditional street frontage. number of successful new urbanist developments to their credit, designed the range of houses being built at The Preserve. The only place to walk or ride a bicycle to, at least for now, will be the village green, the Moss Rock Preserve or a multi-use community center on the green. Maybe, before too long, residents of Hoover who have developed a love/hate relationship with big scale, autoonly development will have some gentler, kinder options on places to live, work or shop. III <- ~t.l, ......... '1 ,-'". ~,~<;.-- Tbis pIal! j)repared by XI'S Group of Birmingbam for downtowll Phalli): Cif:), sbows lieu' small hotels and conjerellce facilities. plus a nell: shOPPing center fo !be nor!h, located neal' the bridges that cross OFer 10 Columbus. Ga. In bel/teen are a mi:..- oj residential. cit!lc altd business uses ol'edookillg creekside open sjJace «nd tlJe rille): The birds /!re drawing {llustrates bOil" bltildings are brought to the street, 1[ilh public parking on the street ((lid ill loIs bebind. _. ty New commercial and civic buildings are located in an urban manner, built to the sidewalk line with parking to the side or rear. Another key aspect drawn from traditional urban centers: All downtown parking will be public, both on-street and in off-street lots owned by the city, so spaces will be used for multiple purposes and walking will be encouraged. "The plan calls for making the two downtowns work together, providing hotel space to complement the Columbus convention center," says Darrell Meyer of KPS Group. "Columbus is the industrial side, with restored old mills and warehouses, while Phenix City is the green side. There will be new residential on the bluff overlooking a waterfront park and the river and downtown Columbus on the other side." III 19 Volume XI. No. II Two locations in north Alabama illustrate the diverse applicability . of the new urbanism revival of traditional town planning, as well as the importance of adhering to the movement's standards. DesignAlabama 20 Huntsville architect Steve Mouzon of Mouzon Associates has been an avid follower of the new urbanism movement, attending the annual Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) where the principles and projects are debated and refined. He was recently involved in a reassessment of Gorham's Bluff, laid out by a New Orleans architect. Instead of a range of lot sizes and firm civic ordering, the plan was essentially standard lot layout with a few civic gestures. Mouzon developed revisions, presented for a roundtable critique at the recent CNU held in New York City. Gorham's Bluff will now feature a range of lot sizes, especially smaller ones conducive to those wanting to have a small second-home cottage. The revised plan puts emphasis on the town as an arts retreat with studio and dormitory space for visiting artists. At the center, a planned assisted living center will be designed as an integral part of the town. "The cafeteria will be a sidewalk cafe that anyone in town can eat at, the mail room - the town post office and the library - the town library," says Mouzon who has been named town architect. "The residents will be integrated into the life of the community just as old people were in towns everywhere a century ago." The potential for new urbanism planning to reinforce and extend an existing town is also being explored by Mouzon at Mooresville. This historic planters' village two miles east of the intersection of 1-65 and 1-565 leading to Huntsville is threatened by surrounding development. After seeing examples of Mouzon's new urbanism work for Gorham's Bluff, the mayor of Mooresville has retained the architect to develop a plan to extend the intimate scale and architectural character of the town across several hundred acres of adjacent agricultural land. By expanding as a town, not random suburban sprawl, Mooresville would not only secure its quaintness but provide a small town choice for new residents. _ The historic planters' Village a/Mooresville, tbreatened by sprau.!ljrom the nearby 1-6511-565 interchange, has asked Mouzon to delle/op a new urbanism plan for the lalld around the Village in order to protect it. Vestallia Hills plans to delle/op an open spacejrameum>k and a serieS ojpedestrian village centers, plus a cl~)' center around its original shopping center on us. 31> Su Originally developed in the 1950s and 60s in a fully suburban mode, the City of Vestavia Hills (pop. 25,000) is known for its quality schools and an overall green infrastructure highlighted by the Shades Mountain crest and a landscaped U.S. 31, including a tree-lined median. But an active community group has recently pushed for something more and that includes a stronger urban identity. The same round of municipal elections that has set a new smart growth agenda in Hoover also brought a new city council majority and a new mayor, Dr. Scotty McCallum (former president of UAB), to push for the new set of urban goals. A long-range planning committee chaired by resident volunteer Fred Yeager and served by staff planners from the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham (RPC) is looking at a wide array of issues. But central to the effort is a bundle of objectives with the aim of making Vestavia Hills a physically more attractive, memorable and pedestrian-friendly place. • ~. P'" • _. S . .. .-.-....-.. .... Among the many ideas generated during community brainstorming sessions, a large number fall under the "SubURBAN MOVES" theme including • Promote a sense of neighborhood by creating a balanced relationship between residential areas, retail facilities, places of employment, recreational facilities, civic and cultural facilities and other activities • Develop guidelines to promote quality and consistent architectural and landscape improvements • Convert guidelines into ordinances that are enforceable • Develop a city center. In June, RPC conducted a Vestavia Hills image-ability workshop based on the mental mapping principles of Kevin Lynch, where residents determined that their main north and south gateways along U.S. 31 were well marked, but not those lying east and west. The desire for a walkable city center to be located around the original community shopping center on U.S. 31, plus smaller pedestrian-oriented centers attached to neighborhoods, are expected to be key features of a new master plan. Putting the pieces together in a more thoughtful, more urbane manner has risen to high priority on the lovely south slopes of Shades Mountain. _ 21 Volume XI, No. II The first eMe bUilding in Mt laurel at tbe jool o/Double Oak Mottntain in Sbelby Cottnty is the fire Sideu.-alks in the small/ot l1eigbborboods in the town center are bordered '-~~""-'-'-~"'f'~I~tJt "IMt Laiirel Su [J,---==:-,~ Just beyond the upscale subdivisions and mega-strips of Birmingham's ever-expanding U.S. 280 corridor, on a relatively quiet Shelby County Highway 41, a new beginning for an earlier model of suburban planning is underway: Mt Laurel. This past summer. when Mt Laurel hosted interested Alabama architects and landscape architects on a tour-and-barbeque, the visitors could see the beginnings of the town center The first pbase.Mt Laurel plall l}' DPZ of.'rIiami. Lo.nJ 1.;<0 Pia" ,,",.,', .. .".".", 0Ii ."" . The T'own 0/ MT LAUREL and the walking neighborhoods extending outward along the valley floor, as well as a civic lake set on the lower slopes of Double Oak Mountain just above the town center. It takes some imagination, but the fire station and tower clad in native stone gathered from nearby, the signs showing locations for the first commercial building and a row of live/work townhouses, the first narrow street of architect-designed cottages in Arts & Crafts style and the sidewalks bordered by handsomely crafted stone retaining walls already set a tone. DesionAlabama 22 What matters most, of course, is the plan commissioned by Birmingham's Stephens family from Andres Duany & Elizabeth PlaterZyberk (DPZ), leaders in the new urbanism movement that has advanced a new/old model for creating walkable, human-scaled neighborhoods and towns with civic presence. The 500-acre first phase includes the town center and attached or small lot dwellings gathered intimately on the valley floor with the pattern loosening, of necessity, as it climbs the steep slopes. Great care is being taken to balance what is built with what nature provides, preserving even smaller trees and encouraging the use of native plants, a passion of Elton Stephens Jr. Town landscape architect Rip Weaver explains that larger trees removed from building sites have been turned into timbers to be used for arbors and other civic structures. Because the plan includes carefully placed civic buildings, the fire station designed by Dungan & Nequette of Birmingham takes on added importance. But everywhere, really, in a walking town, architecture becomes important because it can be seen and appreciated. Town architect Scott Finn pOints out that because Mt Laurel was not able to interest a select list to join a home builders guild, the Stephens have created their own building concern. This is not development as usual, but it is not unprecedented. "I tell people that everything we're doing is based on what you can find in early Birmingham suburbs like Forest Park, Homewood and Mountain BroOk," says Finn. The narrow streets, sidewalks, storefront architecture and civic space found in small towns and early 20th century urban neighborhoods and suburbs are newly appreciated. It may be a softer kind of urban than the word usually connotes. But sitting at a sidewalk table with people and strollers and dogs passing by is urban - and it's back, it seems, in places the recent past would never have predicted. _ A!ab:l(!l,t Historic:!! Commis~ion ALABAMA MAIN STREET PROGRA,\1 Main Street Matters: AlabamaJs Main Street Program They say we're getting back to basics - back to the heart of things. And the heart of any city is its downtown. After years of decline, many historic downtown districts across America are once again thriving, and it's happening with gusto in Alabama. Anyone who has been away from the state for just a few years will notice an impressive transformation. by Jessica Annstrong Built in 1913 and once a huggyMand.barness shop, the structure is highly decorated with stone trim delineating bays and providing contrastingfoundation and cornice lines. Current owners the Fambrougbs rehabilitated the building in 1993 wit" what was tbe first fafOde inamtive grant funded by Downtown Gadsden Inc_ Until recently, many of Alabama's downtowns hid decades of histOlY behind neglected f~ades. Buildings have been treated to colorful awnings and new coats of paint Trees, flowerbeds and old-fashioned street lamps line sidewalks. Commercial vacancy rates are dow11 with underused and dilapidated properties reborn as restaurants, offices and shops. Street life is invigorated with festivals and community events. Part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Main Street program was established after determining that the country's downtowns were in a serious state of deterioration. Since 1980, the National Main Street Center has been working lIith communities nationwide to revitalize their downtowns. The Main Street approach involves saving historically significant architecture and breathing new life into a town's commercial core. It's a locally driven economic development tool targeting local issues and concerns. Alabama's Main Street program began in the early 1980s when the Alabama Historical Commission offered incentive grants to tOW11S interested in improving their commercial districts. Since its inception, the number of Alabama towns jumping on the Main Street bandwagon has steadily increased. The program was reorganized in 1988 under the leaderohip of Alta Cassady as Main Street coordinator, a position recently filled by Andrew Gerachis. "The appeal of the Main Street approach can be found not only in its success in preserving buildings," says Gerachis, "but in so doing successfully builds a sense of community. The organizations that result from following Main Street's four-step process are stronger, highly interwoven and better able to meet the needs of dynamic communities." 23 Volume XI, No. II DesignAlabama 24 Dating to 1884, the building originall}' was bome to Pizitz Department Store. In 1996 Gilbert & Williams Properties purchased and rehabili~ tated the long vacant red brick structure with the white terra cotta ftlftlde. Its five upper bays are delineated by fluted pilasters and each of the windows is sunJwunted by spandrel panels tuith bas relief shields, swags and cornucopias. The key to Main Street's success is the partnership between the public and plivate sectors, explains Cassady, who now serves as the AHC's grant program administrator. "Main Street was one of the first organizations to l~alize the need for such a partnership. With today's tax cuts, state revenues are dO\In, and the govemment can no longer do it alone. The private sector needs fmancial incentives and guidelines." A public-private partnership has worked wonders in communities througbout Alabama, creating a boon to local economies. If in doubt, take a look at downtown Gadsden, a textbook example of a successful Main Street community. "Gadsden was fortunate to have stability in its govemment," adds Cassady, who was Main Street state coordinator in 1993 when Gadsden's redevelopment efforts began. "A professional plan was done, and Cathy Back was hired as Main Street manager She's very enthusiastic and dedicated - a real dynamo." The Main Street program is administered through DOlin town Gadsden Inc., creating a catalyst for public and private investinent, says Back. Nearly $22 million has been spent on building improvements and purchase of property in the downtown district, Back notes. Additionally, there has been an increase of 419 jobs and 82 new businesses. The occupancy rate has risen from 79 percent in 1993 to 90 percent today. Along with an effective public-plivate partnership, Back credits Gadsden's success to its fa,ade and sign grant incentive programs, as well as the establishment of a downtown design review process. Since 1993, Gadsden has benefited from 93 grant-funded improvement projects, and several other projects are underway. Downtown Gadsden Inc. joined the city in a major streetscape project on Broad Street that consisted of many improvements such as widening Sidewalks and installing brick pavers, streetligbts, benches and crosswalks. "It has made downtown look like something out of a dream," observes Back. The Downtown Core District, as Gadsden's downtown is offiCially called, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. This deSignation makes federal income tax credits possible for renovating historically significant buildings, says Back. It also allows property owners to change state property rates from commercial to reSidential, she adds. "A parking management plan has been developed in cooperation with the city," says Back, "and we are working together to make improvements. We have also developed a historic walking tour of downtown." In addition, a design plan for a streetscape project on Chestnut Street (parallel to Broad Street) has been created. Other new projects in need of funding include a design and reuse plan for the Pitman Theatre - the last theater remaining in downtown Gadsden - and the development of a downtown plaza. Upcoming plans also include a comprehensive promotion campaign. Also in the works is an update of Gadsden's original revitalization plan developed in 1993. "The study of existing conditions and trends, as compared to those in 1993, will help identify strengths and wealmesses in the physical and economic attributes of downtown," explains Back. "Strategies to enhance the strengths and improve the \\~almesses are intended to gUide public and private sector actions. This result will be a road map for continued improvements and revitalization of downtown Gadsden." Bam and raised in Gadsden, Back is the first and only manager of Downtown Gadsden Inc. Her advice to other communities planning to spruce up and rejuvenate their downtowns? "Fonn partnerships and work together as a team," she recommends. "The city has to be One of those partners - everyone from the elected offiCials to department heads, to the guys who empty the trash and everyone in between." On the left, tbe Pitman Theatre, constructed in 1947, is tbe last remaining movie theatre in downtown Gadsden though it closed in 1983. Owned iry' tbe city, it is being renovated in partnership wit" Downtown Gadsden Inc. as a venue for classic film, lectures, musical presentations and as a home for the Gadsdelt Symphony and Etowah Youth Symphony. The Senior Activity Center is composed of the other two buildings shown on the right. Fonnerly alC Penney store andAlaco PbamUlCY respectively, the d~y purchased and rehabilitated tbe stnlCtures in 1997 and linked their interiors. 1be lC Penney ftlfade was completely renovated employing architectural features typical hz the Southeast. The fomler Alaco building, constntcted in 1943, is a amtributing building in the Downtown Gadsden Historic District and was rehabilitated to its original condition. When a problem can't be solved, move on to something else, continues Back "Make certain to always strive for consensus," she suggests, "Keep active and open communication with business and proper~' owners and city officials, Always be open and easy to work With, but hard to run over and keep down," The numbers clearly indicate the success of the Main Street program in Alabama, More than $200 million has been invested by the private sector in the downtown areas of participating communities, Public improvements exceed $66 million, and thousands of new jobs and businesses have been created statewide, Twelve Alabama communities are currently participating in the Main Street program, and eight additional cities have inquired about the program within the past six months, says Elizabeth Brown, Alabama's dq)u~' historic preservation officer, "I certainly see a growing interest in Main Street throughout Alabama," says Brown, "Everywhere I go mayors are interested in preserving the core of their cities, They want to ensure economic development and a sense of place, All Hardee's [restaurants] are the same, but there is variety in tile state's downtowns," Indeed, suburban sprawl in Birmingham looks basically the same in Huntsville or any other ci~' in America, Noted for their singular value and character, historic downtowns are a sharp contrast to bland, !\ny10wn, U,S.A, "Before Main Street, the only vehicle available to communities for downtown revitalization was the 'master plan,' a design tool necessary and useful for conceptualization and grow1h, but somewhat limited in reaching the neighborhood on a personal level," notes Thomas Kaufmann, design specialist for the Alabama Main Street program "The master plan was analogous to the Wide-angle view of a 70-millimeter lens, The Main Street approach works extremely well because it is an individual snapshot, much like the one depicting the original family business gracing the mantle at home, It is about people, pride of place and love for the community,"'" One of the oldest structures in downtown, tbe Kyle Building, built in 1883" was originally home to SA Berger Dry Goods. It now bOllses Imagination Place, an ad~ juuct facility of the Center for Cultural Arts. Rebabilitation, completed in 1996, removed a false front of aluminum and masonite. The building has a distinctive empire roof line with projecting gable, and all windows have segmental-arched rusticated stone heads. The Center for Cultural Arts OCCUpies tbe former Belk Hudson Department Store building. The facili~y was resuifaced with EIFS and features a cylindrical projection at the corner and a recessed entf}' with cautilevered canopy. Relwvation was completed prior to adoption of the Downtown Revitalization Plan, and the programs and activity generated by the center factored greatly in the renewal of downtown. Jessica Armstrong is a freelance writer based in Auburn. ~"~'9 25 Volume XI, No, II Designer~Profi Ie • el an by Jessica Armstrong o ~ ----~ DEPARTMENTS DesignAlabama Web site. DesignAlabama 26 In the early 19th century, the remarkable process of photography revolutionized our perception of reality. A century later modern artists created something entirely new with form and color. Web designers of the 21 st century are elevating the computer to a medium of creative importance. In a sense, the computer screen is today's canvas. Web designer and Auburn University professor Wei Wang uses the computer to generate new discoveries and insights. Raised in Shenzhen, Canton, in the People's Republic of China, he left his homeland Six years ago to study and teach in the United States. "I'm very interested in Web/interactive design because I think it is a great challenge to combine design theory and advanced technology," explains Wang, who teaches undergraduate graphic design courses in Auburn's Department of Art. He and his wife, Tianxia, moved to Auburn in 1999 and have two young sons, Albert and Eric. "As a Web designer I speak with my design," he continues, "both for the Clients and the end-users. For clients, a Web site needs to strengthen their image and identity, reach their short-term and longterm goals and, most importantly, act as a communication medium. For end-users, the same site needs to provide an engaging interactive experience which leaves them with recognition and an impression of the client's image." His Web site, WangDesign, is not only a selfpromotional site, but also a Web deSign resource for his students. The site is presented in two versions - English and Chinese. In 1993, Wang received an undergraduate degree in industrial product design in Shenzhen. He left China to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design at Utah State University and a Master of Fine Arts in graphic design at Louisiana Tech University, where he taught computer graphics. He continues to develop his Web design work with an exuberance that keeps pace with the technological changes in the electronic age. Computer graphiCS, 2-D and 3-D animation, interactive interface and multimedia design are among his areas of interest. Wang has earned several awards including a first place ADDY for designing the Louisiana Cotton Museum logo. Before moving to America, Wang served as art along with contrasting color images and high contrast page designer must also construct a site that is easy director for the China Shenzhen Foreign Trade Group between soft-edge and square formats. The site also to update. Corp. Shenzhen was the first city in China to develop its contains a functional and graphically powerful "Finding one unique solution for each client economy when the country opened its doors to the arrangement of positive and negative space. Other fea- makes Web design very exciting and challenging," West, says Wang. A large percentage of Shenzhen's 3.5 lUres include a multihued and comfortable grid, user- remarks Wang. "I also enjoy the way you can commu-million residents, he adds, speak English and enjoy a friendly interface and dynamic but consistent layouts. nicate with a client from any corner in the world to relatively high income. The background of the opening page provides find out the best way to promote their services and "I haven't designed a Web site for Chinese a collage of many digital images merged together products. Think about it. Everyone - not just a limited clients yet, but that's something I'm going to do in the seamlessly to represent the diversity of Alabama's number of people - is able to see your design work near future," says Wang. "Right now, I'm working on a design fields, Wang explains. through the Internet. What could be more exciting?"