Design Alabama: The Public Forum for Design in Alabama, Volume 10, Issue 1, 1999

              Fall/Winter 1999
Volume X, Issue I
$4.00
es.•
THE PUBLIC FORUM FOR DESIGN IN ALABAMA
DesignAlabama Inc.
Board of Directors:
Rip Weaver, Chair
Mt Laure!
Birmingham
Nancy Mims Hartsfield, Vice Chair
Graphic Design
Auburn Untversity
80 Grisham, Secretary
Southpace Properties Inc.
Birmingham
Henry Hughes, Treasurer
Shades Valley Forestry
Birmingham
Elizabeth Ann Brown
Alabama Historical Commission
Montgomery
Charles Callans
Eastwood Mal!
Birmingham
Cathryn S. Campbell
Goodwyn MilJs and CaWOOd Inc.
I\'iontgomery
Les D. Clark
Artist
Thomasvii!e
Marty Ellis
Business Council of Alabama
Montgomery
Tin-Man Lau
Industria! Design
Auburn University
Kenneth M. Penuel
Southern Company Services
Birmingham
lloyd Philpo't
Phiipa'! Ergospace Design
Decatur
Danny Ray
Exchange Bank of Alabama
Gadsden
Kay F. Roney
Wallace Community College
Dothan
Patricia E. Sherman
Patricia E. Sherman, Arch/iect
Gadsden
Jerri laHaie, Executive Director
Philip A. Morris, Director Emeritus
Southern Progress Corp.
Birmingham
Volume X, Issue I
Cover: An aerial view 01 downtown Birmingham
shows Linn Park. Phoiograph by John O'Hagan
Letter .from the Chair
1999 ... .2000. A single number changes, hut with tbat
change we enter what many considered 25 years ago to be the
future. Remember Kuhrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey"? That
jUm, released in 1968, predicted a fttture of Hilton Hotels on
space stations with transport a "Pan Am ~pace plane" ride
away. At limes, "2001'" still appears far away, hut there is no
denying that the future is here, staring us in the face.
This i:,"Sue of the journal represents hoth the past and the
future. Coinciding with the 100 year celehration of the
American SOCiety of Landscape Architect~~ we rej7ect on the
many ways the profeSSion has impacted our state. As a
landscape architect, I take pride in what my profeSSion has
done, is doing and can dofor the people of Alahama.
As we let go of the past, we say goodbye and good luck to
Laura Quenelle who has moved to New York to pursue a
master's degree in historic preservation at Columbia
University. The future of Design Ala ham a is now in the hands
of our new executive director, Jerri LaHaie of ProfeSSional
Conference Seroices in Auhurn.
We have reached many through the journal and the
Alahama Community Design Program. With Jerri's help, our
organization will touch many more, :,preading the message
that good design does indeed count. Our state's future is not
years away, it is now. We ask that you rally behind
DesignAlabama and help us make real those wonderful
images of the ftlture we harbor in our minds.
I hope your future is here, and it is wondrous.
Rip Weaver
Managing Editor: Tomie D. Dugas
Art Director: Nancy Hartsfield
Associate Art Director: Ross Heck
Assistant Art Directors: Tomie D. Dugas. Samantha Lawrie,
Julie Spivey. We', Wang
Electronic Illustrations: John Morgan
Contributing Writers: T omie D. Dugas, Philip Morris.
Laura Ouenelle
ThiS publication is made possible through funding by
the following contributors:
Alabama State Council on the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
EBSCO Industries
Alabama Power Foundation
Alabama Council of the American
Institute of Architects
Designfarm Inc.
A special thanks to Philip Morris, editor-in-chief of
Southern Progress Corp., for Ns ongoing assistance and
advice with !.I;fs puiJiicatf9fi.
Submission Information
DesignAlabama encourages submissions Irom
its readers. Articles about work Irom all design
disciplines are requested, as weil as copy related to
historic preservation. Please submit copy along with
visuals (photos. siides. drawings, etc.) 10
DesignAlabama Inc., P.O. 80x 812.
Auburn, AL 36831-0812.
Items for Project News and Details of
Interest should include a paragraph summary
detailing the nature 01 the project, the design firm,
principals and associates involved and any other
details that may be 01 interest such as unusual or
special design features. completion date.
approximate cost, square footage. etc. Also include
the name. address and phone and lax number 01 the
client and an individual whom we may contact lor
further inlormation. Direct inquiries to Jerri LaHaie at
(800) 849-9543 or (334) 821-8370 or
by lax at (334) 821-1080
Past journal issues are available lor $6.00
including postage and handling. Contact Jerri LaHaie
at the above numbers lor availability information
and to order.
© 1999 DesignAlabama loc.
ISSN# 1090·0918
This issue of DesignAlabama was designed and
produced on MaCintosh Computers utilizing QuarkXPress
4.0, Prools were printed on a HP 4000N and final output
on a Compugraphic 9400.
Landscape changes infuse character
into college campus.
p7
DesignAlabama is a publication oj DesignAlabama Inc.
Reader comments and submission of articles and ideas for
future issues are encouraged.
Streetscape upgrades take off
in Rocket City.
p.14
FEATURES
CONTENTS
Renaissance city builds on its past
to animate its future.
p.20
"DESIGNING THE LANDSCAPE"
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE'S TRANSFORMING TOUCH. 9
THE COLONNADE: MIXED-USE, BIG TIME 10
LAKE FOREST: SUBDIVIDING WITH NATURE 12
GOING PUBLIC IN HUNTSVILLE 14
ON THE MOBILE WATERFRONT 16
SETTING THE PACE: Landscape Architecture Projects List. 18
DEPARTMENTS
ProjectANews
Work of statewide significance. 4
Design.Makes A Difference
Birmingham-Southern: Strengthening Campus Character. 7
CommunityeProfi Ie
Florence: Alabama's Renaissance City. c. . ...