@' flash Web site, onewaystudio.com, which will have a "I treated the foreground as a visual message in mirror site in China. It will be launched later this year." a pair of quotation marks - DesignAlabama's logotype The limitless potential of the Web is unleashed on the very left and the reversed mark on the right," when Wang sits down in front of a blank computer he continues. "The quotation consists of several screen. He has designed Web sites for many companies images of design details in a square format and an and agencies including S.Y.R. Computer Inc. and Health eye-catching spiral stairway which leads your eyes Products Corp., both in New York. He has also to the Enter button." designed sites for many companies in the South such On the home page Wang designed a navigation as the Bradford Electronic Co. in Huntsville and First banner on top in the same style as the opening page City Bank in Florida. but with a stronger square-format grid system. A One of his latest projects is a site for color rectangle under each of the five top-level links DesignAlabama Inc. When a Web Site is created for provides the dominant color of that particular page. a publication whose mission is to provide a public The background of each inside page has a visible forum for deSign, that site must naturally reflect a color square grid against the color shape, which high standard of composition. DesignAlabama's pages are fresh, contemporary and uncluttered. Graphics are stimulating yet clear and direct. Wang has applied a similar use of images and text to the journal's new site, www.designalabama.org, expected to launch this fall. "The design process of DesignAlabama's Web site is not simply converting the existing two-dimension, multiple-page publication to a colorful Web site," explains Wang, who serves as an aSSistant art director of DesignAlabama. "In fact, it is a big challenge to give the publication a new and more exciting look while being consistent to the existing layout, color palette and type choice of the journals." DesignAlabama's Web site replaces Sketches, a newsletter formerly published by the organization that offered up-to-the-minute information about DesignAlabama Inc. projects, says Executive Director Karen Seale. Like Sketches, the site will provide seminar and conference dates along with other relevant and timely information. It will also serve as an important resource tool. "Primarily, the Web site is intended to reach the non-designer," adds Seale. "We hope that it will eventually become an access portal to other design-related Web sites." No fancy typefaces and flashing banners. No garish animation and sounds. The Site is designed to be aesthetically pleaSing, thought-provoking and easy to use while remaining gimmick free. Graphic boldness, a luminous surface and a sense of order define the site. Visitors are presented with a strong visual message on the opening page also serves as the positive space of the Web page, explains Wang. "There is no harsh visible divider between the navigation menus and the contents, which makes all visual elements on each page work together as a whole," he continues. "So the viewer has an easy and comfortable browsing experience while navigating through the site." Five links are provided, including information about the organization's 12 board members. The About Us link consists of the organization's mission statement, history, purpose and philosophy. The Past Journals link offers the basic content of the most recent journals and allows viewers to download previous issues. Also provided are links to current news and events, contact information and a resource page with links to eight different design categories. An outgrow1h of its printed pages, DesignAlabama's Web pages offer global dialogue and a worldwide forum for deSign. "The Web site will give DesignAlabama the opportunity to reach a new and possibly younger audience," Seale explains. "It will also give us the chance to promote our organization and its ongoing projects in a more timely and cost efficient way than we can in print." Several ingredients are essential when building a successful Web site, says Wang. These include a well-organized information hierarchy, user-friendly interface and navigation system and, of course, an attractive design style. A balanced combination of visual deSign and proper technology is vital. The Web Top: Oneway Studio Web site. Middle: Wang Design Web site. Bottom: Auburn University Department of Art Web site. 27 Volume XI, No. II Historical'i'Perspectives Back to the Future Historic Neighborhood Schools by Karen H. Seale An American icon - the small school you could walk to in a neighborhood where you knew your neighbors - is disappearing. Only 13 percent of alltrzps to school are made by walking and bicyclzng today. Schools that hold the memories of generations are disappeaz1ng. Handsome school buildings - landmarks that inspire community pride - are being discarded for plain, nondescrzpt boxes thai resemble factories. - "\x.t!-!Y JOIl>::-;Y CAN'T \'(It\LK TO SCl-l(X)L" BY CO.~.'/C·\. '\CE BEAtJ.\!ONT AND ELIZABETH PrANCE DesignAlabama 28 Linekauf Elementary School, located in the hemt of a historic Jackson County's Skyline School, which was built from local Mobile neighborhood, has withstood a centmy of weather, fire and Cumberland Mountain sandstone. With the help of a knowledgeable threatened demolition to be restored to educational and commu-nity architect, older schools generally can be adapted to meet current stan-service. Built in 1905, this nationally registered historic Imldmark is rep- dards for safe~', handicap accessibility, computer technology and class-resentative of brick masonry and detailed woodwork no longer available in modem constmction. It is as well a symbol of the city's early growth westward, notes Deveraux Beamis, director of the Mobile Historic Development Commission. When the school was slated for demolition due to fire damage and disrepair, its loving community, with the help of the commission and Mobile architect Nick Holmes, fought for its preservation. In 1995 work began to restore Linekauf to its former beauty. This was a project beyond most historic restorations due to extensive fire damage. Along with upgrading the fil~ safety systems, replacing the roof and installing elevators to meet American Disabilities Act accessibility reqUirements, parts of the brick exterior had to be replaced and an interior steel frame installed for additional support. Today, Linekauf Elementmy stands as a symbol of neighborhood pride and achievement. Unfortunately, many of Linekauf's Southem cousins have not been dealt a Similar fate. Now considered an endanger~d species by both the Alabama Historical Commission and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, many historic schools are disappearing from Alabama's communities. "Schools were once thought of as important civic landmarks," reflects Richard Moe, pr~sident of the National Trust. "They represented community investments that inspired civic pride and participation in public life. ),lany of today's newer schools resemble big-box room requirements. THE RENOVATION OF AN OLD BUILDING IS COST PROHIBITIVE. When planned by an architect experienced in rehabilitation techniques, renovations of an existing building will often cost conSiderably less than construction of a new faCility. OLDER SCHOOLS DO NOT MEET CURRENT ZONING REQUIREMENTS. It's often true that the existence of surrounding neighborhoods does not allow for the acreage necessary for extensive parking lots and playing fields, however, many historic schools have developed agreements with the adjacent parks and churches to sharB needed space. Studies have shown that the building of new schools in outlying areas that meet zoning r~quirBments actually leads to a number of problems including increased automobile traffic and urban sprawl. In his research of the subject, Cecil Steward, dean of the College of Architecture at the University of Nebraska, concluded, "The public school system .. is the most influential planning entity, either public or private, promoting the prototypical sprawl pattern of American cities." Despite these arguments, historic schools like Alpine's Winterboro High School have remained in active service for many years through warehouses. Their architecture reflects little pride, and they sometimes continued maintenance and periodic upgrades. have an expected life span of a mere 30 )Bars." Not every historiC school is a candidate for rehabilitation. However; Often, misconceptions regarding the renovation of older neighbor- many schools that are in a state of decline can be put back into service hood schools lead school boards to opt automatically for the construc- with an architect knowledgeable in building rBstoration and a little inge-tion of new, remotely placed schools over the prBservation of existing nuity. For further information on historic school preservation, you cml facilities. The most common misconceptions include: refer to the National Trust for Historic Preservation's r~port "Why Johnny Can't Walk to School: Historic Neighborhood Schools in the Age of NEWER IS ALWAYS BETTER. Sprawl" and its publication, II Community Guide to Saving Older With a life expectancy of 100 years or more, many historic schools Schools, a school appraisal gUide to help offiCials evaluate the merits of ar~ better built than their modern counterparts. In addition, they often renovating older schools, both of which are available from its Web exhibit local character in their materials and workmanship, like site: w\Vw.nthp.org. Ii TOP lEFe Damaged by fire. Mobile's historic Linekauf Elementary was slated for destruction. 80TTOM lEfT: Linekauf Elementary after a 1995 renovation by Holmes & Holmes Architects of Mobile. TOP RIGHT: Through regular maintenance and upgrades, Winterboro High School in Alpine, Ala, has remained in active service more than 80 years. BOTTOI'], RiGHT: Built of local Cumberland Mountain Sandstone, Jackson County's Skyline School was historically restored in 1999 by Fuqua Osborn Architects, PC, of Huntsville. Details+of Interest A w A R o s . t1?~({:\" esign~/J~am'l "" "\;.'" ""~"1,r(/*"' if anti highligJ;JS Top to Bottom: Childrei1"s Harbor Famil)' Center /Children"s Research & innovation Batchelor Childrei<"s Research Irls1itrj/e Tai!edega Industriai Development Center Centra! YMCA Alabama Wildlife Rehab Center Raptor Wing Maxwell AFB Ambu!atory Hea!!h Care Center Velerans" Memorial Park Cherokee Bend Elementary School Photos W.ff'lBsy of lire AfabamaAIA AlA 2001 DESIGN AWARDS The Alabama Council of the American Institute of Architects in July presented its annual design awards selected by a jury of four prominent Florida architects. The following seven projects were chosen from among 30 statewide entries: HONOR AWARD Giattina Fisher Aycock Architects Inc. of Birmingham Talledega County Industrial Development Center. LincolnRespecting the densely wooded rural site. the architects utilized simple materials and forms to integrate the industrial structure with the natural landscape The building is composed of three discrete volumes: a linear two-story bar of board-formed concrete housing classrooms and offices'. a cubic meeting space clad in corrugated steel; and a large rectilinear shop of longspan steel and glass. The building presents a low profile to the entry side and its full height to the open shop volume which invites the outside in. AWARD OF MERIT FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND ADAPTIVE REUSE Fuqua Osborn Architects, PC, of Huntsville Central YMCA. Huntsville - Located within the Twickenham Historical District. the former YMCA was renovated for law offices on two floors and tenant space on two other levels. To preserve the charm of the 1912 structure, historical details were restored including "craftsman" elements in the lobby. A new floor inserted in the gym to provide additional office space was tied in with the original balcony but sensitively set below the sill height of existing arched windows. HONORABLE MENTION Giattina Fisher Aycock Architects Inc. of Birmingham Children's Harbor Family Center/Children's Research & Innovation, Birmingham - The design was generated by developing a typical research lab module then establishing a structural grid to provide an efficient layout in the multifunctional building. The configuration of the module also influenced the building's massing. circulation. public spaces and fenestration. Building materials link the new to existing structures. Garikes Wilson Karlsberger of Birmingham Batchelor Children's Research Institute. University 01 Miami School 01 Medicine. Miami - The 148.000-square-foot facility consolidates both clinical and research components in pediatrics at a major medical school. The $21 million building anchors a newly created quadrangle of research facilities designed in the tradition of a university campus. The lower floors housing clinics are compatible in height and pattern with nearby structures while the research floors extend above with a vertically expressed fagade. The design is anchored by a nine-story element which serves to screen and break down the mass of the bulky building. "i."h"'~'Jf.r{;~ a wide variety of events and resources. • Sherlock, Smith & Adams Inc. of Montgomery Maxwell Air Force Base Ambulatory Health Care Center, Montgomery-Key emphasis is on design aesthetics, cost-efficiencies. functionality and user convenience in the Mission/ Mediterranean-style center wh ich features buif-colored brick and punched windows. The interior is organized around a central atrium spine which provides a degree of clarity. as each potential destination is visible at the entrance. The ground floor is laid out in continuous fabric which allows clinic boundaries to be moved or expanded as needed. ArchitectureWorks, PC. of Birmingham Alabama Wildlife Rehabilitation Center Raptor Wing, Pelham - The Raptor Wing addition to the center housing injured wild animals located in a renovated iormer restaurant in Oak Mountain State Park "'delivers visual complexity with economical gestures in plan.'" The budget-conscious design, based on the idea of a huge protective wing, places interconnected cages where the public can view the injured animals from an inside corridor while the birds are exposed to the natural environment outside. Also at the awards banquet. members voted for the best architectural work submitted. This year's Member Honor Award went to Giattina Fisher Aycock Architects Inc. for the Alabama Veterans' Memor'lal Park in Birmingham New this year is the Top School in Mountain Brook. This award recognizes the architect-designer's ability to showcase concrete Block Award presented by the Alabama Masonry Institute to Paul B. Krebs & Associates and Masonry Arts Inc. for the Cherokee Bend Elementary masonry in a building project and a masonry contractor's ability to provide quality installation. 29 Volume XI, No. II MONTGOMERY ADVERTISING FEDERATION'S ADDYS The Montgomery Advertising Federation presented its 2000-01 Advertising Addys last February. Auburn's Gafford Compton Design Group Inc. earned the Best of Show Award for the Auburn University Hotel & Dixon Conference Center ad series. Scott Compton was the art director. Among the six Addys won by Cunningham Group Inc. of Montgomery was the Special Judges Award for Design for the Alabama Law Foundation's 2000 Annual Report. Margaret Taylor, art director on that project, also garnered the Art Director of the Year award. LWT Communications LtC of Montgomery won five Addys and Kim & Company Communications earned one. Copperwing Design, Creative Consultants Inc., LWT/KBK New Media, The Slaton Agency plus Cunningham Group Inc. and LWT Communications LLC received Citations of Excellence. Lett: Best of ShOw Award for Gafford Compmn Design Group Right: Speciai Judges AV/are for Design for Cunningham Group YOUNG ARCHITECTS WIN AWARD IN NATIONAL DESIGN COMPETITION Ilanny Trotter from Batesville, Miss., Nolanda Bearden from Birmingham, Juan Milhouse from Birmingham and Melissa Teng from New Orleans won an Award of Merit in a juried competition held in conjunction with the 2001 American Institute of Architects' (AlA) national convention in Denver The Gresham Smith and Partners Inc. design team, which included starr graphic designer Chad Martin from Montgomery, worked at their own expense and on their own time to develop an entry for the competition. All of the team members have worked at the Birmingham firm for three years or less. The competition focused on an urban infill project in Denver's historic Five Points neighborhood and drew entries from allover the United States. Photographs of the site were supplied along with the competition's rules and guidelines. The team designed four residential units and a 1,000-square-foot commercial space that serves as a buffer. They accommodated onsite parking by excavating below the building five feet to provide car space. Each unit has its own balcony facing the street with privacy created by a screen element that also accents each entrance. Local brick and stucco provide durability and minimized maintenance. The team, which sited deciduous trees for summer shade and winter heat, also incorporated other elements from Colorados "Build Green Checklist" in their entry. LOOKING AT BUILDING AND PLACE "Alabama Architecture," a new book published by the University of Alabama Press, celebrates the state's diverse architectural heritage by presenting a wide-ranging view of Alabama's buildings and places. Alice Bowsher'S spare engaging text and Lewis Kennedy's artful photographs present an exhilarating, educational and aesthetic tour of the state's architectural landscapes through more than 150 original color images. The book is organized into chapters exploring the baSic design elements place, form, space, balance, materials, light, movement, proportion, context and "delight" Featured are 100 sites encompassing all regions, periods and scales ranging from a rnedieval keep in the Lineville water tower to the Mercedes-Benz Visitor Center to the Gaineswood Mansion. The book can be ordered from the Web site http//VNIIV.uapress.uaedu/authors/bowshe01.html. DesignAlabama 30 The design team displaying their award-winning project are (teft to right) Juan Milhouse, Melissa Teng, Darmy TroUer. Notanda Bearden and Chad Martin. STATE DESIGN FELLOWSHIPS The Alabama State Council on the Arts is currently taking applications for Design Fellowships. The council awards fellowships of $5,000 or $10,000 to individual artists in the design arts based on merit of work, career achievement, career potential and service to the state. This component provides awards to recognize artistic excellence, as weil as professional commitment and maturity and to contribute to the further development and advancement of the artist's professional career. Applicants are encouraged to be as specific as possible about the proposed use of fellowship funds in order to illustrate the seriousness of their professional intent The deadline for applications is March 1, 2002. For more information piease contact Randy Shoults, Community Arts program manager, 334/242-4076 or ran dy@arts.state.aLus, YESTERDAY'S TOMORROWS COMING TO ALABAMA Yesterday's Tomorrows: Past Visions of the American Future will tour the state in 2002 as part of the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. The exhibit presents an historical overview of popular expectations and beliefs about the future from the late 19th century through the late 20th century. Divided into four sections, the exhibit will explore how the home, the community and transportation were envisioned in the past and wi!1 examine predictions for the future found in the media. At times lighthearted, as with the 1950s living room that can be cleaned with a garden hose, the exhibit features abundant and colorful examples of predictions and inventions that went awry. Focusing on the belief in a technological utopia and progress based on material means, the exhibit's artifacts will demonstrate how the predictions of the past shed light on the values and attitudes of their times. 2002 Alabama Touring Schedule: March 15 - April 26 - Guntersvilie Museum and Cultural Center, Guntersviile May 3 - June 14 - Tuskegee Human and Civil Rights Multicultural Center, Tuskegee June 21 - August 2 -Isabel Anderson Comer Museum and Arts Center, Sylacauga August 9 - SepL 20 - Clarke County Museum, Grove Hill Sept 27 - Nov. 8 - Tennessee Valley Art Center, Tuscumbia Nov. 15 - Dec. 27 - Pioneer Museum ot Alabama, Troy REPAINT MOBILE PROJECT The Mobile Historic District Commission through its RePaint Mobile program has launched a T ri-Centennial neighborhood revitalization project to spruce up the city's historic districts ior next year's heritage celebrations. The committee wili choose 16 structures, two from each historic district, and have them painted in an historically appropriate coior scheme. The colors wil! be based on preliminary paint analysis to determine the original color scheme, with final choices dictated by the style and period of the structure. The owner-occupied structures, to be nominated by neighborhood organizations, committee members or the general public, must be of some architectural significance and be located within one of the city's eight historic districts. The response from the commercial public has been significant with several paint company stores committed to providing paint for 12 of the 16 houses, plus labor to paint one house. In addition, local general and painting contractors have volunteered their time and services. As a culmination of the project, all of the 16 structures will be spotlighted on a driving tour of Mobile's historic district during the 2002 Preservation Week, AU LANDMARK RENOVATED 0.0. Smith Hail, a classic Flemish-style building on the Auburn University campus, was renovated recently. AU Facilities Construction Services supervised the work and KPS Group of Birmingham served as architect for the renovation. "We tried to maintain the historical value of the building," says Mike Bel" senior project manager for Construct'lon Services. The building, completed in 1908 as the college's first dormitory, was temporarily converted into a hospital in 1918 for students suffering from the killer swine flu. In 1921 it became a dormitory for women but was burned in a fire in 1933. The Civilian Works Administration used the remaining exterior walls and rebuilt the structure in 1934 from designs by the respected architectural firm of Warren, Knight and Davis. "While not a true restoration," Bell said, "we did try and capture as many of the original elements as possible" The existing central staircase was relocated to the side providing more usable space and allowing for inclusion of an elevator. Doric columns encased in square boxing were uncovered and restored as was the original heartpine fiooring in hallways and corridors. DESIGNALABAMA JOINS NDEC llesignA',abama has joined the National Design Educat'lon Coalition (NDEC), an organization whose purpose is to identify, disseminate and develop strong design education programs that provide or support K-12 education. Composed of various design interests across the nation, including a number of universities, Ihe group's goals include compiling state design education profiles, sharing information among existing programs and encouraging new program deveiopment through increased access to information and ideas. "Design education in Alabama has long been a priority of our organization, and now we have the chance to impact it on a national level," comments DesignAlabama Executive Director Karen Seale "Not only is it important for those students who pian to go on to careers as architects or urban planners, but design education teaches all students how to define problems, gather information, create solutions and evaluate results," HABITAT FOR HUMANITY DESIGN INITIATIVE This past August, DesignAlabama, Auburn University's COi!ege of Architecture, Design and Construction and the Alabama Association of Habitat Affiliates kicked off a collaborative project to improve the energy efficiency, durability and community compatibility of Habitat for Humanify's housing designs in Alabama. Over the next school year, 20 Auburn students in the college will be involved in this project which includes a research phase and a design phase, culminating with the construction of one of Ihe new prototypes PLACES IN PERIL 2001 FOCUSES ON ENDANGERED PROPERTIES The Alabama Preservation Alliance in conjunction with the Alabama Historical Commission present their list of the state's most endangered historic places for the year 2001: Main Building, Tallassee Mill Complex, Tallassee - The centerpiece of one of the premier industrial complexes remaining from the antebellum South is a massive three-story T -shaped edifice constructed in 1854-55 by Italian stone masons. In June 1999 the building's roof was severely damaged by a thunderstorm, and it will not be restored tiil the insurance settlement dispute is resolved. The Talisi Historical Preservation Society, which has won an award for its efforts to restore the complex, is completing the rehabilitation of the adjacent 1840s boiler room building for its meeting place Frederick House, Opelika - Constructed in 1900 by businessman James T. Frederick, this handsome Neoclassical Revival house started out as a one-story residence. It was enlarged to its present form in 1914 and occupies a prominent place in the North Opelika Historic District Although not landlocked, the adjacent Trinity Methodist Church purchased it for expansion purposes and found a buyer to move it out of town this summer over protests of the neighborhood association and others. Expansion of religious institutions within historiC districts is often an issue in Alabama, but there are notable examples where congregations have responded creatively to growth, while maintaining the character of their neighborhoods. Thomas Dunn House, Camden - The woefully neglected two-story frame Dunn House stands in contrast to the beautifully maintained mid-19th century homes in Camden. The original portion was built between 1825-30 by Thomas Dunn as a two-story log house that was one room deep (I-house). It was enlarged to a two-room deep (double pile) Federal-style house probably by Ihe early 1840s. During the lale 19th century, the two-story portico and several interior details were added and the roofline raised. Generous heirs recently donated the house, poorly maintained by a previous owner, to the Wilcox County Historical Sociefy which will need substantial funds for restoration. Peerless Saloon, Birmingham - Dating from 1888-89, the Peerless is one of the oldest commercial buildings remaining downtown. Constructed by Gilbreath Construction Co and remodeled around 1920, it features decorative brickwork typical of the Victorian Period. Vacant tor several years, a 4O-loot portion at the rear was demolished by the present owner who seeks to raze the remainder despite attempts by Operation New Birmingham and others to work for ils rehabilitation. It is structurally sound but deteriorating rapidly. Leighton Training School, Leighton - With a U-shaped plan and Colonial Revival stylistic elements, the one-story brick former Colbert County Training School is a reminder of progressive African-American educational opportunities before integration. Completed in 1929 as a Rosenwald school, it served several Karen Sea[e. executive director oj DesignA!abama. David Hinson. professor of architecture at Auburn. and Karen McCauley, executive director of the A!abama Associaiion of Habitat Affiliates. generations of students (including entertainer Percy Sledge) until closing in 1970. Reopened a year later as the Leighton Middle School, it closed after the 1993-94 school year and since then has been badly vandalized. John Glascock House, Tuscaloosa - Built in 1844 by Virginia native John Glascock, this house is one of three remaining examples of the Gothic Revival style and one of only approximately three dozen antebellum buildings left in Tuscaloosa It features handsome cutwork and pOinted arch windows, as well as original interior details. Glascock was a cousin of statesman and presidentiai candidate Henry Clay, who reputedly stayed there on several occasions. Located in a primarily commercial area, the house has excellent potential as a rehab tax credit project, but to date has had no offers. Hobbs Island/Ditto's Landing, Huntsville - These two adjacent historic sites contain archaeological deposits dating back thousands of years to the ArchaiC Period. Hobb's Island has at least 16 known sites, including up to six possible burial mounds. Ditto's Landing was the s'rte of a ferry and trading post built by trader John Ditto in 1807 and contains eight known archaeological sites, although neither area has been sufficiently surveyed. The area, which was associated with the Chickasaw and Cherokee tribes during the 18th and early 19tr, centuries, is in danger of development. Sweetwater Plantation, Florence - This stately Federal Period brick home bears a strong resemblance to its Virginia antecedents and features fine interior woodwork including marble mantels and silver doorknobs. Construction was begun in 1828 by Gen. John Brahan, a War of 1812 veteran, and completed after his death by his son-in-law Robert Patton in 1835. Patton was elected Alabama's governor in December 1865 and served until removed by military order in July 1867. The house is now surrounded by a rapidly developing commercial area and is in need of restoration. Fort Gaines Dfficers' Quarters, Dauphin Island - These adjacent identical two-story frame Victorian residences are former Spanish-American War-era officer's quarters on the edge of the historic portion of Fort Gaines, a military site whose origins date to the early 19th century. Unoccupied tor several years, both are in critical need of maintenance and repairs. Although the adjacent brick portion of the fort is a cify-owned tourist attraction, the houses are not included in the current park. Despite the offer of a land swap, their future is uncertain due to possible expansion of a recreational vehicle campground for the city Tumlin Gap Railroad Tunnel and Trestle, Altoona - Constructed from 1899 to 1903 by the L&N Railroad, the tunnel and trestle are exceptional early 20th-century examples of industrial engineering skill. The longest tunnel in Alabama (1,920 feet) fealures concrete headwalls at each end. The trestle is 350 feet long and spans approximately 70 to 80 feet high. Following a grant to convert to a Rails-to-Trails pathway, local landowners contested, and the court ruled in their favor. The tunnel owners have partially blocked it to prevent access, which is also preventing rainwater drainage .• 31 Volume XI, No. Ii Desl• nAlabama Volume XI, Issue II PUBLIC DESIGN AWARENESS AND EDUCATION DesignAlabama Inc. works to increase awareness and value of the design disciplines "A doctor can bury that influence our environment. We believe that the quality of life and his mistakes, but an economic growth of this state are enhanced through attention to and architect can only investment in good design. advise his clients SubURBAN MOVES to plant vines." (~ common mistake - Frank Lloyd Wright (1Jesign is not people make when for philosophy - trying to design it)s for life. )) something completely -/ssey Miyake foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools. " Employment Consultants Inc. NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS This publicalion was made possible through funding by the conlribulors lisled above. For addilional information about DeslgnAlabama, please call (334) 396-5341. - Doug/as Adams
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Title | Design Alabama: The Public Forum for Design in Alabama, Volume 11, Issue 2, 2001 |
Description | This is the Volume XI, Issue II, 2001 issue of Design Alabama: The Public Forum for Design in Alabama, a newsletter dedicated to all types of design in Alabama. This issue features articles on the theme "SubURBAN Moves". The newsletter also describes different types of design projects in architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, engineering, interior design, industrial design, graphic design, and fashion design, plus historic buildings and sites. |
Article List | 1. Auburn Conceptual Plan; 2. SubURBAN Moves: Mountain Brook, Fairhope, Homewood, Hoover, Phenix City, Gorham's Bluff/Mooresville, Vestavia Hills, Mt. Laurel; 3. Main Street Matters: Alabama's Main Street Program; 4. Wei Wang: Web Design That Clicks; 5. Historical Perspectives: Back to the Future: Historic Neighborhood Schools |
Creators | Design Alabama, Inc.; Alabama State Council on the Arts; Auburn University |
Date | 2001-09 |
Decade | 2000s |
Editor | Seale, Karen |
Art Director | Hartsfield, Nancy |
Writers | Armstrong, Jessica; Dugas, Tomie D.; Morris, Philip; Seale, Karen |
LC Subject Headings |
Architecture -- Alabama City planning -- Alabama Urban renewal -- Alabama Graphic arts -- Alabama Historic buildings -- Alabama |
TGM Subject Headings |
Parking Pedestrians Landscaping plans Land use City planning Urban renewal Cities & towns Historic buildings Schools Graphic design |
EOA Categories |
Geography & Environment -- Natural Environment -- Parks, Reserves and Natural Areas Geography & Environment -- Human Environment -- Cities and Towns Peoples -- Urban Life Education History -- Historic Sites |
Type | Text; image |
Format | |
File Name | 2001 Fall DA.pdf |
Source | Design Alabama, Inc. |
Digital Publisher | Auburn University Libraries |
Language | eng |
Rights | This image is the property of the Auburn University Libraries and is intended for non-commercial use. Users of the image are asked to acknowledge the Auburn University Libraries. |
Submitted By | Carter, Jacqueline |
Transcript | Fall 2001 Volume XI, Issue II $4.00 THE PUBLIC FORUM FOR DESIGN IN ALABAMA DesignAlabama Inc. Board of Directors: Cathryn Campbell Gerachis, Chair Good'/I}'n. Mills and Cawood Inc. Montgomery Nancy Mims Hartsfield, Vice Chair Auburn University Auburn Elizabeth Ann Brown, Secretary Alabama Historical Commission Montgomery Charles Callans, Treasurer Birmingham Realty Birmingham Arnelle Adcock Centra! Alabama Electric Cooperative Praitville Joseph R. Donofro Donofro & Associates Architects Inc. Dothan Marty Ellis Business Council of Alabama Montgomery 80 Grisham Southpace Properties Birmingham Tin Man tau Auburn University Auburn Robert Martin Southern Progress Corp. Birmingham Kenneth M. Penuel Southern Company Services Inc. Birmingham Kay F. Roney Wafface Community College Doihan Patricia E. Sherman Patricia E. Sherman, Architect Gadsden Karen H. Seale, Executive Director Philip A. Morris, Director Emeritus Desi nAlabama Volume XI, Issue II Cover: Scenes of new urbanism at work and play in Alabama's suburbs. Letter from the Director A return to the traditional neighborhood structure found prior to World War II, new urbanism promotes the creation and restoration of diverse, compact, mixed-use communities that contain housing, work places, shops, entertainment, schools, parks and civic facilities within easy walking distance. In this issue we will examine the impact of this movement, as well as established principles of urban design, on Alabama's suburban communities and its influence on the renewal of small town centers and university campuses. As we look at this new approach to the quality of life in our communities. it seems fitting that we also remember a designer whose work addressed many of these same concerns. Both founder and director of the Auburn University Center for Architecture and Urban Studies, Franklin Setzer significantly influenced the direction of publiC design policy throughout the state. As executive director for DesignAlabama, he helped smaller communities develop successful strategies for revitalization. Frank also played an active role in The Tuesday Group, an organization dedicated to the availability of quality affordable housing, along with many other projects for the Birmingham area To honor the many contributions he has made to our organization and the communities of Alabama, this issue is dedicated to the memory of Franklin Setzer, December 1948 - May 2001. Karen H Seale Editor: Karen Seale Managing Editor: Tomie Dugas Art Director: Nancy Hartsfield Associate Art Director: Ross Heck Assistant Art Directors: Kelly Bryant, Tomie Dugas, Samantha Lawrie, Wei Wang Contributing Writers: Jessica Armsirong, Tomie Dugas, Philip Morris, Karen Seale This publication is made possible through funding by the fol/owing contributors: Alabama State Council on the Arts National Endowment for the Arts Employment Consultants Inc. A special thanks to Philip Morris for his ongoing assistance and advice with this publication. Submission Information DesignAlabama encourages submissions from its readers. Articles 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., P.O. Box 241263, Montgomery, AL 36124. Items for Project News and Details 01 Interest should inciude a paragraph summary detailing the nature of the project, the design firm, principals and associates involved and any other details that may be of interest such as unusual or special design features, completion date. approximate cost, square footage, etc. Also include the name, address and phone and fax number of the client and an individual whom we may contact for further information. Direct inquiries to Karen Seale at (334) 396-5341 or mail to: designalabama@attnel. Past journal issues are available for $6.00 including postage and handling. Contact Karen Seale at the above numbers for availability information and to order. © 2001 DesignAlabama Inc. ISSN# 1090·0918 This issue of OesignAlabama was designed and produced on MaCintosh Computers utilizing QuarkXPress 4.0. Proofs were printed on a HP 4000N and iinai output on a Compugraphic 9400. Creating a village on the Auburn University carnpus p7 DesignAiabama is a publication of DesignAlabama Inc. Reader comments and submission oj articles and ideas lor Applying urban concepts to suburban developrnent. p9 FEATURES "SubURBAN MOVES" CONTENTS & Uncovering the historic heart of Main Street cornrnunities. p.23 NEW URBANISM IN THE SUBURBS, 9 ...............................•..•......•..............•..•...•.........•........••................•....................•........•.........................•.............................• - MOUNTAIN BROOK 10 FAIRHOPE HOMEWOOD HOOVER GORHAM'S BLUFF/MOORESVILLE PHENIX CITY 12 14 16 18 20 ----- - - ---------- - ---------- ------ ----- -- ---- - ------------- VESTAVIA HILLS 21 tulure issues are encouraged. MT LAUREL 22 ARTICLE MAIN STREET MATTERS BUILDING A SENSE OF COMMUNITY. DEPARTMENTS ProjectANews Work of statewide significance. DesignllMakes A Difference Auburn Conceptual Plan. Designer~Profi ie Web Designer Wei Wang, .....................•........•.. Historical'iPerspectives Renovating Historic Schools. Details+Of interest Noteworthy observations, _ ..... __ ... . u.~___ _,, ___ . ___ .