Historical'iPerspectives
Battle-Friedman: A Tuscaloosa Landmark Garden.
Details+Of Interest
Noteworthy observations.
20
24
25
Landmark garden is preserved.
restored and adapted.
p.24
ProjectANews
Project News
is a regular
feature of
l1esignAlabama and
provides
an opportunity
to keep
up-to-date on
design projects
that have an impact on
our communities.
Major renovations on Brook­wood
Village mall in Birmingham,
scheduled for completion in Novem­ber
2000, will give the center a highly
visible new character facing Shades
Creek Parkway Built in 1973 and
subject to interior remodeling since,
: this major alteration comes under the new owners,
: Colonial Prooerties Trust, based in Birmingham Architects i for the proje~t, Cooper Carry Inc. of Atlanta, were
: resoonsible for major renovations of Phipps Plaza in that i Cit~ The work underway now involves a new face for the
: mali with restaurants and dining terraces on the upper
· level, a drop-off and valet parking space beneath, Inside.
; the central court wi!1 be expanded into an ellipse form with
• skylights bringing natural light to the interior. Floors,
: ceilings, lighting, railings and other finishes will be
: improved throughout the mall. Another major change will
: be the installation of new escalators to move visitors
: directly from the parking decks into the mall.
i Project architect Gate Muse is pleased that the
· opening up of the center to Shades Creek and the parkway
: will dovetail with the construction of the Shades Creek
· Greenway designed by landscape architect Jane Reed
: lIoss.'The bridaes to Brookwood Village will be upgraded
• as part of the pr~ect. and we plan to run the trail across
: one of them to create a good link to the community." In
addition to the current project, Cooper Carry is preparing a
longer-range master pian for the Brookwood
property that includes multi-use
potential
Rendering of Brookwood Village mall shows major renova/ions,
Sl. Vincents chapel and plaza wlih bell tower and sculpture.
SRW & Associates of Birmingham are
architects on two out-of-the-ordinary projects for the St.
Vincent's Hospital campus off University Boulevard near
US 280: an outdoor chapel and a lodge for families or
friends of hospital patients. The chapel is actually a three­part
composition of open-air chapel, a bell tower and a
plaza nestled into a wooded slope just off the new main
roadway through the campus. SRW used wood, stone and
copper in response to the setting A sculpture also has
been placed in the plaza opposite the chapel. The 14,000-
foot Centennial Lodge now underway will offer 23 guest
rooms for hospital visitors to stay close to facilities. The
building will include a chapel, courtyard, laundry, iiving
rooms and multi-purpose meeting rooms. Placed next to
an existing parking garage at the edge of the hospital
grounds (see site plan at right). the lodge will use
domestic scale and materials to serve as a bridge between
the hospital and an adjacent residential neighborhood.
The Cen/ennial Lodge has 23 guest rooms and is located on the hospital grounds,
OesignA!abama 4
Altamont School interior
Students at the private Altamont School began
this fall term on an expanded and revitalized campus
transformed by Tile Garrison Barrett Group, Aubrey
Garrison !ii, AlA, was principal-in-charge of the 5,600-
square-foot project. The comprehensive master pian was
completed in two phases The initial phase featured a new
two-story addition that houses general classrooms,
science classrooms and labs, a dark room, music
department. gymnasium and gallery, Phase !I includes a
two-story addition for the new student center, several
multi-purpose rooms and integral student support
functions designed by the Group, Alison Easterwood,
lillA, was the project's interior designer.
Construction began this fall for the new
headquarters of the Southern Poverty Law Center in
Montgomery Goodwyn, Mills am! Cawood is the
architect of record for the project, while !:rdy McHenry
Architecture and the Hillier Group are the project
designers, The new 62,OOO-square~foot, Six-story facility
will be located directly across Washington Street from the
existing Civil Rights Memorial. It is sited to allow an
unobstructed view from the memorial 01 the Dexter St.
Baptist Church where Dr. Martin Luther King preached and
to create a public plaza in the precinct. The interior layout
organizes into two components. The support core contains
all support services and hard-wall spaces. The oifice block
is a column-free, open office environment facing a lloor­to-
ceiling glass wall to the north. With only a few
openings on the south wall, views frame the Civil Rights
Memorial. Many of the design issues reflect the work that
is carried out within the structure.
On this site plan, the Centennial Lodge is at lefl,
and the chapel is located in the middle of the Sl.
Vincent's campus,
Landscape architect Louis
Wynne of Magnolia Springs has a
contract with the City of Daphne to
draw up a conceptual plan for the
downtown's Main Street and
Centennial, Jubilee and bayfront
parks. He met this fall with downtown business
association members and others to gather input on what
~ they envision for the area. His pian will include
~ suggestions for landscaping, lighting, building facades,
~ .;' walking trails, benches, gazebos and other features. It
The Birmingham architectural firm Gresham, Smith and Partners is completing design renderings for the Jule
Co!lins Smith Museum of Fine Art for Auburn University The $95 million project will be built on a 27-acre site on the
Auburn campus Enclosing almost 30,000 square feet, the travertine-clad facility will front a three-acre lake, The museum's
four galleries will house AU's permanent art collection and visiting exhibitions with another featuring movable works to
accommodate social functions. There also will be meeting rooms, classrooms, a smail tea room, a security station and
possibly an auditorium. Ground wil! be broken in winter 2000 with completion anticipated for mid-2001. !latey
Gresham is project architect
~
&
em; Engineering al1ll
Ilesign of Birmingham has been
selected to provide mechanical,
electrical and plumbing engineering, fire
protection and lighting design for the
Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art.
Historic Union Station in downtown
Montgomery will soon receive an interior makeover. The
design by Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood Inc. of
Montgomery features a new 1 ,OOO-square-foot theatre
promoting local places of interest with video clips. A
3,200-square-foot exhibition area, which includes a gift
shop, will be located in the central area of the first floor
and will accommodate interactive displays The Hank
Williams Museum will be relocated to a new showcase on
the east side. Upgrades will be made to the existing
restaurant, kitchen and bathroom facilities and office
spaces on both the first and second floors. The 10,000-
square-foot renovation project by the City of Montgomery
to make the riverfront area more attractive is expected to
be complete by spring 2000.