~ ____ . _____ ._____ _ ____________________________ _ 23 4 7 26 28 29 TOllmer's C!l1'nll\l' Designing Web sites the Wei Wang way. p.26 ProjectA.News 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. Top to Botlom Dothan Fire Sla/ions North Elevation. Dothan Fire Sia/ions East Elevation. Original Feed and Seed. Train Depot Renovated iar Administration OesignAlabama 4 Brookwood Middle Schoof. ............................A .. ' .. c·h+·t .. e. . c. . t .. u .. r. . e. ........................... · KPS Group of Birmingham is providing design services to Temple Emanu-El in the renovation of their existing facilities. The project encompasses renovation and preservation of the 1913 sanctuary in Birmingham, design of a new education facility replacing the existing one and life safety code compliance for renovated areas. The new education building includes administrative offices, banquet facilities, library, computer room, music rehearsal room and art room. Improvements to the chapel and social room will also take place New construction and renovation totals 62,500 square feet and includes parking for 130 cars. The $12 million project is scheduled for completion summer of 2002. Temple Emanu-Ei. Donofro and Associates of Dothan has designed a new central fire station complex and administration building for the City of Dothan. The project comprised renovation of an 8,000- square-foot 1930s vintage train depot and a 112,000-squarefoot 1920s feed and seed warehouse. Architect Joe Donofro convinced the city to renovate the feed and seed building in lieu of razing it and constructing a new facility. The station is designed to house three 18-man shifts and four full apparatus bays. The design reflects the first masonry single-bay firehouse in downtown Dothan with the shallow arch bay openings Steel trusses and columns were exposed throughout the building and painted red. The exterior galvanized metal skin speaks to the railroad warehouse and the feed and seed that once occupied the property Besides the architectural contribution the complex makes to the municipal building inventory, it also provides a major economic impact on the low income east side of the core area. A Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood Inc. of Montgomery has designed the new 11 O,OOO-square-foot Brookwood Middle School now under construction in Brookwood. The school combines 800 students from Brookwood and Vance and will serve as the nucleus of a much larger 4,000-acre master-planned development located along a five-mile stretch of highway connecting the Mercedes-Benz plant and the new Capstone community. The facility will include a state-of-the-art media center, gymnasium, cafetorium, elective classrooms, science and computer labs, all organized around a central spine and common area. The 50,000 square-foot AB Shopping Center corporate headquarters in Shelby County designed by Williams-Blackstock Architects, PC, of Birmingham was sited to take full advantage of the woodland views. Large two-story arched windows punctuate the building exterior, and exposed structural steel beams aliow light : to penetrate deep into the open office areas. The exterior skin is ' brick with weeping mortar joints and limestone accents. AS Shopping Center Corporate Headquarters. The building plan arranges a single level of large open office spaces with tail ceilings surrounded on three sides by private offices and a mezzanine with a radius cantilevered steel balcony overlooking the open office area. A multi-conference room that spans the building entrance is centrally located on the mezzanine with dramatic views from glassed-in conference rooms overlooking the lobby and open offices. The primary circulation path is accentuated with a geometriC, clear-sealed, stained concrete floor pattern, which leads from the sky-lighted atrium lobby to the wire-enclosed cab and exposed steel shaft elevator to the mezzanine conference spaces. The building interior finishes feature exposed structural steel, rough plaster walls and clear-finished MDF wall panels. Open office workstations use standard painters' scaffolding on wheels with clear finished birch worktops to continue the contemporary theme and rearrange easily. The Colonial Bank Building, also designed by WilliamsBlackstock Architects, PC, of Birmingham, is a five-story, 125,000-square-foot, $12 million corporate office building located on one of the most viSible sites in Birmingham. An intricately detailed curved glass iagade provides a dramatic presentation to highways 280 and 31. The deep green glass complements the limestone-colored, pre-cast concrete base on the building, which is richly articulated and steps down at the glass curve of the building and provides a strong series of punched window openings with floor-to-ceiling glass punctuating the other fagades. At the top floor of the building, floor-to-ceiling glass forms a continuous horizontal band that crowns and accentuates the curve in the building with a parabolic curve in the glass parapet. To keep the roof sight lines clean from the highway, a clever solution was developed to place the cooling tower under the building with a horizontal intake and exhaust, which also saved costs. The structural system is a concrete pan joist system with the exception of the roof where steel framing was employed to not only produce economy, but to also create a curtain wall system that removes all columns from the exterior fagades and provides a sweeping panoramic view at the top floor along the curved fagade. Colonial Bank Building. A Montgomery's Barganier Davis Sims Architects Associated has designed a three-story addition to the local Alabama Public Television (APT) station, as well as renovating the existing facility with a new entry and updated lobby. The 13,000-square-foot addition is grounded in the geometry of a cube deconstructed to reveal a layering of texture and material. A new entry that derives from a similar language creates a dynamic threshold leading to the hub of the new facility. The lobby design was driven by an existing column grid resulting in a space rich in form and function. Three metal-clad panels accommodate the columns set in front of a curved wall separating the lobby from open office space. Flat screen monitors front the panels and display each of the channels broadcast by APT, as well as a high definition signal. APT Station with Addition ... Even farmers' markets benefit from design. The Saturday market that unfolds in Birmingham's Pepper Place was designed to allow circular pedestrian traffic flow with farmers and their trucks at the interior and freestanding vendors at the perimeter. The layout, by architect Chris Engel of Workshop7 LLC of Birmingham, is based on maximizing visibility, providing access from multiple entrance points and creating a pedestrian street sized appropriately for the event. Because the market is assembled and disassembled each Saturday, it is necessary to utilize the farmers' trucks as workspace and storage for extra produce/merchandise. Part of the market's success comes from its mix of vendors, the visitor's ability to browse shops in the Pepper Place area, share breakfast with friends, view cooking demonstrations by top chefs and enjoy a variety of live music. Pepper Piace Farmers· Markel A TurnerBatson Architects provided the architectural and interior designs for the recently completed addition to Southside Baptist Church in Greenville. The 12,500-square-foot addition features a sanctuary to seat 650 people, lobby with exposed wood structure, multi-purpose room, brides' room and covered walkway to the existing facility. The project team, based in Birmingham, included Richard FOD, AlA, principal architect. Joanne Riddle, MIA, project designer, and Karen Taylor, designer of interiors. &. Construction has commenced on a $15.2 million expansion to First Baptist Church in Montgomery designed by Borden McKean & Payne Architects. The Montgomery firm's designs for the addition include a new 1 ,300-seat sanctuary, 500-seat fellowship hal" choir suite, media center and adult education space. David Payne, AlA, was partner-in-charge and associates Dave Ford and Dondi Williamson were project architects. First Baptisi Cfwrch with Ao'di/ion "··",·",·,,,··,····,,G··r··a·p··!t·..,·G·····D,,e-·s··j·g ·fl··"··"···"··,,,,,,,· An awareness campaign coordinated for the Alabama Council of the American Institute of Architects (AlA) by the Tapley Finklea Group Inc. (TFG) was designed to reshape perceptions about architects among policy-making groups such as legislators, code officials and school board reps. After conducting a survey that indicated a lack of understanding about architect training, certification and education and of how architects improve the safety of a building project, the Montgomery firm launched a campaign that integrated print ads, direct mail and public relations to address the misconceptions. Implemented to correlate with the start of the 2001 legislative session for the greatest impact on government officials, black-and-white print ads appeared in various trade publications and the Montgomery Advertiser. Two direct mail pieces were specially designed and delivered. An oversized 12x18-inch poster rolled in scroll form displayed a design contrasting the "architect blue" of blueprints, against the bright red of the AlA logo and hot colors of the flames. Dramatic images and phrases referring to hospital fires and protecting the safety of young children were selected as powertul yet realistic motivators to encourage reading. TFG hand-delivered the piece to legislators during the 2001 session and mailed it to others in a 12- inch tube. The second piece, a postcard reinforcing the key message, was mailed at the end of the 2001 legislative session. Post-campaign survey results showed clear indications of improvement, and most notably, the awareness campaign drew attention effectively to tr,e reality that architects with special training, certification and education bring a unique level of safety and value to every building project. Noelle M. Hara, was creative director and Laura A. Heil, graphic designer. One Side of the A/A's Direct Mail Poster. A. Lewis Communications of Mobile has developed a logo and marketing advertising campaign for LoDa, the city's Lower Dauphin Street District. The campaign touting the tag line "Entertainment's Oldest Address" includes collateral giveaways sporting the new logo, banners, billboards and radio commercials. Colortul banners communicate arrivai in the district and add a festive atmosphere to the shopping, dining and entertainment experience. Visit wwwmainstreetmobile.orgtoviewthe banner designs and billboards created for the client Main Street Mobile. &. LWT/KBK New Media of Montgomery has designed a new Web site for Earth Elements, producers of potpourri and other scented products. To convey the highly visual and textural nature of their product, art director Laura Rainey empioyed photographs at an unusually large size so the texture and color would become the strongest elements. "By giving the photos approximately onehaif to two-thirds of the compositional space, we created a striking layout," she notes. "To add some depth, I chose photos whose right side had a hard edge that could be partially masked, leading the eye into the copy on the leit side of the page" This slight overlap further emphasized the products, making them as dimensional as possible in the 2-D space of the Web. Established to inform Earth Elements' customers about their products, as well as showcase the seasonal selection of scents, the site has a letter from the co-founder, FAQ page, product locator and catalog. Earth Efemenls Web Site. Sherlock, Smith & Adams of Montgomery was selected by the Redstone Military Association to design a continuing care community for Huntsville area ! residents. Phase I of the 82-acre project will: be the development of one- and twobedroom homes in the form of 90 independent living apartments, 40 independent living villas, 45 assisted living apartments and 42 skilled nursing beds. Common areas will include dining, social gathering, recreation and other enrichment activities. Main entries will provide a distinct identity for each resident group. The facility was designed to maximize views of Huntsville from the ridgeline. Phase I construction documents are scheduled for completion in February 2002. Redstone Viffage The Gadsden Boardwalk Master Plan designed by KPS Group Inc. of Birmingham focuses on the Coosa Riverfront's image, pedestrian linkage to downtown, nautical linkage to riverfront recreation and role as a central civic corridor. The pian simplifies vehicular and pedestrian circulation and creates a safe, walkable : environment to the water's edge. A bandstand with sloping iawns : serves as informal seating for large events such as the annual . rivertront festival. Pastoral park-like areas along the river's edge replace existing parking lots with large lawn areas, shade trees and venues for sculptural art, pavilions and fountains. An elegant: wooden boardwalk flanked with ornamental lighting serves as the central spine of the corridor with seating areas for viewing riverfront activity and boating events. The plan features a new marina with commercial development scaled to complement the pedestrian environment and restaurants, shops and other commercial uses along the boardwalk. The marina includes boat slips, a ramp and convenience facilities with second and third story uses to include office, loft and/or hotel space KPS Group has recently completed work on the conceptual phase and is developing schematic plans for the boardwalk, marina and Third Street Park. Gadsden Boardwalk Master Plan. 5 Volume XI, No. II ·················I··R··tJ..at··s··t··r+·a··I······D··t!-·s·+g-·ft················· Last spring 15 fourth-year Auburn University industrial design students under the direction of Rich Britnell worked with Dr. Martens AirWair LLC to generate shoe concepts for both next year's line and for the year 2010. • Preliminary research and concept : sketches were presented to National Product Manager Thorn : Bridgham from Portland who later reviewed refined concepts : along with Dr. Martens' Global Design Director Ian White of . the United Kingdom. Both worked with the design team to . solidify their concepts, which were presented as 3-D design : models spring semester. Again this fall Britnell's fourth-year : design studio will work on more shoe concepts for Dr. Martens : and will conclude the project in December. Shoe ProiDlypes by (Ie!! to {igh!}: Tippi Ciark, Craig Brownlee. Stacy James ······················ ... ·u··t··e··r·-i-·o··r·····D��·e··s··i:··g··n····················· North Shelby Library in north Shelby County requested an attractive building that would be easily recognizable as a library to the general public. WilliamsBlackstock Architects, PC, of Birmingham provided full architectural services to design this 28,000-square-foot, two-story library incorporating custom features and an HVAC system that keep operational costs to a minimum. Designed to be empathetic to its natural setting, the strong clerestory lobby serves as an exciting, elegant circulation space and focuses the interior views on the beautiful wooded hillside. Interior design was performed in-house along with the selection, procurement and placement of a complete furnishings and equipment package. The project received a Bronze Award from the International Interior Design Association/Alabama Chapter in 2001. North Shelby Library. DesignAlabama 6 Alice Cutright of The Architects Group/lnc. (TAG) of Mobile worked with architect Dan Borcicky on their Mobile firm's recently constructed Region's Bank Financial Center in the western part of that city. She incorporated elements of the building's exterior with the lobby and work space. Traditional columns were repeated inside. The reception/customer service desk was custom-deigned to include sculptural brackets similar to the exterior bracket detail. To connect the interiors with Mobile's cultural talent, Cutright commissioned Mobile artist Eugenia Foster to execute massive oil paintings that related to Region's history. Cutright received an Alabama ASID Corporate Interior Design Award for the project Region's Bank Financial Cenler ............................ ·-E .. R.. g-·i .. ft·e .. e. . r .. i .. n·g. ..................... ·. ..... .. Alabama sports one of the first facilities in the nation dedicated solely to electronic vehicles. A joint effort between FORMWORKS Architects Inc. of Birmingham and four engineering firms, the Alabama Power ElectriC Vehicle Service Center serves both an educational and maintenance function. Utilizing the automotive showroom, conference/classroom and the bicycle room, the utility educates school groups and the public about electric vehicles. The showroom at the Birmingham center also features four maintenance bays for the company's fleet of electric vehicles. The spaces are no-nonsense, large and open within the 6,500- square-foot footprint. Structure, building systems and equipment are all exposed, neatly instai:ed and painted On the exterior an engineered rigid steel frame structure is covered with a split-face, center-scored concrete block skin pierced by 12- by-12-foot storefront windows. A bright red wave-form steel canopy spans the fagade. Engineers integral to the project were: Miller Triplett & Miller Inc. (civil), Ritchie & Montgomery PC (structural), Mackinaw Engineering Inc. (plumbing and mechanical) and Hyde Engineering (electrical). Alabama Power Electric Veil/ele SelYice Center. .... ·l;·-a .. n .. d .. s .. c .. a .. p'·e .... ·A .. r .. c .. h+-t .. e .. c .. t .. u .. r·e .... A new landscape architecture firm, KernsPearson of Birmingham and Asheville, N.C., recently completed a riverfront master plan for Valley. The former textile community's mills, no longer dependent on the river, have moved to more convenient and modern facilities thus diminishing the deeply rooted connection between the river and town. The purpose of the Riverfront Master Plan, says landscape architect David Pearson, is to establish a framework for recapturing and reconnecting the town to the river and to serve as a catalyst for recreational, historical and environmental opportunities. The project includes more than six miles of riverfront greenways and 200 acres of new parkland. Phase I, design development, is scheduled to begin fall 2001. Valley Riverironl Sketch and Masler Plan. .& Spain Park Sports Complex, adjacent to the new high school campus in Hoover, has been designed by Montgomery's Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood Inc. The project includes two high school baseball fields, two adult softball fields, a two-story restroom/concessions building with press box on the upper floor, as well as a 200-car parking lot and maintenance building. The remaining portion of Spain Park is reserved for use as a passive park with walking trails and pavilions. The $25 million project is scheduled to be completed by fall 2001 ,A Spain Park Sports Complex. Design.Makes A Difference • It has been called "The Loveliest Village on the Plains" long after it grew into a major state university) but a recent study commissioned by Auburn University has determined that the concept of a village set amid green space is what the campus should embody. ''The Image & Character of Auburn University" completed last May represents an unexpected approach to campus planning. At the suggestion of Trustee John Blackwell, the Auburn University Board of Trnstees engaged International Design and Entertainment Associates (IDEA) to study perceptions and expectations about the university. The study by the Orlando-based finn specializing in image and branding was supported by three committees working over a year's time. The concepts adopted by the board of trustees set the ground rules for a campus master plan since commissioned from Sasaki & Associates of Watertown, Mass. IDEA drew upon this finn'S wide experience in setting criteria for a new master plan. Auburn Conce tual Plan As seen in a bird's eye perspective of the Wop. Spratling campus design, by 1915 a balance between the ideals of Olmsted's approach and the Renaissance axial approach, espoused by the new classicists, was being developed. by Philip Morris "The Image and Character of AubUrn University" report prepared by International Design and Entertainment Associates. 7 Volume XI, No. II Biggin HaJJ 1951. This first expression of the new Jnternational Style on campus was designed by Pearson, Tittle and Narrows and includes on the west exposure a set of once operable vertical louvers that could be adjusted with changing sun direction. To quote from the report: "The criteria below include some factors that are functional in nature, but the overall objective is to set criteria that emphasize the quality of place, the quality of community and the continuing creation of a campus that is distinctive to its region and culture." • Criteria for land Use The plan should reinforce the established land-use patterns of the campus. The plan should sustain inherent functional and pedagogical values of the compact academic core that is surrounded by and integrated with residential, recreational and social functions. The plan should avoid further dispersal of academic functions beyond the established core area generally defined by West Magnolia, South College, West Samford and South Donahue, except for specialized research facilities and professional programs not requiring close proximity to the undergraduate instructional core. The underfying goal of this criterion is to maintain the pedagogical and community values of proximity among academic functions, as well as to conserve land and infrastructure resources by inhibiting dispersal. Criteria lor Campus Open Space The plan shOuld establish a clear, legible open space order that connecis the various precincts of the campus in a unified way_ This should be accomplished by preservation and enhancement of existing signature spaces such as the residence quads, Ross Square, ihe South College Street fore lawns and the area that contained the Eagle Aviary. It should delineate the open space corridors that will connect major pedestrian open spaces, including weH-defined street corridors such as Meil Street and West Thach Avenue. The plan should identify opportunities for the creation of an "icon' open space that establishes a compelling symbolic identity for Auburn. Criteria lor "Pedeslrianization" It is imperative that Auburn recaptures the basic idea of "pedestrlanization" on the campus by creating safe and attractive collegial open spaces, reducing conflicts with parked and moving vehicles and introducing venues into the heart of the campus that generate pedestrian interaction. The term "recapture" is a deliberate reference to historical images of an Auburn campus that was once oriented to clear, strong pedestrian open spaces. Planning for the enhancement of the pedestrian environment is not only an aesthetic and cultural goal, but also a functional response to the growing need for closer ties among academic disciplines. Criteria for Campus "Architectural Fabric" The plan should identify opportunities for building infill and replacements, wherein architecture strengthens and frames the pedestrian open spaces discussed above. The best examples of such "framing" are the dormitory quads north of Roosevelt. The prospect of incremental removal and replacement of Saunders, Allison and Parker is a good example of the opportunity to redefine buildings as a unified background to the open space fabric, The plan should set design guidelines for materials, massing and bullding fa9ade lines that restore the sense of scale and unity embodied in earlier buildings. The plan has to acknowledge that future architecture (laboratories, sports and recreation facilities, student commons, etc.) VIii! likely be larger in scale and mass than traditional buildings and, therefore, will need to have good articulation of fa9ades, abundant '1ransparency" at ground floor levels and entry plazas that invite gathering. DesignAlabama 8 Criteria for Circulation and Parking The plan must find ways of harnessing the automobile on campus so as to make the pedestrian experience safer, more attractive and more coherent and to utilize limited land resources in the academic core more effectively. The plan should examine selective street closures and a real· location of the parking supply to serve various user groups while reducing the amount of parking that breaks up the integrity of the academic Core. Criteria for Community Functions: "The Campus as a Village" The distinct cuttural conslruct of Auburn University as a "town" or ''Village'' is a powerful and unique factor that must be preserved and enhanced in setting criteria for planning the campus. The scale and character of future Social and public facilities should reinforce the viilage-like atmosphere. Even the inevitable large-scale laboratory buildings should be positioned in such a way as to frame spaces where social interaction, gathering and community activities can take place. The plan should accommodate an abundant array of places and functions that will foster the sense of community and collegiality. Those functions should include outdoor gathering places at pedestrian crossroads locations, public spaces reiated to common facilities such as the student center and the library and courtyards, mails and plazas that invite informal encounter. Criteria lor the Environment The plan should strengthen the relationship between the formal built environment of the core area and the natural systems (stream corridors, wooded areas and fields, etc.) that define the outlying areas south and west of the core. Stream corridors should be protected by the preservation of the wooded banks flanking the streams. Reforestation programs should be identified where they can effectively link various parts of the campus and "soften" the visual impacts of large-scale parking and building masses at the edge of the academic core. Thach Hall 19S1. Classified as Contemporary Georgian by Sam Brewster, former director of buildings and grounds, VanKeuren, Davis' Simplified bold design rendered in brick features a symmetricallrant lagade with a stone base and pedimented entry pavilion. Ross Hall 1930. The Neoclassical building with Georgian overtones occupies the central position on Ross Square, a formal garden, Ilanked by Samlord Hall (east) and Fay Union (west). Designed by Warren, Knight and Davis, its symmetrical fagades are dominated by a Doric porticO (south), a balustraded stairway (north) and a crowning cupola. Samford Hall circa 1880. The earliest campus development followed an organizational and architectural style popular lor mid~19th century institutions. The original campus was oriented toward a commons, Samford Park, and directly addressed the town at its central crossroads. Buildings designers employed picturesque Victorian Romanesque styles, popular lor instifutional and municipal buildings of the period. "City" and "Suburb" are usually read as opposites, as in "City vs. Suburbs. II In this representation the city is dense, urban and diverse, the suburb low-density, non-urban and homogeneous. As applied to Alabama's urban places, these distinctions have always blurred. Except for downtowns, there are almost no urban districts in the classic Eastern Seaboard city sense, and even downtowns have generally not been places where people live. In Mobile, Montgomery, Birmingham and Huntsville, close-in neighborhoods are really early suburbs and mostly at the density of a garden district. URBAN~ by Philip Morris Even as downtowns now work to encourage residential lofts and 24-hour life, so the suburbs, which have always had their own individuality, are attracting offices and so-called townhouses, along with the shopping centers long a part of the mix. But the problem with so much of suburban development from the 1950s onward is that it became a helter-skelter spread of residential subdivisions and commercial strips. More recently, the cumulative sprawl has gotten so bad that the suburbs are often overwhelmed with traffic and congestion - once considered big city problems. Maybe it's because of the traffic. Maybe the new popularity of walking for health and recreation is behind it, but there are signs of a change in the suburbs. The new urbanism movement (OA Fall/Winter 1998) has put forward the model of a mixed-use, walking-precinct town as an alternative to autodependent, separated single-use zoning. Some federal transportation funds are now earmarked for bicycle and walking, not just for recreation. but as an alternative way to get around. And maybe, too, suburbs are just growing up, wanting to be more truly urban on their own terms. This emerging trend is the subject of "SubURBAN MOVES." The survey ranges from a well-planned pre-World War II suburb now discovering its implicit urbanism, to a high-growth suburb taking a new look at development standards, to a town of 12,500 that wants to grow as a town and not just random subdivisions. Some of the changes are subtle and gradual, so the full effect may be years coming. Others are dramatic, like the transformation of a 1970s mall with a new "Main Street" front. Just as the places differ, the specific moves are quite diverse. But these ideas about how to make the suburbs more interesting and livable have relevance just about anywhere. This should be an exciting movement to see unfold across the state. Philip Morris is an architectural writer and contributing editor to Southern Accents and Coastal Living magazines. 9 Volume XI, No. II 71)e Ci{r o/Mountain Brook has encoumged new injil/ daelopment in its three villages. These images shall.! English Village ·'bifore" in 1997 (left) and '·after," (right) II.Jith mixed·use buildings designed by Sprott long & Associates defining the edge 0/ new sideu'C/lks and a sInall plaza at the corner. The six-stol), condominium tower behind is r.·.· '\ . . *~ \ actual(J' in Birmingham. ~GjJEI]Mountain Brook bURBAND [J OesignA!abama 10 A bucolic 1920s suburb may not sound like a frontier for urban initiatives, but within the past few years the City of Mountain Brook, located just over the Red Mountain ridge from the heart of Birmingham, has done the following: • Linked its three commercial villages with trails and sidewalks • Invested in major streetscape improvements for the villages • Adopted urban design guidelines to protect and extend these pedestrian-scaled places • Revised its local business district zoning to mandate new buildings at the sidewalk line rather than set back suburban style • Changed its sign ordinance to include provisions for smaller signs compatible with the scale of the villages • Created a Villages Design Review Committee to oversee enforcement of the guidelines and ordinances • Commissioned a nationally known downtown development consultant to explore ways to strengthen and enhance the villages. These various actions have been taken to enhance both the economic performance of the villages and the quality of life for residents. City Manager Sam Gaston notes that sales taxes increased 9 percent after streetscape improvements (though this rate has since leveled Off). He also notes that merchants and property owners were involved from the start in planning and implementing the project, funded by a 25-cent increase in the local sales tax. As for community life, the sidewalks and trails have transformed the city with residents out walking or jogging (with or without their dogs), parents with young children in strollers, youngsters on bicycles, all animating the place. "When we come out of city council meetings at 9 or 9:30 at night, you see families on the sidewalk or around the fountain," says council member Alice Williams who has been an ardent supporter of these changes and who serves as councilliaison on the Villages Design Review Committee. Shawn on one of the new benches installed as part of recent streetscape improvements in Crestline Village are: (seated left to right) Craig Rogers, architect and chair 0/ the Villages Design Review Committee, Alice Williams, city council liaison with the committee, and Darrell '}fryer, planner and urban designer with KPS Group. Standing behind is Cify Manager Sam Gaston. Design guidelinlls for the lJillages dere/oped by KtS Group call for tbe wid!/) and jJmporlions ojs/orifron! ba}'s to be used in all remodeling and new building. The key guideline for building/street relations is jar buildings to bold to the sideu,wtk line to keep pedes· Irian scale and visibility. Parking lots should not disrupt the street frontage. Mountain Brook (pop. 20.000) is often viewed as exceptional and, thus, not a model for others. But both its original layout and recent attention to pedestrian amenities have caught the eye of other suburbs in the area. (See following features). Laid out as a motoring suburb and an escape from the city, the 1926 plan for Mountain Brook Estates included a sidewalk-fronted Mountain Brook Village with cars and people gently mixed around a distinctive landscaped circle. In this, landscape architect Warren Manning of Boston created a plan for developer Robert Jemison Jr. representative of the best early suburban planning where the auto was served but so was the pedestrian. By the time it was incorporated as the City of Mountain Brook in 1946, there were two other commercial villages absorbed into the city layout: the small-town grid of Crestline Village which became the town's civic heart with the city hall and library set within the commercial core; and English Village, a small crossroads center on the margin between Birmingham's Redmont neighborhood and Mountain Brook. Over the years, city leaders kept both the villages and adjacent neighborhoods distinct and strong by not widening linking roads or allowing commercial development to spread along them. Desirable Cndesirablc Desirable Undesirable Over the past several years, Nimrod Long III, a landscape architect and resident, was instrumental in getting the city to apply for federal funds to link the villages and ne'lghborhoods with sidewalks and trails. Phase I of 6.4 miles and Phase II with 2.1 miles are complete, with existing sidewalks and trails mapped and new ones laid out mostly along major roads or streamside open spaces. Future phases of what is now called the Walkway System Master Plan, reaching out into more recent neighborhoods and linking parks, schools and other destinations, will bring the total to 25 miles. Another resident, planner Darrell Meyer, who joined KPS Group in Birmingham after retiring as longtime head of the planning program at Auburn University, was retained by the city to develop guidelines for the villages in 1996. These deal not with architectural style but with the massing, scale and placement of buildings in relation to sidewalks, plus the location of parking, all intended to reinforce the intimate urban character of the villages. "As in most towns, Mountain Brook's zoning ordinances were suburban-based, so the required setbacks wouldn't allow the villages to be built the way they were. We changed this so building to the sidewalk is standard for the local business district zoning that applies to the villages." Meyer also wrote the new sign ordinance reducing overall sign size in keeping with the villages' scale. In 1997 a Villages Design Review Committee was established to oversee the application of the guidelines Any proposed changes to the exterior of buildings, including signs and awnings, come to the committee for review and approval before permits are issued. Architect Craig Rogers is current chairman. It was this committee that recommended to the city planning commission and council changes to the zoning and sign ordinances after they discovered the need. Tbe (lil!ages now bmJe build-to rather than suburban setback lines, and an addition to [he historic Steeple Arts buifding in Crestline Village designed b)' architect Randy Marks extends the frontage of e:'dsting shops, 11 Volume XI, No. II DesignAlabama 12 To keep its new library accessible by foot or bicycle in the heart of Crestline Village, the existing library was torn down and temporarily moved to a shopping malt so the new, more urban one designed by llKW Associates could occupy the same location. Local architects have welcomed the guidelines. For an addition to the landmark Steeple Arts building in Crestline Village, Randolph Marks used the build-to-sidewalk provision to extend the existing storefront line while creating an attractive enclosure for a courtyard between the addition and the historic church structure. Rob Walker of SRW & Associates, who has designed a new two-story infill structure for English Village (retail below, Though it Jronts U.S. 280, the Tlelf) Mountain Brook plaza 280 retail block ~J' architects DesignFonn Picks up the ebamcter oj nearby )Jountain Brook Village, putting a pillage toehold on this major highU'(J)'- SRW designed this new injifl buildingjor aformer service station site in Engfish Village to repeat the scale and storefront Thytbm of the existillg 1920s buildings lIext door. The plan sbows the neu' buifdingJootprint in context with parking to the side alld behind. One trait of true urban planning is putting pieces together so they add up to something greater than the parts. The decision to tear down the existing too-small Mountain Brook Library in the heart of Crestline Village and build back a three-times-Iarger facility on the same site - one made after much discussion of options - is another sign of "SubURBAN MOVES." Keeping it within walking distance of Crestline Elementary School and the close-knit neighborhoods nearby, as well as strengthening this village as the civic heart of the community, was a major consideration. The new, tighter building guidelines facilitated the replacement of a suburban-building-with-Iawn with an urbanbuilding- with-plaza in a design by HKW Associates. offices above), says, "We are already attuned to what the design Most recently, the City of Mountain Brook in cooperation with guidelines are intended to do, so we welcome them." To replace a its new chamber of commerce, has hired Doyle Hyett of Hyett-Palma, a setback structure once used as a service station, SRW's design nationally known downtown development specialist, to study all three continues the commercial bays of adjacent 1920s buildings and villages in relation to each other and competing business/retail nearby. cladding with a similar clinker-brick texture. To meet the developer's A city-wide master plan update in cooperation with Jefferson County budget, the slate roofs will not be repeated, but copper was speci- planning staff is also underway. fied because it will weather to a similar tone. Another new building, Mountain Brook Plaza 280, while it fronts U.S. 280 and is not While it does have its exceptional qualities, Mountain Brook's contiguous to Mounlain Brook Village, picks up the urban charac- increased attention to the character of development, development of ter of the nearby village with storefront bays, brick detailing and a public amenities and the use of more sophisticated planning and distinguishing tower at the juncture of its L-plan. DesignForm, the design review to manage change are tools many towns, cities or architecture firm on the project, is led by Rogers who chairs the suburbs might emulate. _ review committee, so those involved were familiar with the guide-lines even though they do not apply to this highway setting. • �� • Fairhope Development Framework LEGEND DOWNTOWN VILLAGE CENTER DOWNTOWN IMPACT AREA GREENO ROAD VILLAGE CENTER GREENO ROAD IMPACT AREA NEIGHBORHOOD VilLAGE CENTER NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER IMPACT AREA Tbe det:elopment JramelCod~ /Jictured 011 the I'igbf i//ustJ'{ltes Fairhope's j)roposed/rtlltl'e dere/ojnnell! j)(!!fem. DottnfoU:1l represents a regional village eel/tel' and tbe ~:rmbolic center ojFaidJojX!. Greeno Road represents all au/omobife-based retail centel: a/I/Jollgb if is anticipated /bat landscape treatments li'Il! be used 10 effietive( r tie Ibis center info tbe amra// dere/ojJlI1fmt/ram/Juwk. the remaining eellters shO/nz flIlls/rate possible /OCfttiol1s/or smaller scale neig!Jborbood commercia! 01' il1s/ifuliollaf activilies. SOTE: [be cellteJ~~ indicated do JlO! represent (m exact projJOsed location. Rather, {hey sbOlt' IbeajJjJroximale sendee areas/or such ceJ1lel:~, Tbe ci(r.h01l'el:er. s/Jou{d 1101 ajJjJrol'8 Ileigbborhood cenlel:~ tbat are ajJproxi- ~.-,., '".",,"-,,~ "1"~'''J~nl.1 FaitH !~'II~I~URBANP1D····. ~. ' 'IJlU,lqw I I [~ ~-' Once a place apart, Fairhope (pop. 12,500) on Mobile's Eastern Shore has become part of a larger suburban growth zone. To get a handle on how it expands, the City of Fairhope early this year adopted a new master plan that mandates village-scale development rather than typical suburban sprawl. ''This process went on for a year and had wide community involvement," says Mayor Tim Kant, elected last October after years of heading the city's admired civic landscape program A national search led to the firm of Gould Evans Goodman from Kansas City They were selected because they had strong architecture and landscape architecture experience rather than more typical planning in just two dimensions. To engage the community, clear alternatives between market-driven and community-shaped growth were developed, and the community overwhelmingly chose the latter. The Alabama Chapter of the American Planning Association gave the Fairhope plan its 2000 Outstanding Planning Program award. Fairhope city planner Christopher Baker says the same firm is now helping the city develop regulations that will put the plan into effect. "We knew the plan would be a learning process for our residents, so we dedicated a great deal of effort on that front. Now we are doing the same with the developers and landowners." Compared to many cities, Fairhope already has regulations in place to manage how it grows. Its big-box ordinance, for example, restricts the size and location of large-scale retail buildings. If located in the Greeno Road area where they already exist, freestanding stores can be up to 18,000 square feet. Anywhere else in town the size is limited to 8,000 square feet. The 'Idea is to keep Fairhope's small town character. Following is the Fairhope Land-use Plan. 13 Volume XI, No. II To facilitate community discussion, a series of three alternative land-use strategies were prepared. They were presented to both the steering committee and at a town hall meeting for review, discussion and direction. Land-use Plan [ Alternatives] In a final town hall meeting, a group consensus was formed regarding the most appropriate land-use pattern for Fairhope. (See Alternative C.) ." .. In the first alternative. it was envisioned that the future of Fairhope would be determined solely through typical market and development forces. In this scenario. Fairhope would develop with strip commercial centers along primary arterials. Residential subdivisions would fill-in sporadically between these corridors. and parks, schools, churches and other institutions would locate expediently - wherever cost effective. A key advantage to this option is that it represents the mainstream of American development practices; thus, it is relatively easy to implement. It does not, however, adequately address the vision, goals or objectives of the plan as developed in the community participation process. DesignAlabama 14 I!lll "''''''''''''~'''' ?UIILiC Alternative A projected Fairhope build-out if there were no signijiCClllt changes to existing land-lise policies and if dereiopment decisions u-ere designed to be dejimmtia/ to the wishes of the dew/opmen! communil)'. • / Keighhorhood .\. ........• ~ Stlip Commercial )' • In a marke!·dn"ven approach, commercial development occurs in a "sln'p" configuration along corridors and at the intersection of arterial roadways. Residential subdivisions are typically inwardly focused Parks, churches and schools are located in an expedient manner, primaril;! in areas with fou:er land costs. Btiflers betu'een residential and commercial uses are essential. The second alternative attempted to direct market forces to a greater extent than envisioned in Alternative A. In this scenario, the city would use zoning policies and infrastructure development strategies to direct the timing of new development. While the strip-oriented commercial corridors would still exist to some extent, they would be phased in a more orderly manner. A comprehensive trails and bicycle path system, interlinked with parks, would be developed as a part of the city's physical framework. The result of this development pattern would be better sequencing and predictability of infrastructure, but it would not fully address the city's image and character as expressed and identified as a priority in community meetings. Altemative B proposed a Fairhope build-out based On modified traditional/and-use policies that represent a selJ'II'·pattemed community, where cost is not the primary loeational determinant. Trails While a "strip" commercial configuration exists, the cit)' would utilize zoning poliCies to limit the size and COl1- figuration. A proactive approach would be necessary to coordinate parks and institutions. A trails system would link parks into an Ol'eratl open space network. [Preferred Plan] .\'eigbborbood Cbaracf(!J' ~ / ( MIXED USE -7<:::.