The $8.44 million, two-story facility will be located on the
main campus of Auburn University. Personnel involved
include Ken Michaels, PE, project manager; Philip
Graydon, electrical engineering; Charles Foshee,
plumbing design and John Gill, lighting design.
Griffon Aerospace founder Larry French
recently observed the first flight of
a completed Lionheart plane
assembled from a kit and flown
by the client/assembler French,
an engineer and a former NASA
subcontractor, designed and built
the six-passenger staggerwing
aircraft model in his basement over a two-year period. The
design required considerable creativity plus 66 gallons of
bondo to produce the fuselage design - the centerpiece
of this high-quality, reasonably priced kit aircraft powered
by a 450-horsepower Pratt and Whitney radial engine.
.. ' ~.. At Saks Inc.'s headquarters
1 ,.~~-: - in Birmingham, the PMG (private-
~ ~::i;:~}~'c:c; E~~:;~:::
•.. owned by the company New ready-to-wear
lines include Pursuits Ltd., Relativity and Studio
Works for stores such as McRae's, Younkers and
Herberger's. An in-house design staff of more than 10
artists also designs lingerie, men's wear, children's wear
and textiles. In 1999 more than 10 percent of Saks Inc.'s
department store revenues will come from iis proprietary
brands.
will provide an overall view of what the parks and the
downtown area should look like in a design that ties
the downtown and the bayfront area together with
visual continuity
T.he group's logo was designed by
Ray Redlich of Fairhope Creative.
The 33-mile Eastern Shore Trail is taking shape
through the efforts of the Baldwin County Trailblazers, a
grassroots organization of volunteers who are working to
establish a countywide network of biking, hiking, jogging
trails in partnership with local governments. Built in
stages, the path, which parallels Scenic 98 for much of its
way, will link the Battleship USS Alabama to the Weeks
Bay Estuary Reserve.
The Daphne leg of the trail has just been
completed and is already in heavy use. Linking old and
new sections of town following Main Street, the trail was
combined with existing sidewalks to complete five miles of
the ambitious project Walter Scott and Scott
Hutchinson of McCrory and Williams Engineering
designed this section of the trail and oversaw construction.
Funding was from a $200,000 ISTEA grant with additional
support from the City of Daphne. The Fairhope section is
the next one slated for construction which should begin
this fall. Other segments of the trail through the Montrose
community, Point Clear, Spanish Fort and other unincor­porated
areas are proceeding at various rates as funds are
accumulated, permits granted and contracts signed .
5 Volume X, No. I
Ken Smith, an industrial
designer with the Payload Operation
Engineering Team at NASA/Marshall
Space Flight Center in Huntsville, has
been working with students in Auburn
University's industrial design program
on a payload equipment restraint system. Previously,
students had developed 12 concepts for stowing and
transporting equipment at the work site aboard the
International Space Station. Two of the ideas were selected
for further refinement this winter quarter. They will be
incorporated into the final design to be used on Flight 6A
which is tentatively scheduled to be launched in October
2000. Daniel Reynolds of NASA is the lead designer for
this project.
Ken Smith
Goodwyn, Mills and
Cawood of Montgomery will design
and oversee construction of a native
plants interpretative trail at the
Chattahoochee Indian Heritage Center
in Fort Mitchell County Park. The
quarter-mile long JW and Ethel I. Woodruff Interpretative
Trail was funded by the Woodruff's Foundation, the
Chattahoochee Indian Heritage Association and aided by
an ISTEA grant.
Auburn University landscape architecture
students and community planning graduate students
participated in a six-week island studio this past summer
at Dauphin Island Sea Lab. Under the direction of Brian
LaHaie, a professor of landscape architecture, and John
Pittari, a professor in community planning, students
experienced the diverse ecosystems of the Gulf Coast and
addressed the challenges of increased development
pressures in sensitive coastal environments.
The environmental studio planning group
initiated several projects including an investigation of land
uses and development patterns on Dauphin Island and
other coastal communities. The participants also
developed a conceptual master plan for the sea lab
campus to improve circulation, housing, image, livability
and efficiency. Environmental ethics seminar students
studied the coastal ecology of the island and explored
issues regarding responsible coastal development. coastal
zone management and environmental planning.
Mindvolt, a new design firm
in Athens, Ala, has just completed
a Web site for Arnold Palmer Golf.
The site features Palmer's Tour 18
courses in Dallas and Houston
providing information on tee times,
clubhouse facilities, weather, merchandise, etc. Designers
Sloan McWhorter and Chad Bottcher, who founded
the "creative current" business, selected warm sepia tones
paired with dramatic black to give a contemporary, elegant
feel. The use of Cezanne typeface and blurred edges
complete the effect. The Web site can be accessed at
www.tour18.com.
The Garrison Barrett
Group Inc. is providing
architecture and interior design for
Si rote & Permutt's new law offices
on the top floor of the Colonial Bank
Building in Huntsville. The 2,400-
square-foot space is slated for occupancy in July 2000.
Lee O. Perry is principal-in-charge and Elizabeth
Brown, IIDA, is project manager with Lori Bailey,
associate IIDA, a project interior designer. Perry and
Brown are also heading the Group's team on Sirote's
corporate offices occupying two floors of the new Crescent
Building on the old John Carroll High School site off
historic Highland Avenue in Birmingham. The 77,000-
square-foot offices will feature a mediation suite,
m conference center, seminar room and war rooms.
~
AU students explore different ecosystems in last summer's sea lab studio.
OesignA!abama 6
.5
J§ os
Sirote & Permutt floor plan for the Huntsville ottice.
Design_Makes A Difference
• ren enln
CHARACTER by Philip Morris
Photography by John O'Hagan
It's not what Birmingham-Southern College expected: A recommendation to
take out a road and replace it with landscaping and sidewalks. But that is what
landscape architects Nimrod Long & Associates included in a campus
enhancement plan. The school has since implemented this and other projects
to produce a dramatic improvement in campus appearance and use.
The /ollg axis leading from [be ol"(r.;inol Birmingham-Soufbern quad to the dormitory bill (from u'hicb the above /)/)010 was taken) bas been strengthened
u:ith 1cmdscoJ)illg tmd llIt(de tbe focus of campus lifo with fbe nelr student ceuler (right) and a lIeuIoulItain len'flce. part of ({ master jJ/rm by lalldscape
arcbitects Nimrod Long & Associates. 111 the background is tbe neu' belt (lnd clock !Oll:er centered ollihe original quad. Tbe before /)holo is S!JOll'J/ af left.
Though retained to prepare a landscape plan, the landscape architects took the ini­tiative
and proposed comprehensive changes. 'One of the key things we identified
after surveying the campus was to take out the road that cut through the middle of
the campus and separated the academic Irom the residential areas," says Nimrod
Long III, who oversaw the project led by staff member David Giddens. 'It was haz­ardous,
with steep slopes, high retaining walls, blind views - just terrible." The
disruptive road was replaced with a loop road on the campus perimeter, so the core
of the campus is now whole.
Another major thrust of the design was to create a true campus center. Nimrod
Long & Associates settled on the long axis extending from the original quadrangle
toward the hill where dormitories stand. This important link had poor definition due
to the sort of random placement and design of buildings the modern era had pro­duced.
Plans to build a new student center on a remote site were changed; a new
site fronting the axis at the core of the campus was identified.
7 Volume X, No. I
As !be be}iJre/flJler pbo!os fllus!mte, a }ormer(r dntb
alld lIlIshaded lermcejrontiJlg tbe !ibml), bas been
tmnsjol'Jlled into till appealing outdoor room seniJlg both
!be librttq' ({lid tbe nea' sludent cente;:
A dismal concrete terrace (the topographical type popular in the late '60s
and early 70s) between the library and the new center was replaced with an
urbane brick terrace set amid the iawn and sheltered by canopy trees.
The shape of the terrace repeated the octagonal shape used by architects
Garrison-Barrett in the student center A central fountain, cafe lurniture.
seasonaillowers and umbrellas make it a popular auld oar room lor Ihe
campus, active in good weather Irom early morning till late at night
Throughout the campus, landscaping, walkways and stairs, new light lix­tures,
benches and other improvements provide continuity lor the campus.
Plantings lormerly tended to be a series 01 unrelated vignettes, as often
seen on campuses where horticulturists dominate and no overall design
gives shape to the whole. The landscape architects also made a simple
recommendation that dramatically changes the campus during the winter.
'We just have them overseed with winler rye grass, so in the winter when
things can be gloomy the lawns are wonderlully green," Long says. "With
beds 01 pansies in strategic locations, the whole place is brighler.'·
More recently, the original quad has acquired a hendsome new bell and
clock tower, designed by Henry Sprott Long & Associates and donated by
an alumnus, situaied at the point where it intersects with the newer long
exis. ''The older quad was nicely enclosed with oider, classical buildings
and the new Harbert Bui!ding, but it was too long. The tower breaks it inio
better proportioned spaces and creates a needed !andmark." the landscape
architect notes.
While the Deiore/aiter photographs illustrate the physlca! changes made,
LOllg is most excited about how campus life has been improved. "Before
\linen you went out there, )IOU rarely saw students, even though they have a
:llgh percentage of students living on campus.'" he says. "Now you see
people a!1 the time aiong that main spine and the new terrace, and they
interact and gaiher just !ike those fiims Hoily VVhyte made oj public
spaces in action."
DesignAlabama 8
Birmingham-Southern President Neal Berte feels Ihe whole process of developing
an improved campus plan was helped by inpulfrom a committee composed of
alumni, laculty, students, staff and others interesled in the campus. "We always
want to put emphasis on what the professional designers have to say, but having
feedback, particularly in the initial stages, was helpful to us in identifying various
strengths and weaknesses." And the response from campus visilors and relurning
alumni has been overwhelmingly positive, with most visitors going out of their
way to remark on the changes.
All this - master plan, construction plans, implementation - has transpired
over just live years. All the more reason Blrmingham-Southern's before/after
transformation registers so clearly .•
.·b" reCOil/mended I~r !be ItllldSCCljJ(! arciJilects. {(II (!xislillg
road (photo IIllef!) C[{11 ing (lII'kll'flrd(r be/weell /be r/orlllifOlY
an!lIS (r(~/)!) ({lid t/)e ({cademic WllljJ/lS oj/to tlJe le}l
IrflS remored alld rejJIawd lI'il/) /(llIdsmpilig tlnd imjJrol'ed
pedes/riall circil/alion ({S showll abore.
Parks, plazas, streetscapes and community developments dot the Alabama
landscape as a testimony to the viability of landscape architecture in this state.
From Huntsville's northern perch to Mobile's southern shore, landscape archi­tects
have played an increasingly important role in Alabama's development over
the past several decades. This issue is devoted to that topic.
Recently, landscape architects gathered in Boston to celebrate the 100 year
anniversary of the founding of the American Society of Landscape Architects
(ASLA). Here in Alabama, an active landscape architecture profession has exist­ed
for little more than a quarter of a century Many of the early projects are just
now beginning to reach their envisioned maturity and design intent.
Since those formative years, the profession has grown in both size and
influence. Today there are more than 100 ASLA members in the state chap­ter
and more than 200 landscape architects registered in Alabama.