-~f":NTER '" Off-Set Mixed-Use Center jhxed-llse center may occur across em il1!e;:~eclioi1 OJ' 1rUbin ol/e or more il/tersec/ion quadl'flJ1!s as illustrated. After considering the three alternative land-use scenarios, the community participants and Steering Committee worked to develop a preferred scenario to act as a framework for future development in Fairhope. MixeD USE Streets Bisecting Mixed-Use Center i! clustered. mixed-use eel/fer cOllsisling q( commercial OJ' institutional uses ancbors eael; rillage. A planned parks and trails system finks tbe til/ages. Village Center Character In a third altemative. Fairhope was envisioned as developing in a series of wa!kable villages. Each viliage would be centered around a mixed-use cluster consisting of parks and open space, a trail/bikeway connection, institutions, retail and residential. Although the exact nature of each village center would be market driven, a premium would be placed on the clustering, coordination and land-use integration of these and other uses. In this scenario, three levels of retail are envisioned for Fairhope: Downtown as a regional center, Greeno Road as a community retail center and smaller neighborhood village centers that are not competitive in scale and use with either downtown or Greeno Road. This altemative was overwhelmingly favored by community participants in the planning process, although there was a recognition that this was the most difficult of the three alternatives to implement LEGEND RESIDENTIAL PARK I OPEN SPACE PUBLIC Alternafire C presents a build-out scenario u"bere JUJU' grou:tIJ has been directed il1[o riflage pal/ems designed to j)FOI!ide my/ous /ereL~ oj support fo loca! or regiol1al residents. ;\'01£: Tbe {ocatiolls oj cOlJlmerciaflq/jice, park/open space and public falld-uses are approXimate. Tbey lfere presented at comlnuni(r meetings for dL~Cl(ssiOIl pur/Joses on(/: The Fairhope Framework creates a hierarchy oi vi!lage centers that wili be located throughout the city to meet different local and regional needs. Each of the village centers will be designed to include or be linked to: • Compact, wa!kable neighborhoods with approximately a one-mile walking radius • Public space, such as a square or an important intersection • Pedestrian/bicycle trails and open spaces linking all villages, including downtown and the waterfront • A commercial and/or institutional core that responds to market-driven realities. II 15 Volume XI, No, II The City of Homewood (pop. 25,000) has its own "downtown," a streetcar-era shopping district that includes city hall and related uses, the core of which was given streetscape improvements several years ago. More recently, Homewood has extended civic landscape improvements along its Greensprings Highway/Columbiana Road corridor. But the most dramatic move from disconnected-suburban to linked-urban pattern is happening in the valley parallel to Shades Creek. Tbe first 2.5 mile part oj a pedestrian/bicycle trail along Shades Creek connects rna/or destinations, ineluding Homewood Higb where a bridge :.pans the creek DesignAlabama 16 After years in design and processing, the first phase After the Shades Creek trail was master planned, of a planned six-mile pedestrian and cycling trail has opened. a major change in the plans for renovation of Brookwood The 12-foot-wide, asphalt-surfaced trail parallels the creek and Village regional mall was announced by Colonial extends 2.5 miles from the west end of Brookwood Village to Properties, the mall's new Birmingham-based owners. Columbiana Road. Designed by Homewood resident Jane Rather than upgrade the mall in its existing configuration Reed Ross of Ross Kelly Landscape Architects, PC, the trail (two-stories with anchor department stores at either end), serves both recreation and transportation. It opens up creekside open space that has long given Shades Creek Parkway/ Lakeshore Drive a true parkway character but was never accessible on foot or bicycle. And it links a regional mall, Homewood High School, Samford University, the new University Park development, several neighborhoods and other office buildings. Phases II and III will extend the trail west for a total of six miles, connecting with Wildwood shopping center, John Carroll High School and other sites, terminating in West Homewood Park. the decision was made to open it up with a Main Street-like frontage and new restaurants overlooking Shades Creek. The concept was developed by StreetWorks, a retail consultant from New York, with HKW Associates, the architects, and Nimrod Long & Associates, the landscape architects, both of Birmingham. This major change from suburban to urban type makes the "village" in the center's name descriptive for the first time since it was built in the 1970s. And since the City of Homewood is paying for a new dedicated street that extends through the site, the change meshes well with the new Shades Creek pedestrian link. Wben renovations at Brookwood Village are completed tbis fall, storefronts Willface a new public street bull! across tbe properly by tbe Cit)' a/Homewood and connecting to tbe new Sbades Creek trail. In presenting the Brookwood Village plans last January at the Birmingham Museum of Art's Annual Review of Architecture & Design, HKW project architect Mark Coyle showed slides of the existing mall's blank walls and described how the new frontage with storefronts and restaurants in full view would make the shopping center "Iook like someplace you'd just like to be." Within, there will still be an enclosed mall component, but a new two-story pavilion inserted at 90 degrees and fronting on the new street will give it more visibility and urban presence The change at Brookwood Village is obviously inspired by the huge success at The Summit a few miles away at U.S. 280 and 1-459, built from scratch as a single-loaded "main street" by Bayer Properties with design by architects CRH of Birmingham and Nimrod Long & Associates. In shopping center circles this is termed "openair shopping." In the Homewood case, what is remarkable is how timely this shift was to the planned redo of an aging mall and how well it complements the new pedestrian link. Though the City of Homewood has not yet picked up on the more sophisticated urban pattern planning now being explored by Mountain Brook, Fairhope and others, it quickly rose to the occasion when it agreed to spend more than $7 million on the new street fronting Brookwood Village. The newly urbanized center may not have the diversity of architecture and uses nor the connectedness evident in Homewood's downtown, but it represents one giant step away from isolated suburban patterns toward something people seem to want. _ 17 Volume XI, No. II Anchored by its prime revenue source, Riverchase Galleria, and made attractive to expanding neighborhoods on the Birmingham metropolitan area's south edge by a school system created seven years ago, the City of Hoover is now the sixth largest city in the state with a population of about 65,000, Successful as it has been in attracting growth, the pace and shape of development - or, rather, the lack of shape - caused a major change in leadership last fall when a new mayor and city council majority were elected on a smart growth platform The national movement promotes a more intelligent and responsive approach to growth: meshing land-use and transportation, protecting environmental features, reinforcing existing towns or neighborhoods and mixing uses together in a way that gives people the option to walk or ride a bicycle rather than depending solely on their cars. Mayor Barbara McCollum in one of her first initiatives put together a task force and consultants to develop a citywide master plan to look at such issues. Echoing the distinctions raised in the Fairhope land-use plan between market/developer-driven, directed-market or preferred- pian approaches, Mayor McCollum and her supporters look to the planning process to help them make good decisions and even correct past mistakes. "When I meet with developers, I tell them we don't want to stop growth but to make sure we protect our natural beauty, deal with traffic and accessibility and create longterm value for our community," she says. Her experience on the city planning commission and city council helped shape her sense that the city need- 0 ed to be more proactive about how (? h it develops. DesignAlabama 18 LS'( Really, (( major properZF oltner in Hoover, is currently developing The Preserve witb smafler lot hOlises placed around a centml green that opens at one end to tbe city's lIew 250-tlcre Moss Rock Preserre. Tbe Ritercbase G'al/eria with its office (lnd bole/IOlrers [lisibJeji'om c.s. 31. along wilb olher retail dereioj)ment, sels the present image of ffoOl'eI: HOOVER ON-THE·CAHA8A 01'i-THE-CAc!ASA $OllU1WCS\ Vf!iaS<: Concopt b:;::~ ,'I !'" b:~: 1-, ,"" Hoorer-on-tiJe-Cababtl, a concept pkm commissioned by tbe City off/oOMr, proposes tbe Cababa RifeI' be used to create a lltilural-foatllre focusjol' both existing and lIew neighborhoods. Pedesfrialljriendf)'. mi.yed-lise m'l/ages are proposed at cerlaill localiolls along /be u.'ay. If the best features of Hoover are the master-planned Riverchase development begun in the 1 970s which includes well-landscaped office parks and residential areas, as well as Riverchase Galleria, there are signs that more intimately mixed-use urban patterns will have a place in its future, balanced with greater recognition of natural features. When Virginia Williams, formerly chief administrator for Birmingham Mayor Richard Arrington Jr., joined the city as iirst director of development four years ago, she oversaw development of a study called "Hoover-on-theCahaba" It turns out, the 27-mile-long city which grew from its origin near 1-65/U.S. 31 eastward toward U.s. 280 as new subdivisions requested annexation, includes the Cahaba River for most of its length. The plan, which recently has been fleshed out with an environmental inventory of what needs protection, calls for the river to be made an important image and amenity feature. This includes providing new visibility and access in existing neighborhoods and creating a series of pedestrianfriendly villages along the river in yet-developed land. The lead planner on this study, Darrell Meyer of KPS Group, has been teamed with planning consultant Bob House on the Hoover master plan to incorporate aspects of new urbanism and an armature of green into the process. In the meantime, USX Realty, which has used good but typical suburban planning for the extensive development of Trace Crossings over the past decade, has begun construction on The Preserve, a 300-acre pedestrian- scale residential district centered on a village green and adjacent to the 250-acre Moss Rock Preserve that the City of Hoover purchased as public open space The plan by Nimrod Long & Associates originally included a retail village component, but objections from existing residents eliminated any commercial use. Smaller town home and cottage lots are concentrated at the center to help establish the feel of a traditional walking neighborhood. Memphis-based architects Looney Ricks Kiss, who have a "'=M,r; ",~,;w,,-c( t>''''",-,«, ,.,"""-;".vc; ... '" For all of its life, Phenix City (pop. 28,000) has been a de facto suburb of Columbus, Ga., on the other side of the river. But as part of a master planning process, the town decided that making a proper urban center everyone could enjoy and be proud of should be a high priority. Out of a day-long brainstorming session held in August of 2000, KPS Group of Birmingham has developed a plan organized along Broad Street which, at 164 feet wide, is four feet wider than the famous Monument Avenue in Richmond, Va. A double allee of trees and monuments relocated from elsewhere in town will establish a strong civic presence. At the north end, near a new bridge across the Chattahoochee River, a small hotel and conference center are planned. At the south end near the old bridge is another hotel and an office building. In between are a mix of residential and retail plus an existing city hall and chamber of commerce building. A grocery store, the only one serving both downtown Phenix City and Columbus, will be relocated to a new downtown shopping center to be built nearby with traditional street frontage. number of successful new urbanist developments to their credit, designed the range of houses being built at The Preserve. The only place to walk or ride a bicycle to, at least for now, will be the village green, the Moss Rock Preserve or a multi-use community center on the green. Maybe, before too long, residents of Hoover who have developed a love/hate relationship with big scale, autoonly development will have some gentler, kinder options on places to live, work or shop. III <- ~t.l, ......... '1 ,-'". ~,~<;.-- Tbis pIal! j)repared by XI'S Group of Birmingbam for downtowll Phalli): Cif:), sbows lieu' small hotels and conjerellce facilities. plus a nell: shOPPing center fo !be nor!h, located neal' the bridges that cross OFer 10 Columbus. Ga. In bel/teen are a mi:..- oj residential. cit!lc altd business uses ol'edookillg creekside open sjJace «nd tlJe rille): The birds /!re drawing {llustrates bOil" bltildings are brought to the street, 1[ilh public parking on the street ((lid ill loIs bebind. _. ty New commercial and civic buildings are located in an urban manner, built to the sidewalk line with parking to the side or rear. Another key aspect drawn from traditional urban centers: All downtown parking will be public, both on-street and in off-street lots owned by the city, so spaces will be used for multiple purposes and walking will be encouraged. "The plan calls for making the two downtowns work together, providing hotel space to complement the Columbus convention center," says Darrell Meyer of KPS Group. "Columbus is the industrial side, with restored old mills and warehouses, while Phenix City is the green side. There will be new residential on the bluff overlooking a waterfront park and the river and downtown Columbus on the other side." III 19 Volume XI. No. II Two locations in north Alabama illustrate the diverse applicability . of the new urbanism revival of traditional town planning, as well as the importance of adhering to the movement's standards. DesignAlabama 20 Huntsville architect Steve Mouzon of Mouzon Associates has been an avid follower of the new urbanism movement, attending the annual Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) where the principles and projects are debated and refined. He was recently involved in a reassessment of Gorham's Bluff, laid out by a New Orleans architect. Instead of a range of lot sizes and firm civic ordering, the plan was essentially standard lot layout with a few civic gestures. Mouzon developed revisions, presented for a roundtable critique at the recent CNU held in New York City. Gorham's Bluff will now feature a range of lot sizes, especially smaller ones conducive to those wanting to have a small second-home cottage. The revised plan puts emphasis on the town as an arts retreat with studio and dormitory space for visiting artists. At the center, a planned assisted living center will be designed as an integral part of the town. "The cafeteria will be a sidewalk cafe that anyone in town can eat at, the mail room - the town post office and the library - the town library," says Mouzon who has been named town architect. "The residents will be integrated into the life of the community just as old people were in towns everywhere a century ago." The potential for new urbanism planning to reinforce and extend an existing town is also being explored by Mouzon at Mooresville. This historic planters' village two miles east of the intersection of 1-65 and 1-565 leading to Huntsville is threatened by surrounding development. After seeing examples of Mouzon's new urbanism work for Gorham's Bluff, the mayor of Mooresville has retained the architect to develop a plan to extend the intimate scale and architectural character of the town across several hundred acres of adjacent agricultural land. By expanding as a town, not random suburban sprawl, Mooresville would not only secure its quaintness but provide a small town choice for new residents. _ The historic planters' Village a/Mooresville, tbreatened by sprau.!ljrom the nearby 1-6511-565 interchange, has asked Mouzon to delle/op a new urbanism plan for the lalld around the Village in order to protect it. Vestallia Hills plans to delle/op an open spacejrameum>k and a serieS ojpedestrian village centers, plus a cl~)' center around its original shopping center on us. 31> Su Originally developed in the 1950s and 60s in a fully suburban mode, the City of Vestavia Hills (pop. 25,000) is known for its quality schools and an overall green infrastructure highlighted by the Shades Mountain crest and a landscaped U.S. 31, including a tree-lined median. But an active community group has recently pushed for something more and that includes a stronger urban identity. The same round of municipal elections that has set a new smart growth agenda in Hoover also brought a new city council majority and a new mayor, Dr. Scotty McCallum (former president of UAB), to push for the new set of urban goals. A long-range planning committee chaired by resident volunteer Fred Yeager and served by staff planners from the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham (RPC) is looking at a wide array of issues. But central to the effort is a bundle of objectives with the aim of making Vestavia Hills a physically more attractive, memorable and pedestrian-friendly place. • ~. P'" • _. S . .. .-.-....-.. .... Among the many ideas generated during community brainstorming sessions, a large number fall under the "SubURBAN MOVES" theme including • Promote a sense of neighborhood by creating a balanced relationship between residential areas, retail facilities, places of employment, recreational facilities, civic and cultural facilities and other activities • Develop guidelines to promote quality and consistent architectural and landscape improvements • Convert guidelines into ordinances that are enforceable • Develop a city center. In June, RPC conducted a Vestavia Hills image-ability workshop based on the mental mapping principles of Kevin Lynch, where residents determined that their main north and south gateways along U.S. 31 were well marked, but not those lying east and west. The desire for a walkable city center to be located around the original community shopping center on U.S. 31, plus smaller pedestrian-oriented centers attached to neighborhoods, are expected to be key features of a new master plan. Putting the pieces together in a more thoughtful, more urbane manner has risen to high priority on the lovely south slopes of Shades Mountain. _ 21 Volume XI, No. II The first eMe bUilding in Mt laurel at tbe jool o/Double Oak Mottntain in Sbelby Cottnty is the fire Sideu.-alks in the small/ot l1eigbborboods in the town center are bordered '-~~""-'-'-~"'f'~I~tJt "IMt Laiirel Su [J,---==:-,~ Just beyond the upscale subdivisions and mega-strips of Birmingham's ever-expanding U.S. 280 corridor, on a relatively quiet Shelby County Highway 41, a new beginning for an earlier model of suburban planning is underway: Mt Laurel. This past summer. when Mt Laurel hosted interested Alabama architects and landscape architects on a tour-and-barbeque, the visitors could see the beginnings of the town center The first pbase.Mt Laurel plall l}' DPZ of.'rIiami. Lo.nJ 1.;<0 Pia" ,,",.,', .. .".".", 0Ii ."" . The T'own 0/ MT LAUREL and the walking neighborhoods extending outward along the valley floor, as well as a civic lake set on the lower slopes of Double Oak Mountain just above the town center. It takes some imagination, but the fire station and tower clad in native stone gathered from nearby, the signs showing locations for the first commercial building and a row of live/work townhouses, the first narrow street of architect-designed cottages in Arts & Crafts style and the sidewalks bordered by handsomely crafted stone retaining walls already set a tone. DesionAlabama 22 What matters most, of course, is the plan commissioned by Birmingham's Stephens family from Andres Duany & Elizabeth PlaterZyberk (DPZ), leaders in the new urbanism movement that has advanced a new/old model for creating walkable, human-scaled neighborhoods and towns with civic presence. The 500-acre first phase includes the town center and attached or small lot dwellings gathered intimately on the valley floor with the pattern loosening, of necessity, as it climbs the steep slopes. Great care is being taken to balance what is built with what nature provides, preserving even smaller trees and encouraging the use of native plants, a passion of Elton Stephens Jr. Town landscape architect Rip Weaver explains that larger trees removed from building sites have been turned into timbers to be used for arbors and other civic structures. Because the plan includes carefully placed civic buildings, the fire station designed by Dungan & Nequette of Birmingham takes on added importance. But everywhere, really, in a walking town, architecture becomes important because it can be seen and appreciated. Town architect Scott Finn pOints out that because Mt Laurel was not able to interest a select list to join a home builders guild, the Stephens have created their own building concern. This is not development as usual, but it is not unprecedented. "I tell people that everything we're doing is based on what you can find in early Birmingham suburbs like Forest Park, Homewood and Mountain BroOk," says Finn. The narrow streets, sidewalks, storefront architecture and civic space found in small towns and early 20th century urban neighborhoods and suburbs are newly appreciated. It may be a softer kind of urban than the word usually connotes. But sitting at a sidewalk table with people and strollers and dogs passing by is urban - and it's back, it seems, in places the recent past would never have predicted. _ A!ab:l(!l,t Historic:!! Commis~ion ALABAMA MAIN STREET PROGRA,\1 Main Street Matters: AlabamaJs Main Street Program They say we're getting back to basics - back to the heart of things. And the heart of any city is its downtown. After years of decline, many historic downtown districts across America are once again thriving, and it's happening with gusto in Alabama. Anyone who has been away from the state for just a few years will notice an impressive transformation. by Jessica Annstrong Built in 1913 and once a huggyMand.barness shop, the structure is highly decorated with stone trim delineating bays and providing contrastingfoundation and cornice lines. Current owners the Fambrougbs rehabilitated the building in 1993 wit" what was tbe first fafOde inamtive grant funded by Downtown Gadsden Inc_ Until recently, many of Alabama's downtowns hid decades of histOlY behind neglected f~ades. Buildings have been treated to colorful awnings and new coats of paint Trees, flowerbeds and old-fashioned street lamps line sidewalks. Commercial vacancy rates are dow11 with underused and dilapidated properties reborn as restaurants, offices and shops. Street life is invigorated with festivals and community events. Part of the National Trust for Historic Preservation, the Main Street program was established after determining that the country's downtowns were in a serious state of deterioration. Since 1980, the National Main Street Center has been working lIith communities nationwide to revitalize their downtowns. The Main Street approach involves saving historically significant architecture and breathing new life into a town's commercial core. It's a locally driven economic development tool targeting local issues and concerns. Alabama's Main Street program began in the early 1980s when the Alabama Historical Commission offered incentive grants to tOW11S interested in improving their commercial districts. Since its inception, the number of Alabama towns jumping on the Main Street bandwagon has steadily increased. The program was reorganized in 1988 under the leaderohip of Alta Cassady as Main Street coordinator, a position recently filled by Andrew Gerachis. "The appeal of the Main Street approach can be found not only in its success in preserving buildings," says Gerachis, "but in so doing successfully builds a sense of community. The organizations that result from following Main Street's four-step process are stronger, highly interwoven and better able to meet the needs of dynamic communities." 