Early projects in the Magic City designed by pioneering professionals such as
Charles Greiner and Mike Kirk established Birmingham as a leader in the uti­lization
of landscape architects. Historically, the city's civic leaders such as
Mike Dobbins and Mayor Richard Arrington have been strong advocates for the
profession. Birmingham continues to set the pace with such active firms as
Nimrod Long and Associates Inc.,. Reece, Hoopes & Fincher Inc.,. and Holcomb
Norton Pritchett to name but a few. Other cities including Huntsville,
Montgomery and Mobile have exemplary projects designed or influenced by
landscape architects.
The future is bright with opportunities ever increasing. While our numbers may
be small, our impact on the quality of life here is significant. As design profes­sionals
and stewards of the land we must commit ourselves to nothing less than
keeping "Alabama the Beautiful. JJ
Designing the Landscape
introduction by Brian LaHaie,
ASLA, Auburn University
landscape architeoture professor.
ALSA-Alabama chapter trustee.
Mixed-Use, Big Time, Going Public
in Huntsville; Subdividing with
Nature; and On the Mobile Waterfront
by Philip Morris, editor-in-chief at
Southern Progress Corp.
9 Volume X. No. I
Vast lawns are a major design element in the Colonnade, a prominent mixed-use development in Binningham for u'hich landscape architects Nimrod Long & Associates were invoilJed at all
stages. These six-story office buildings are among the five that will eventually enclose three sides of a campus-like quadrangle occupying part of the site.
Photography by John O'Hagan
DesignAlabama 10
i ed-Use,
Big Time
An architectural sign made of painted
steel and granite sits atop a grassy slope
fronting the Colonnade entry driz.'e from
u.s. 280.
Located at the intersection of Interstate-459 and U.S. 280, the
Colonnade is one of Birmingham's most visible major works of landscape design. The 130-acre mixed-use
development includes a major corporate headquarters building for BellSouth, a campus of office buildings
arranged around a mall, a multi-building retail and restaurant center and three hotels, all set within an environment
of flawless lawns and lined by a parkway flanked with double rows of oaks.
"This site was originally proposed for a mall, but The Galleria precluded it. When Carter & Associates of
Atlanta purchased the property, it had been completely cleared of trees," says landscape architect Nimrod Long
III. Working with Atlanta-based architects Cooper, Carry & Associates and landscape architects The SWA Group,
Nimrod Long & Associates helped develop a master plan and subsequent grading, landscape and hardscape
plans for the complex, whose first phase was completed in 1988.
The master plan located the two buildings for BellSouth (a Six-story and nine-story building facing a shared
plaza) at the highest level of the site to enhance its prominence. Across the Colonnade Parkway that runs from
U.S. 280 through the site is the campus-like grouping of rectangular office buildings. Set into the lowest level is
the shopping center.
A decade after planting, the double roUJS of willow oaks that line the parkwa.}' connecting various elements of the development have matured to fonn an
impressive colonnade of tbeir own.
Set atop a granite retaining wall at one end of the quadrangle, this fountain and pel'gola­edged
terrace serlle as a focal point for the offlCe quad and the entire development.
"Because much of the needed square footage was concentrated atop the highest
point, we were able to create a spacious sweep of lawn between the buildings and the
parkway," Long says. "We used double rows of trees to create a strong architectural
character along the road - willow oaks, because they do well here and grow uniformly."
Within the expanses of lawn, maples and ginkgo trees are set in groupings to provide
seasonal color.
Because the site was cleared and could be readily shaped, the landscape architects
also worked closely with Walter Schoel Engineering Co. to create landforms along
roads that screen parking lots and present buildings in a dynamic way.
For the campus grouping, which when completed will have five buildings enclos­ing
a large, rectangular mall of lawn, Nimrod Long & Associates worked closely with
the architects to develop the fountain feature that serves as a focal point for the whole
development. A massive granite retaining wall at the parkway end of the mail is
A landscape strip aligned It'ith the entry of each office building extends the full depth of the
parking lots. Landforms and other plantitlgs screen views from the access road.
topped with an arbor and a fountain that flows over the wall into a pool below. "This
feature frames the quad, and a dining facility that serves ail the buildings is located
nearby, so the terrace becomes a nice place for lunch," notes Long. The setting is bucol­ic,
but the feeling is urbane.
Importantly, the developers decided to extend landscape improvements across the
seven acres between the Colonnade and the highway interchange, including a portion
of highway right-of-way As a result, the character of this accomplished landscape
composition extends into the public realm. This landscape is superbly maintained,
and after a little over a decade of growth the double rows of willow oaks make striking
colonnades, a grand statement about the power of landscape design. _
11 Volume X, No.1
Sub
Nature
Photography by John O'Hagan
DesignAlabama 12
-Ing
Driving down a suburbanizing Shelby County road, the
entrance to a new subdivision comes into view: A handsome stone-and-wood sign for Lake
Forest sits atop a gentle rise in the landscaped entry median, White-painted rail fences, newly
planted trees and shrubs define the edges, A nice introduction,
The entrance to the Lake
Forest subdivision features
{{ stacked-stone sign with
routed-wood inset. white
rail fences find masses of
trees and shrubs, all
designed to fit the setting
and endure.
Happily, in this case, the name is more than wishful thinking Holcombe Norton Pritchett, site planners and land-scape
architects of Birmingham, working with developer Joe McKay, devised a plan that doubled the size of an existing
lake, using its edge for a trail, small pier and a community pavilion As for the forest part, the designers identified
severely sloping land (25 to 30 percent slope) to be set aside as forested open space
So within the 220-acre Lake Forest subdivision with 460 dwelling units, there is both a lake and a 34-acre green­belt
to keep things a bit closer to nature, "As it turned out, we were able to bring some of the forest cover to the
entry," says landscape architect Tommy Holcombe, "There are no houses for the first quarter mile, so it really has a
parkway feeling"
Care was taken by Mveloperjoe McKay~ who oversaw IZelielopment of Riverchase for the Harbert interests, to keep existing
trees and otber landscape features.
ArchitecturallJ' appealing street signs add to
Lake Forest's sense of C011l11lll1tit}'.
A trail extends around the lake, leading to a community pier and
piwic pavilioll.
In the plan by Holcombe Norton Pritchett, an existing lake was doubled in size and enhanced
with a trail. Setting aside a swathe with more than 25 percent slope results in a 34-acre green­belt
l"rough the sbzgleIami(v development.
Subdivision planning is a big part of Holcombe Norton Pritchetl's practice. Many are
larger planned unit developments like Trace Crossings or Lake Cyrus A few decades ago
when landscape architecture was just being established as a profession in the Birmingham
area, most residential subdivisions were laid out by engineering firms. But large projects
like Riverchase and Inverness set a new standard.
"There are still many smaller subdivisions, say 30 to 100 lots, where the landscape
architect might be used just to design an entry," Holcombe says. "But the profession's
proven record of how to respond to the natural features -like how to make wetlands
an amenity rather than an obstacle - has made it important to rnany developers."
At Lake Cyrus, for example, Holcombe's firm located proposed town homes on a part of
the site formerly strip mined, the larger houses on a more gently rolling area and the shared
recreational features near the center of the development for convenience to residents.
During the last year, Holcombe Norton Pritchett did subdivision and master plans
encompassing between 5,000 and 6,000 lots. Not all turned into actual developments,
but many will. The skills of the landscape architect in being able to both assess and
express visual impact of such developments have become especially important to
developers who have to go through the approval process.
The long-term impact of having landscape architects involved in such otherwise
routine residential development is positive both for the existing landscape and the
quality of the places people call home. II
13 Volume X, No. I
Photography by Dennis Keim
DesignAlabama 14
-no -c
ntsv Ie
Landscape architect Mike Bush (left) of tbe Cit)' of H1l11tslJille planning staff
and Mike Donnelly, a landscape architect with Smith Engineering Co. , hm'e
worked togetber on a number of civic projects.
lbe e.,pansian and improve·
ment of Big Spring Park in
downtown Huntsville is
a highly l'isible eJ.:ample
of ItmdsCllpe arcbitecture
enlumdng the city's public
realm.
Most Huntsville residents may be unaware of the fact,
but landscape architects in their midst are making a major contribution to the city's quality of life. Popular greenways, an expanded and
enhanced Big Spring Park and new downtown streetscape projects have all been shaped by landscape architects.
"When I started here in 1979, there was Harvilee Harbarger and Glenn Wallace, and that was it," says landscape architect Mike
Donnelly of Smith Engineering. "We have 10 practicing landscape architects now. This is still an emerging profession here, but there
seems to be more and more demand for our services." Through the firm, Donnelly has worked on the Big Spring Park expansion and
renovation downtown, phase one and two of the Aldridge Creek Greenway, the Big Cove Creek Greenway and Indian Creek Greenway,
as well as the streetscape work underway as part of the new Colonial Bank Building, also downtown.
These civic projects track back to another landscape architect in a position to bring the profession's particular talents to bear
on how the city grows and redevelops. Mike Bush, who came to Huntsville 10 years ago from Austin, Texas, works as a planner for
the City of Huntsville. "In 1988 planning department director Dallas Fanning upgraded the staff to include a variety of disciplines.
He had been impressed with the contributions made by landscape architects from LDR who did the downtown master plan,
so he decided to add a landscape architect to his planning staff," he explains
For Cooper Riverside Park, a new destination 011 tbe dowlltoum Mobile u'atelfronl, landscape architect Greg Scoville, ASL4, introduced cll1Tillgforms and an e.\'tensive lawll to make it a
more rela.r:ed, convivial place. The cit)"s convention center is visible behind, and Goz:enzment Street lies to tbe left.
On th- e I
aterlr
Photography by Thigpen Photography
DesignAlabama 16
The railing at the water's edge is crisp(~! de·
It began as marshland and was subsequently
filled and used for industrial purposes, including a railroad switching yard
The transformation of a 2.7 -acre site at the foot of Government Street on
Mobile's downtown waterfront into a welcoming park illustrates the hand
of the landscape architect in a model of urban reclamation,
Located adjacent to Mobile's recently built convention center, the park
offers one of the few opportunities for the public to access the waterfront.
While the design repeats some materials and textures from the huge
building next door, it goes its own way in terms of overall plan and
shape - the landscape architect's way, it might be said,
"We decided not to go with rigid, 45-degree lines, opting for softer,
friendlier shapes," says landscape architect Greg Scoville, ASLA, who was
project designer for Woolpert LLP, an engineering firm with offices in Mobile and
tailed in /Jainted steel (md cable, evocative of
a sbip. 17Je bolioI'd includes indirect ligbting.
other cities, "It has extensive lawn areas, so it feels more like a town green than a
square," The curves were also prompted by the existing coffer dams (the round forms
at the water's edge) which were used in the building of the Interstate-10 tunnels that run under the site,
The Cooper Riverside Park, as it has been named, was inspired by a master open-space plan prepared for the City of
Mobile by LDR International of Columbia, Md, which called for a "string of pearls," a series of strategically placed parks
throughout the city The $2.2 million waterfront park drew funding from local, state and federal sources, plus a gift of
$200,000 from a local family with shipping connections (thus the name)
Scoville's design, in addition to the free-flowing lines, set other priorities One, views are kept as open to the water
as possible, Also, abundant seating is provided both with benches and seat walls, The edges of the park which abut the
railroad and existing industrial uses are partially screened with magnolias and wax myrtles, Live oaks and other canopy
The Aldridge Creek Greenway is one of sel'l~ral bike and bike trails developed Ol'er tbe past several years by tbe City of
Huntsl!ille under tbe direction of landscape architects. The tmils are l!ery! popular with the public, tbougb tll['(lreneSS of the
profession's irll'olvement is limited.