23 Volume XI, No. II DesignAlabama 24 Dating to 1884, the building originall}' was bome to Pizitz Department Store. In 1996 Gilbert & Williams Properties purchased and rehabili~ tated the long vacant red brick structure with the white terra cotta ftlftlde. Its five upper bays are delineated by fluted pilasters and each of the windows is sunJwunted by spandrel panels tuith bas relief shields, swags and cornucopias. The key to Main Street's success is the partnership between the public and plivate sectors, explains Cassady, who now serves as the AHC's grant program administrator. "Main Street was one of the first organizations to l~alize the need for such a partnership. With today's tax cuts, state revenues are dO\In, and the govemment can no longer do it alone. The private sector needs fmancial incentives and guidelines." A public-private partnership has worked wonders in communities througbout Alabama, creating a boon to local economies. If in doubt, take a look at downtown Gadsden, a textbook example of a successful Main Street community. "Gadsden was fortunate to have stability in its govemment," adds Cassady, who was Main Street state coordinator in 1993 when Gadsden's redevelopment efforts began. "A professional plan was done, and Cathy Back was hired as Main Street manager She's very enthusiastic and dedicated - a real dynamo." The Main Street program is administered through DOlin town Gadsden Inc., creating a catalyst for public and private investinent, says Back. Nearly $22 million has been spent on building improvements and purchase of property in the downtown district, Back notes. Additionally, there has been an increase of 419 jobs and 82 new businesses. The occupancy rate has risen from 79 percent in 1993 to 90 percent today. Along with an effective public-plivate partnership, Back credits Gadsden's success to its fa,ade and sign grant incentive programs, as well as the establishment of a downtown design review process. Since 1993, Gadsden has benefited from 93 grant-funded improvement projects, and several other projects are underway. Downtown Gadsden Inc. joined the city in a major streetscape project on Broad Street that consisted of many improvements such as widening Sidewalks and installing brick pavers, streetligbts, benches and crosswalks. "It has made downtown look like something out of a dream," observes Back. The Downtown Core District, as Gadsden's downtown is offiCially called, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. This deSignation makes federal income tax credits possible for renovating historically significant buildings, says Back. It also allows property owners to change state property rates from commercial to reSidential, she adds. "A parking management plan has been developed in cooperation with the city," says Back, "and we are working together to make improvements. We have also developed a historic walking tour of downtown." In addition, a design plan for a streetscape project on Chestnut Street (parallel to Broad Street) has been created. Other new projects in need of funding include a design and reuse plan for the Pitman Theatre - the last theater remaining in downtown Gadsden - and the development of a downtown plaza. Upcoming plans also include a comprehensive promotion campaign. Also in the works is an update of Gadsden's original revitalization plan developed in 1993. "The study of existing conditions and trends, as compared to those in 1993, will help identify strengths and wealmesses in the physical and economic attributes of downtown," explains Back. "Strategies to enhance the strengths and improve the \\~almesses are intended to gUide public and private sector actions. This result will be a road map for continued improvements and revitalization of downtown Gadsden." Bam and raised in Gadsden, Back is the first and only manager of Downtown Gadsden Inc. Her advice to other communities planning to spruce up and rejuvenate their downtowns? "Fonn partnerships and work together as a team," she recommends. "The city has to be One of those partners - everyone from the elected offiCials to department heads, to the guys who empty the trash and everyone in between." On the left, tbe Pitman Theatre, constructed in 1947, is tbe last remaining movie theatre in downtown Gadsden though it closed in 1983. Owned iry' tbe city, it is being renovated in partnership wit" Downtown Gadsden Inc. as a venue for classic film, lectures, musical presentations and as a home for the Gadsdelt Symphony and Etowah Youth Symphony. The Senior Activity Center is composed of the other two buildings shown on the right. Fonnerly alC Penney store andAlaco PbamUlCY respectively, the d~y purchased and rehabilitated tbe stnlCtures in 1997 and linked their interiors. 1be lC Penney ftlfade was completely renovated employing architectural features typical hz the Southeast. The fomler Alaco building, constntcted in 1943, is a amtributing building in the Downtown Gadsden Historic District and was rehabilitated to its original condition. When a problem can't be solved, move on to something else, continues Back "Make certain to always strive for consensus," she suggests, "Keep active and open communication with business and proper~' owners and city officials, Always be open and easy to work With, but hard to run over and keep down," The numbers clearly indicate the success of the Main Street program in Alabama, More than $200 million has been invested by the private sector in the downtown areas of participating communities, Public improvements exceed $66 million, and thousands of new jobs and businesses have been created statewide, Twelve Alabama communities are currently participating in the Main Street program, and eight additional cities have inquired about the program within the past six months, says Elizabeth Brown, Alabama's dq)u~' historic preservation officer, "I certainly see a growing interest in Main Street throughout Alabama," says Brown, "Everywhere I go mayors are interested in preserving the core of their cities, They want to ensure economic development and a sense of place, All Hardee's [restaurants] are the same, but there is variety in tile state's downtowns," Indeed, suburban sprawl in Birmingham looks basically the same in Huntsville or any other ci~' in America, Noted for their singular value and character, historic downtowns are a sharp contrast to bland, !\ny10wn, U,S.A, "Before Main Street, the only vehicle available to communities for downtown revitalization was the 'master plan,' a design tool necessary and useful for conceptualization and grow1h, but somewhat limited in reaching the neighborhood on a personal level," notes Thomas Kaufmann, design specialist for the Alabama Main Street program "The master plan was analogous to the Wide-angle view of a 70-millimeter lens, The Main Street approach works extremely well because it is an individual snapshot, much like the one depicting the original family business gracing the mantle at home, It is about people, pride of place and love for the community,"'" One of the oldest structures in downtown, tbe Kyle Building, built in 1883" was originally home to SA Berger Dry Goods. It now bOllses Imagination Place, an ad~ juuct facility of the Center for Cultural Arts. Rebabilitation, completed in 1996, removed a false front of aluminum and masonite. The building has a distinctive empire roof line with projecting gable, and all windows have segmental-arched rusticated stone heads. The Center for Cultural Arts OCCUpies tbe former Belk Hudson Department Store building. The facili~y was resuifaced with EIFS and features a cylindrical projection at the corner and a recessed entf}' with cautilevered canopy. Relwvation was completed prior to adoption of the Downtown Revitalization Plan, and the programs and activity generated by the center factored greatly in the renewal of downtown. Jessica Armstrong is a freelance writer based in Auburn. ~"~'9 25 Volume XI, No, II Designer~Profi Ie • el an by Jessica Armstrong o ~ ----~ DEPARTMENTS DesignAlabama Web site. DesignAlabama 26 In the early 19th century, the remarkable process of photography revolutionized our perception of reality. A century later modern artists created something entirely new with form and color. Web designers of the 21 st century are elevating the computer to a medium of creative importance. In a sense, the computer screen is today's canvas. Web designer and Auburn University professor Wei Wang uses the computer to generate new discoveries and insights. Raised in Shenzhen, Canton, in the People's Republic of China, he left his homeland Six years ago to study and teach in the United States. "I'm very interested in Web/interactive design because I think it is a great challenge to combine design theory and advanced technology," explains Wang, who teaches undergraduate graphic design courses in Auburn's Department of Art. He and his wife, Tianxia, moved to Auburn in 1999 and have two young sons, Albert and Eric. "As a Web designer I speak with my design," he continues, "both for the Clients and the end-users. For clients, a Web site needs to strengthen their image and identity, reach their short-term and longterm goals and, most importantly, act as a communication medium. For end-users, the same site needs to provide an engaging interactive experience which leaves them with recognition and an impression of the client's image." His Web site, WangDesign, is not only a selfpromotional site, but also a Web deSign resource for his students. The site is presented in two versions - English and Chinese. In 1993, Wang received an undergraduate degree in industrial product design in Shenzhen. He left China to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts in graphic design at Utah State University and a Master of Fine Arts in graphic design at Louisiana Tech University, where he taught computer graphics. He continues to develop his Web design work with an exuberance that keeps pace with the technological changes in the electronic age. Computer graphiCS, 2-D and 3-D animation, interactive interface and multimedia design are among his areas of interest. Wang has earned several awards including a first place ADDY for designing the Louisiana Cotton Museum logo. Before moving to America, Wang served as art along with contrasting color images and high contrast page designer must also construct a site that is easy director for the China Shenzhen Foreign Trade Group between soft-edge and square formats. The site also to update. Corp. Shenzhen was the first city in China to develop its contains a functional and graphically powerful "Finding one unique solution for each client economy when the country opened its doors to the arrangement of positive and negative space. Other fea- makes Web design very exciting and challenging," West, says Wang. A large percentage of Shenzhen's 3.5 lUres include a multihued and comfortable grid, user- remarks Wang. "I also enjoy the way you can commu-million residents, he adds, speak English and enjoy a friendly interface and dynamic but consistent layouts. nicate with a client from any corner in the world to relatively high income. The background of the opening page provides find out the best way to promote their services and "I haven't designed a Web site for Chinese a collage of many digital images merged together products. Think about it. Everyone - not just a limited clients yet, but that's something I'm going to do in the seamlessly to represent the diversity of Alabama's number of people - is able to see your design work near future," says Wang. "Right now, I'm working on a design fields, Wang explains. through the Internet. What could be more exciting?"@' flash Web site, onewaystudio.com, which will have a "I treated the foreground as a visual message in mirror site in China. It will be launched later this year." a pair of quotation marks - DesignAlabama's logotype The limitless potential of the Web is unleashed on the very left and the reversed mark on the right," when Wang sits down in front of a blank computer he continues. "The quotation consists of several screen. He has designed Web sites for many companies images of design details in a square format and an and agencies including S.Y.R. Computer Inc. and Health eye-catching spiral stairway which leads your eyes Products Corp., both in New York. He has also to the Enter button." designed sites for many companies in the South such On the home page Wang designed a navigation as the Bradford Electronic Co. in Huntsville and First banner on top in the same style as the opening page City Bank in Florida. but with a stronger square-format grid system. A One of his latest projects is a site for color rectangle under each of the five top-level links DesignAlabama Inc. When a Web Site is created for provides the dominant color of that particular page. a publication whose mission is to provide a public The background of each inside page has a visible forum for deSign, that site must naturally reflect a color square grid against the color shape, which high standard of composition. DesignAlabama's pages are fresh, contemporary and uncluttered. Graphics are stimulating yet clear and direct. Wang has applied a similar use of images and text to the journal's new site, www.designalabama.org, expected to launch this fall. "The design process of DesignAlabama's Web site is not simply converting the existing two-dimension, multiple-page publication to a colorful Web site," explains Wang, who serves as an aSSistant art director of DesignAlabama. "In fact, it is a big challenge to give the publication a new and more exciting look while being consistent to the existing layout, color palette and type choice of the journals." DesignAlabama's Web site replaces Sketches, a newsletter formerly published by the organization that offered up-to-the-minute information about DesignAlabama Inc. projects, says Executive Director Karen Seale. Like Sketches, the site will provide seminar and conference dates along with other relevant and timely information. It will also serve as an important resource tool. "Primarily, the Web site is intended to reach the non-designer," adds Seale. "We hope that it will eventually become an access portal to other design-related Web sites." No fancy typefaces and flashing banners. No garish animation and sounds. The Site is designed to be aesthetically pleaSing, thought-provoking and easy to use while remaining gimmick free. Graphic boldness, a luminous surface and a sense of order define the site. Visitors are presented with a strong visual message on the opening page also serves as the positive space of the Web page, explains Wang. "There is no harsh visible divider between the navigation menus and the contents, which makes all visual elements on each page work together as a whole," he continues. "So the viewer has an easy and comfortable browsing experience while navigating through the site." Five links are provided, including information about the organization's 12 board members. The About Us link consists of the organization's mission statement, history, purpose and philosophy. The Past Journals link offers the basic content of the most recent journals and allows viewers to download previous issues. Also provided are links to current news and events, contact information and a resource page with links to eight different design categories. An outgrow1h of its printed pages, DesignAlabama's Web pages offer global dialogue and a worldwide forum for deSign. "The Web site will give DesignAlabama the opportunity to reach a new and possibly younger audience," Seale explains. "It will also give us the chance to promote our organization and its ongoing projects in a more timely and cost efficient way than we can in print." Several ingredients are essential when building a successful Web site, says Wang. These include a well-organized information hierarchy, user-friendly interface and navigation system and, of course, an attractive design style. A balanced combination of visual deSign and proper technology is vital. The Web Top: Oneway Studio Web site. Middle: Wang Design Web site. Bottom: Auburn University Department of Art Web site. 27 Volume XI, No. II Historical'i'Perspectives Back to the Future Historic Neighborhood Schools by Karen H. Seale An American icon - the small school you could walk to in a neighborhood where you knew your neighbors - is disappearing. Only 13 percent of alltrzps to school are made by walking and bicyclzng today. Schools that hold the memories of generations are disappeaz1ng. Handsome school buildings - landmarks that inspire community pride - are being discarded for plain, nondescrzpt boxes thai resemble factories. - "\x.t!-!Y JOIl>::-;Y CAN'T \'(It\LK TO SCl-l(X)L" BY CO.~.'/C·\. '\CE BEAtJ.\!ONT AND ELIZABETH PrANCE DesignAlabama 28 Linekauf Elementary School, located in the hemt of a historic Jackson County's Skyline School, which was built from local Mobile neighborhood, has withstood a centmy of weather, fire and Cumberland Mountain sandstone. With the help of a knowledgeable threatened demolition to be restored to educational and commu-nity architect, older schools generally can be adapted to meet current stan-service. Built in 1905, this nationally registered historic Imldmark is rep- dards for safe~', handicap accessibility, computer technology and class-resentative of brick masonry and detailed woodwork no longer available in modem constmction. It is as well a symbol of the city's early growth westward, notes Deveraux Beamis, director of the Mobile Historic Development Commission. When the school was slated for demolition due to fire damage and disrepair, its loving community, with the help of the commission and Mobile architect Nick Holmes, fought for its preservation. In 1995 work began to restore Linekauf to its former beauty. This was a project beyond most historic restorations due to extensive fire damage. Along with upgrading the fil~ safety systems, replacing the roof and installing elevators to meet American Disabilities Act accessibility reqUirements, parts of the brick exterior had to be replaced and an interior steel frame installed for additional support. Today, Linekauf Elementmy stands as a symbol of neighborhood pride and achievement. Unfortunately, many of Linekauf's Southem cousins have not been dealt a Similar fate. Now considered an endanger~d species by both the Alabama Historical Commission and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, many historic schools are disappearing from Alabama's communities. "Schools were once thought of as important civic landmarks," reflects Richard Moe, pr~sident of the National Trust. "They represented community investments that inspired civic pride and participation in public life. ),lany of today's newer schools resemble big-box room requirements. THE RENOVATION OF AN OLD BUILDING IS COST PROHIBITIVE. When planned by an architect experienced in rehabilitation techniques, renovations of an existing building will often cost conSiderably less than construction of a new faCility. OLDER SCHOOLS DO NOT MEET CURRENT ZONING REQUIREMENTS. It's often true that the existence of surrounding neighborhoods does not allow for the acreage necessary for extensive parking lots and playing fields, however, many historic schools have developed agreements with the adjacent parks and churches to sharB needed space. Studies have shown that the building of new schools in outlying areas that meet zoning r~quirBments actually leads to a number of problems including increased automobile traffic and urban sprawl. In his research of the subject, Cecil Steward, dean of the College of Architecture at the University of Nebraska, concluded, "The public school system .. is the most influential planning entity, either public or private, promoting the prototypical sprawl pattern of American cities." Despite these arguments, historic schools like Alpine's Winterboro High School have remained in active service for many years through warehouses. Their architecture reflects little pride, and they sometimes continued maintenance and periodic upgrades. have an expected life span of a mere 30 )Bars." Not every historiC school is a candidate for rehabilitation. However; Often, misconceptions regarding the renovation of older neighbor- many schools that are in a state of decline can be put back into service hood schools lead school boards to opt automatically for the construc- with an architect knowledgeable in building rBstoration and a little inge-tion of new, remotely placed schools over the prBservation of existing nuity. For further information on historic school preservation, you cml facilities. The most common misconceptions include: refer to the National Trust for Historic Preservation's r~port "Why Johnny Can't Walk to School: Historic Neighborhood Schools in the Age of NEWER IS ALWAYS BETTER. Sprawl" and its publication, II Community Guide to Saving Older With a life expectancy of 100 years or more, many historic schools Schools, a school appraisal gUide to help offiCials evaluate the merits of ar~ better built than their modern counterparts. In addition, they often renovating older schools, both of which are available from its Web exhibit local character in their materials and workmanship, like site: w\Vw.nthp.org. Ii TOP lEFe Damaged by fire. Mobile's historic Linekauf Elementary was slated for destruction. 