·I.u
Parkway Streetscape
M<)M"'" <"W<_, ('much $", ffdm~' ,t""" Cluw)~ .tw,.
\r:1h'",,,,, ,,\~~
Bush's initial task was to help revise the City's parking lot ordinance and set landscape
standards to improve the lots' appearance. He has done some park master plans in-house,
some site designs for public buildings, plus he reviews site designs for public and private
projects, oversees the downtown streetscape plan implementation and has an array of other
duties. "My role is to concentrate on the physical design end of planning, to interface with
engineers and others who do work for the City. I'm able to read grading plans, for example,
to determine how they comply with the City's ordinances on runoff and slope protection."
Even though landscape architecture is playing a growing role in the shape and character
of Huntsville, there is still little local awareness of the profession. One reason is the way the
City handles consultants. Years ago the City adopted a procedure that permits the hiring of
engineers to work on projects on a routine basis, without having to have each contract
f)()wlllm~·lI.';·frl!fd$Wl)f! 1/LI'ial/
1i,,,,,,,,,ik,:l.lJ.hlJ""
'").,-fl,""",,'"
',",;O'"'t" ... ""<,,,
'1"',-,;""",,,",-,,",
Streetscape improvements, like those in front of the new
Earl)! Works museum designed by architects Goodrum &
Knowles (above), are being implemented incrementall)'
under a 1993 t/o'wntoU'n streetscape master plan del'eloped
jointly by Smith Engineering Co. and WR Internationallnc.
The parkway entry to downtown (left) and the photo and
rendering (top) showing bef()1'e and after views of a street
fronting Court House Square are from that plan.
approved by the city council. But it covers only engineers. As a result, landscape architects
are hired only as part of an engineering contract, so they remain unknown even though their
talents are put to use.
"There was a much greater awareness of landscape architects in Austin than here," Bush
says. And Donnelly says their visibility there doesn't begin to compare to what he sees in
Birmingham. But even if it operates as a stealth profession in the Rocket City, its impact on
Huntsville continues to grow. Someday, maybe, awareness will, too .•
15 Volume X, No. I
A bronze sculpture of Ervin Cooper, tbe park's namesake,
sits on one of tbe bencbes.
Bronze plaques installed along tbe miling describe tbe types of sbips and boats tbat frequent tbe Mobile barboI'.
Mobile River
trees will provide shade as they grow. The curving walks are of concrete lined with granite
squares. while areas of decking in a composite wood/plastic material are introduced along
the water's edge, evoking the wharfs that once dominated the waterfront.
Because of the location, set between a double set of railroad tracks and the water, the
park does not have broad accessibility. It has to be treated as a destination park, and so it
is designed to host a variety of events which the City of Mobile schedules. If a proposed
maritime museum is built on the adjoining land, the Cooper Riverside Park's circulation
system is designed to extend in that direction, making it part of a larger ensemble.
Scoville, who is now a planner with the City of Orange Beach, was charged with coordi­nating
design and execution. "It was quite a complex project. We had to remove hazardous
waste, oversee an archaeological dig, work around the existing coffer dams and the railroad
and coordinate with several agencies," he says. "And it took some doing to get the square
pavers to fit the curving design. Except for the live oaks which weren't planted to specifica­tions,
I'm very pleased with the result."
Convention Center
Scbematic plan of Cooper Riverside Park b.y
Woolpert LIP of Mobile.
Mobile landscape architects Terry Plauche, ASLA, and Fred Rux, ASLA, who was also with
Wool pert during the waterfront park project, count Cooper Riverside Park as the city's most
visible landscape architecture project to date. ''I've been in Mobile for 20 years, and there
just haven't been the high visibility projects that you find in Birmingham," says Rux. "Years
ago we led the effort to do a major project on Airport Boulevard, but it never got past the
planning stage. The firms here are mostly one-person practices, and the awareness of what
landscape architects do is still not widespread" Down by the river where the city began,
landscape architecture has left its mark on Mobile's civic landscape. Where it goes from
there remains a question .•
17 Volume X. No. I
[ Setting the Pace ]
A list of major projects in the
state submitted by Alabama
landscape architects
11,<;&' Cavvood Inc. 1
Retirement Systems of
Alabama Activity Center
Montgomery, 1995
A series of fountains lead visitors through the site
including a 20-foot pyramid of water at the primary
entranoe and a 4,200-square-foot reflecting pool
flanked by granite seat walls, The northern end of
the pool falls 14 feet to a lower basin and plaza,
At the waterfall's base stretches a broad oval lawn
lined with trees,
Shakespeare Gardens
Montgomery, 1999
GMC ooordinated the work of architects, land­scape
arohitects and engineers for the design and
construction of this garden amphitheatre and
Shakespearean theme garden, The pavilion and
restroom building have thatohed roofs, and the
display garden is period appropriate,
Thomasville High School Athletic
Complex & Youth Ball Fields
Thomasville, 1999
GMC developed the master plan, prepared
construction documents and inspected oonstruc­tion
for the high school athletic facilities including
restrooms and concessions tor the recently ex­panded
football stadium. field house, 400-meter
track and practice field and baseball concessions
building, The firm also developed a three-field
youth bal! complex adjacent to the high sohool for
the City which shares elements such as parking,
Montgomery Zoo
Montgomery, 1991
In this major expansion project that enlarged the
zoo from six to 40 acres, the firm's engineers,
architects and landscape architects revised the
existing master plan and relooated the main
entrance, Special faoilities were construoted
including large cat buildings, an elephant
house, bear dens, a giraffe barn, an education
complex, viewing stations, a vet clinic, otter and
flamingo ponds and an octagonal concession
and overlook building,
Veterans Administration
National CemetelY
Fort Mitchell, 1986
As primary consultant in this cemetery design,
GMC oversaw the efforts of landscape architects,