80TTOM lEfT: Linekauf Elementary after a 1995 renovation by Holmes & Holmes Architects of Mobile. TOP RIGHT: Through regular maintenance and upgrades, Winterboro High School in Alpine, Ala, has remained in active service more than 80 years. BOTTOI'], RiGHT: Built of local Cumberland Mountain Sandstone, Jackson County's Skyline School was historically restored in 1999 by Fuqua Osborn Architects, PC, of Huntsville. Details+of Interest A w A R o s . t1?~({:\" esign~/J~am'l "" "\;.'" ""~"1,r(/*"' if anti highligJ;JS Top to Bottom: Childrei1"s Harbor Famil)' Center /Children"s Research & innovation Batchelor Childrei<"s Research Irls1itrj/e Tai!edega Industriai Development Center Centra! YMCA Alabama Wildlife Rehab Center Raptor Wing Maxwell AFB Ambu!atory Hea!!h Care Center Velerans" Memorial Park Cherokee Bend Elementary School Photos W.ff'lBsy of lire AfabamaAIA AlA 2001 DESIGN AWARDS The Alabama Council of the American Institute of Architects in July presented its annual design awards selected by a jury of four prominent Florida architects. The following seven projects were chosen from among 30 statewide entries: HONOR AWARD Giattina Fisher Aycock Architects Inc. of Birmingham Talledega County Industrial Development Center. LincolnRespecting the densely wooded rural site. the architects utilized simple materials and forms to integrate the industrial structure with the natural landscape The building is composed of three discrete volumes: a linear two-story bar of board-formed concrete housing classrooms and offices'. a cubic meeting space clad in corrugated steel; and a large rectilinear shop of longspan steel and glass. The building presents a low profile to the entry side and its full height to the open shop volume which invites the outside in. AWARD OF MERIT FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION AND ADAPTIVE REUSE Fuqua Osborn Architects, PC, of Huntsville Central YMCA. Huntsville - Located within the Twickenham Historical District. the former YMCA was renovated for law offices on two floors and tenant space on two other levels. To preserve the charm of the 1912 structure, historical details were restored including "craftsman" elements in the lobby. A new floor inserted in the gym to provide additional office space was tied in with the original balcony but sensitively set below the sill height of existing arched windows. HONORABLE MENTION Giattina Fisher Aycock Architects Inc. of Birmingham Children's Harbor Family Center/Children's Research & Innovation, Birmingham - The design was generated by developing a typical research lab module then establishing a structural grid to provide an efficient layout in the multifunctional building. The configuration of the module also influenced the building's massing. circulation. public spaces and fenestration. Building materials link the new to existing structures. Garikes Wilson Karlsberger of Birmingham Batchelor Children's Research Institute. University 01 Miami School 01 Medicine. Miami - The 148.000-square-foot facility consolidates both clinical and research components in pediatrics at a major medical school. The $21 million building anchors a newly created quadrangle of research facilities designed in the tradition of a university campus. The lower floors housing clinics are compatible in height and pattern with nearby structures while the research floors extend above with a vertically expressed fagade. The design is anchored by a nine-story element which serves to screen and break down the mass of the bulky building. "i."h"'~'Jf.r{;~ a wide variety of events and resources. • Sherlock, Smith & Adams Inc. of Montgomery Maxwell Air Force Base Ambulatory Health Care Center, Montgomery-Key emphasis is on design aesthetics, cost-efficiencies. functionality and user convenience in the Mission/ Mediterranean-style center wh ich features buif-colored brick and punched windows. The interior is organized around a central atrium spine which provides a degree of clarity. as each potential destination is visible at the entrance. The ground floor is laid out in continuous fabric which allows clinic boundaries to be moved or expanded as needed. ArchitectureWorks, PC. of Birmingham Alabama Wildlife Rehabilitation Center Raptor Wing, Pelham - The Raptor Wing addition to the center housing injured wild animals located in a renovated iormer restaurant in Oak Mountain State Park "'delivers visual complexity with economical gestures in plan.'" The budget-conscious design, based on the idea of a huge protective wing, places interconnected cages where the public can view the injured animals from an inside corridor while the birds are exposed to the natural environment outside. Also at the awards banquet. members voted for the best architectural work submitted. This year's Member Honor Award went to Giattina Fisher Aycock Architects Inc. for the Alabama Veterans' Memor'lal Park in Birmingham New this year is the Top School in Mountain Brook. This award recognizes the architect-designer's ability to showcase concrete Block Award presented by the Alabama Masonry Institute to Paul B. Krebs & Associates and Masonry Arts Inc. for the Cherokee Bend Elementary masonry in a building project and a masonry contractor's ability to provide quality installation. 29 Volume XI, No. II MONTGOMERY ADVERTISING FEDERATION'S ADDYS The Montgomery Advertising Federation presented its 2000-01 Advertising Addys last February. Auburn's Gafford Compton Design Group Inc. earned the Best of Show Award for the Auburn University Hotel & Dixon Conference Center ad series. Scott Compton was the art director. Among the six Addys won by Cunningham Group Inc. of Montgomery was the Special Judges Award for Design for the Alabama Law Foundation's 2000 Annual Report. Margaret Taylor, art director on that project, also garnered the Art Director of the Year award. LWT Communications LtC of Montgomery won five Addys and Kim & Company Communications earned one. Copperwing Design, Creative Consultants Inc., LWT/KBK New Media, The Slaton Agency plus Cunningham Group Inc. and LWT Communications LLC received Citations of Excellence. Lett: Best of ShOw Award for Gafford Compmn Design Group Right: Speciai Judges AV/are for Design for Cunningham Group YOUNG ARCHITECTS WIN AWARD IN NATIONAL DESIGN COMPETITION Ilanny Trotter from Batesville, Miss., Nolanda Bearden from Birmingham, Juan Milhouse from Birmingham and Melissa Teng from New Orleans won an Award of Merit in a juried competition held in conjunction with the 2001 American Institute of Architects' (AlA) national convention in Denver The Gresham Smith and Partners Inc. design team, which included starr graphic designer Chad Martin from Montgomery, worked at their own expense and on their own time to develop an entry for the competition. All of the team members have worked at the Birmingham firm for three years or less. The competition focused on an urban infill project in Denver's historic Five Points neighborhood and drew entries from allover the United States. Photographs of the site were supplied along with the competition's rules and guidelines. The team designed four residential units and a 1,000-square-foot commercial space that serves as a buffer. They accommodated onsite parking by excavating below the building five feet to provide car space. Each unit has its own balcony facing the street with privacy created by a screen element that also accents each entrance. Local brick and stucco provide durability and minimized maintenance. The team, which sited deciduous trees for summer shade and winter heat, also incorporated other elements from Colorados "Build Green Checklist" in their entry. LOOKING AT BUILDING AND PLACE "Alabama Architecture," a new book published by the University of Alabama Press, celebrates the state's diverse architectural heritage by presenting a wide-ranging view of Alabama's buildings and places. Alice Bowsher'S spare engaging text and Lewis Kennedy's artful photographs present an exhilarating, educational and aesthetic tour of the state's architectural landscapes through more than 150 original color images. The book is organized into chapters exploring the baSic design elements place, form, space, balance, materials, light, movement, proportion, context and "delight" Featured are 100 sites encompassing all regions, periods and scales ranging from a rnedieval keep in the Lineville water tower to the Mercedes-Benz Visitor Center to the Gaineswood Mansion. The book can be ordered from the Web site http//VNIIV.uapress.uaedu/authors/bowshe01.html. DesignAlabama 30 The design team displaying their award-winning project are (teft to right) Juan Milhouse, Melissa Teng, Darmy TroUer. Notanda Bearden and Chad Martin. STATE DESIGN FELLOWSHIPS The Alabama State Council on the Arts is currently taking applications for Design Fellowships. The council awards fellowships of $5,000 or $10,000 to individual artists in the design arts based on merit of work, career achievement, career potential and service to the state. This component provides awards to recognize artistic excellence, as weil as professional commitment and maturity and to contribute to the further development and advancement of the artist's professional career. Applicants are encouraged to be as specific as possible about the proposed use of fellowship funds in order to illustrate the seriousness of their professional intent The deadline for applications is March 1, 2002. For more information piease contact Randy Shoults, Community Arts program manager, 334/242-4076 or ran dy@arts.state.aLus, YESTERDAY'S TOMORROWS COMING TO ALABAMA Yesterday's Tomorrows: Past Visions of the American Future will tour the state in 2002 as part of the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service. The exhibit presents an historical overview of popular expectations and beliefs about the future from the late 19th century through the late 20th century. Divided into four sections, the exhibit will explore how the home, the community and transportation were envisioned in the past and wi!1 examine predictions for the future found in the media. At times lighthearted, as with the 1950s living room that can be cleaned with a garden hose, the exhibit features abundant and colorful examples of predictions and inventions that went awry. Focusing on the belief in a technological utopia and progress based on material means, the exhibit's artifacts will demonstrate how the predictions of the past shed light on the values and attitudes of their times. 2002 Alabama Touring Schedule: March 15 - April 26 - Guntersvilie Museum and Cultural Center, Guntersviile May 3 - June 14 - Tuskegee Human and Civil Rights Multicultural Center, Tuskegee June 21 - August 2 -Isabel Anderson Comer Museum and Arts Center, Sylacauga August 9 - SepL 20 - Clarke County Museum, Grove Hill Sept 27 - Nov. 8 - Tennessee Valley Art Center, Tuscumbia Nov. 15 - Dec. 27 - Pioneer Museum ot Alabama, Troy REPAINT MOBILE PROJECT The Mobile Historic District Commission through its RePaint Mobile program has launched a T ri-Centennial neighborhood revitalization project to spruce up the city's historic districts ior next year's heritage celebrations. The committee wili choose 16 structures, two from each historic district, and have them painted in an historically appropriate coior scheme. The colors wil! be based on preliminary paint analysis to determine the original color scheme, with final choices dictated by the style and period of the structure. The owner-occupied structures, to be nominated by neighborhood organizations, committee members or the general public, must be of some architectural significance and be located within one of the city's eight historic districts. The response from the commercial public has been significant with several paint company stores committed to providing paint for 12 of the 16 houses, plus labor to paint one house. In addition, local general and painting contractors have volunteered their time and services. As a culmination of the project, all of the 16 structures will be spotlighted on a driving tour of Mobile's historic district during the 2002 Preservation Week, AU LANDMARK RENOVATED 0.0. Smith Hail, a classic Flemish-style building on the Auburn University campus, was renovated recently. AU Facilities Construction Services supervised the work and KPS Group of Birmingham served as architect for the renovation. "We tried to maintain the historical value of the building," says Mike Bel" senior project manager for Construct'lon Services. The building, completed in 1908 as the college's first dormitory, was temporarily converted into a hospital in 1918 for students suffering from the killer swine flu. In 1921 it became a dormitory for women but was burned in a fire in 1933. The Civilian Works Administration used the remaining exterior walls and rebuilt the structure in 1934 from designs by the respected architectural firm of Warren, Knight and Davis. "While not a true restoration," Bell said, "we did try and capture as many of the original elements as possible" The existing central staircase was relocated to the side providing more usable space and allowing for inclusion of an elevator. Doric columns encased in square boxing were uncovered and restored as was the original heartpine fiooring in hallways and corridors. DESIGNALABAMA JOINS NDEC llesignA',abama has joined the National Design Educat'lon Coalition (NDEC), an organization whose purpose is to identify, disseminate and develop strong design education programs that provide or support K-12 education. Composed of various design interests across the nation, including a number of universities, Ihe group's goals include compiling state design education profiles, sharing information among existing programs and encouraging new program deveiopment through increased access to information and ideas. "Design education in Alabama has long been a priority of our organization, and now we have the chance to impact it on a national level," comments DesignAlabama Executive Director Karen Seale "Not only is it important for those students who pian to go on to careers as architects or urban planners, but design education teaches all students how to define problems, gather information, create solutions and evaluate results," HABITAT FOR HUMANITY DESIGN INITIATIVE This past August, DesignAlabama, Auburn University's COi!ege of Architecture, Design and Construction and the Alabama Association of Habitat Affiliates kicked off a collaborative project to improve the energy efficiency, durability and community compatibility of Habitat for Humanify's housing designs in Alabama. Over the next school year, 20 Auburn students in the college will be involved in this project which includes a research phase and a design phase, culminating with the construction of one of Ihe new prototypes PLACES IN PERIL 2001 FOCUSES ON ENDANGERED PROPERTIES The Alabama Preservation Alliance in conjunction with the Alabama Historical Commission present their list of the state's most endangered historic places for the year 2001: Main Building, Tallassee Mill Complex, Tallassee - The centerpiece of one of the premier industrial complexes remaining from the antebellum South is a massive three-story T -shaped edifice constructed in 1854-55 by Italian stone masons. In June 1999 the building's roof was severely damaged by a thunderstorm, and it will not be restored tiil the insurance settlement dispute is resolved. The Talisi Historical Preservation Society, which has won an award for its efforts to restore the complex, is completing the rehabilitation of the adjacent 1840s boiler room building for its meeting place Frederick House, Opelika - Constructed in 1900 by businessman James T. Frederick, this handsome Neoclassical Revival house started out as a one-story residence. It was enlarged to its present form in 1914 and occupies a prominent place in the North Opelika Historic District Although not landlocked, the adjacent Trinity Methodist Church purchased it for expansion purposes and found a buyer to move it out of town this summer over protests of the neighborhood association and others. Expansion of religious institutions within historiC districts is often an issue in Alabama, but there are notable examples where congregations have responded creatively to growth, while maintaining the character of their neighborhoods. Thomas Dunn House, Camden - The woefully neglected two-story frame Dunn House stands in contrast to the beautifully maintained mid-19th century homes in Camden. The original portion was built between 1825-30 by Thomas Dunn as a two-story log house that was one room deep (I-house). It was enlarged to a two-room deep (double pile) Federal-style house probably by Ihe early 1840s. During the lale 19th century, the two-story portico and several interior details were added and the roofline raised. Generous heirs recently donated the house, poorly maintained by a previous owner, to the Wilcox County Historical Sociefy which will need substantial funds for restoration. Peerless Saloon, Birmingham - Dating from 1888-89, the Peerless is one of the oldest commercial buildings remaining downtown. Constructed by Gilbreath Construction Co and remodeled around 1920, it features decorative brickwork typical of the Victorian Period. Vacant tor several years, a 4O-loot portion at the rear was demolished by the present owner who seeks to raze the remainder despite attempts by Operation New Birmingham and others to work for ils rehabilitation. It is structurally sound but deteriorating rapidly. Leighton Training School, Leighton - With a U-shaped plan and Colonial Revival stylistic elements, the one-story brick former Colbert County Training School is a reminder of progressive African-American educational opportunities before integration. Completed in 1929 as a Rosenwald school, it served several Karen Sea[e. executive director oj DesignA!abama. David Hinson. professor of architecture at Auburn. and Karen McCauley, executive director of the A!abama Associaiion of Habitat Affiliates. generations of students (including entertainer Percy Sledge) until closing in 1970. Reopened a year later as the Leighton Middle School, it closed after the 1993-94 school year and since then has been badly vandalized. John Glascock House, Tuscaloosa - Built in 1844 by Virginia native John Glascock, this house is one of three remaining examples of the Gothic Revival style and one of only approximately three dozen antebellum buildings left in Tuscaloosa It features handsome cutwork and pOinted arch windows, as well as original interior details. Glascock was a cousin of statesman and presidentiai candidate Henry Clay, who reputedly stayed there on several occasions. Located in a primarily commercial area, the house has excellent potential as a rehab tax credit project, but to date has had no offers. Hobbs Island/Ditto's Landing, Huntsville - These two adjacent historic sites contain archaeological deposits dating back thousands of years to the ArchaiC Period. Hobb's Island has at least 16 known sites, including up to six possible burial mounds. Ditto's Landing was the s'rte of a ferry and trading post built by trader John Ditto in 1807 and contains eight known archaeological sites, although neither area has been sufficiently surveyed. The area, which was associated with the Chickasaw and Cherokee tribes during the 18th and early 19tr, centuries, is in danger of development. Sweetwater Plantation, Florence - This stately Federal Period brick home bears a strong resemblance to its Virginia antecedents and features fine interior woodwork including marble mantels and silver doorknobs. Construction was begun in 1828 by Gen. John Brahan, a War of 1812 veteran, and completed after his death by his son-in-law Robert Patton in 1835. Patton was elected Alabama's governor in December 1865 and served until removed by military order in July 1867. The house is now surrounded by a rapidly developing commercial area and is in need of restoration. Fort Gaines Dfficers' Quarters, Dauphin Island - These adjacent identical two-story frame Victorian residences are former Spanish-American War-era officer's quarters on the edge of the historic portion of Fort Gaines, a military site whose origins date to the early 19th century. Unoccupied tor several years, both are in critical need of maintenance and repairs. Although the adjacent brick portion of the fort is a cify-owned tourist attraction, the houses are not included in the current park. Despite the offer of a land swap, their future is uncertain due to possible expansion of a recreational vehicle campground for the city Tumlin Gap Railroad Tunnel and Trestle, Altoona - Constructed from 1899 to 1903 by the L&N Railroad, the tunnel and trestle are exceptional early 20th-century examples of industrial engineering skill. The longest tunnel in Alabama (1,920 feet) fealures concrete headwalls at each end. The trestle is 350 feet long and spans approximately 70 to 80 feet high. Following a grant to convert to a Rails-to-Trails pathway, local landowners contested, and the court ruled in their favor. The tunnel owners have partially blocked it to prevent access, which is also preventing rainwater drainage .• 31 Volume XI, No. Ii Desl• nAlabama Volume XI, Issue II PUBLIC DESIGN AWARENESS AND EDUCATION DesignAlabama Inc. works to increase awareness and value of the design disciplines "A doctor can bury that influence our environment. We believe that the quality of life and his mistakes, but an economic growth of this state are enhanced through attention to and architect can only investment in good design. advise his clients SubURBAN MOVES to plant vines." (~ common mistake - Frank Lloyd Wright (1Jesign is not people make when for philosophy - trying to design it)s for life. )) something completely -/ssey Miyake foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools. " Employment Consultants Inc. NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS This publicalion was made possible through funding by the conlribulors lisled above. For addilional information about DeslgnAlabama, please call (334) 396-5341. - Doug/as Adams |
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