architects, archaeologists, hydrologists, environ­mentalists
and engineers, The well-received natu­ralistic
design required minimal grading and min­imal
cost to develop and operate, The firm pre­pared
the master plan and designed and super­vised
construction of all site improvements,
;1${ ASSOcIateS 1
Homewood Shades Creek Greenway
Homewood, 2000
The greenway is a 5,B-mile multi-use trail for
pedestrian and cycling activities, It will start at
Brookwood Village Mall and run west along
Shades Creek to connect with West Homewood
Park, JRRA developed the master plan for the trail
and construction documents,
Alabama Veterans Memorial Park
Birmingham, 2000
In association with Giattina Fisher Aycock
Architects, JRRA is developing a landscape mas­ter
plan for the memorial. The $45 million project
inoludes a visitor's center with a time line walkway
from the center to the memorial depicting histori­cal
events of the 20th oentury,
O.signAlabama 18
Oxmoor Road Renovation
Homewood
JRRA teamed with Powell & Associates
Engineers to develop drawings for the renovation
of this roadway plagued with drainage problems,
degraded condition and lack of ameniiies, New
sidewalks, ornamental light fixtures, tree and
shrub plantings and drainage infrastructure
rejuvenated the area,
Edgewood Business District
Homewood, 2000
In conjunction with Powell & Associates, the
firm developed streetscape renovation concepts
to create a pedestrian-friendly environment
without eliminating the much needed parking,
All power lines will be relocated to alley ways,
with the introduction of shade trees, ornamental
lighting, new curb and gutters, brick paving and
site furnishings,
Church at Brook Hills
Birmingham, 1999
JRRA, in tandem with Garrison Barrett GrouP. has
developed a master plan for the churoh's 35-acre
site on Cahaba Valley Road, The plan includes an
entrance plaza with water feature that leads to the
grand hall. On one side is a courtyard with a
waterfall and plantings and on the other a bosque
of trees framing a meadow beyond, Walking trails
connect all outdoor areas including a prayer gar­den
and an amphitheatre,
Elizabeth Perry Rushton Playground
Birmingham
The daycare center at First Presbyterian Church,
an historic edifice In a densely urban section of
downtown, had scant room for a playground,
JRRA transformed the central courtyard which
functions as overflow space for church meetings
into a playground that complements ihe sanctu­ary's
high Viotorian gothic architecture, The play
area retains the essence of garden in character
with its surroundings,
Trussville Libraty
Trussville, 1997
JRRA developed a landscape master plan for the
library with Williams Blackstock architects,
Emphasis was placed on preserving the majestio
old oaks and developing a plan that complement­ed
the historic Mall area ot Trussville,
Homewood Master Tree Plan
Homewood
After conducting a survey of Homewood's tree
canopy to assess overall condition, JRRA round
that mature shade trees were disappearing to be
replaced by small flowering trees like dogwoods
and crape myrtles, The report encouraged planting
large shade trees and identified five short-term
and 12 long-ierm tree planting projects and
delineated design conoepts to be implemented
over time,
Hanceville Master Tree Plan
Hanceville
The firm conducted a windshield survey and
analysis of the city's tree canopy and physical
characteristics, Working with the Hancevil!e Tree
Commission, four areas of improvement were tar­geted
and design concepts developed with cost
estimates, These areas were then broken into 10
site-specific projects to be implemented over time,
®bdlI1, ASIA 1
Wheeler Plantation
Lawrence Counly
This project is an ongoing renovation of the gar­den
of Miss Annie Wheeler, daughter of Gen,
Joseph "Fighting Joe" Wheeler The family house
and grounds are owned by the State and operated
by the Alabama Historical Commission, The master
plan is complete and includes the restoration of an
elaborate formal garden, arbors, a rock garden and
restoration of plantings,
;~~~~~lates Inc. 1
Shoal Creek Club
Shoal Creek, 1978
In this 1 ,500-acre proJect, NLA made effective
use of the large existing trees and gently rolling
landforms when routing the clubhouse entry
drive and traffic cirole, Parking faoilities also were
recessed in a sha!low valley to eliminate views of
parking, so visitors can focus on the clubhouse
and guest cottages,
International Park
Birmingham, 1987
NLA provided land planning, site planning and
landscape architectural services for this 70-acre
office park in oollaboration with Kidd/Plosser/
Sprague/Architects for Polar-BEK and subse­quently
provided landscape design for the cor­porate
headquarters for BE&K and m Hoar
Construction, Included in the site plan are
600,000 square feet of office space, a 13-acre
lake and walking trails, Outdoor sculpture cre­ates
continuity among the park, buildings and
other site features,
Charles Linn Park
Birmingham, 1989
This $2.5 million renovation of the oentral down­town
oentury-old park included new sidewalks,
seating and dining areas, performance pavilion,
landscaping and irrigation, A major fountain
designed for the park's center was surrounded by
reflecting pools and runnel.
Meadow Brook Corporate Park
Birmingham, 1990
NLA initially provided land planning and compre­hensive
site planning services for the 170-acre
corporate park and the 20-acre Morning Sun
Villas projeot pius site work and landscape and
irrigation design for the individual buildings, A
combination of water features and naturalistic
plantings created a sense of unity in this winner
of the 1989 NAIOP grand design award.
Binningham Jefferson Civic Center
Birmingham, 1992
in this $130 million expansion to the civic
center complex, NLA was responsible for the
design and construction detailing of all areas out­side
the building to the street edge, This includes
secure drop-oft areas and crosswalks to accom­modate
large pedestrian flows, The design also
features an interior courtyard, entry plaza, seating
beneath tree bosques and a 105-foot-long,
12-foot-high cascading water well. Street trees
and other landsoape elements provide human
scale to the massive buildings,
Invemess
Birmingham, 1980
~J:lDlcller Inc. 1
Inverness is an 1,800-acre mixed-use development
with an offioe park of seven buildings This project
included site planning, final layout and grading,
amenity area design and hardscape details,
entrance feature and landscape design,
Southem Company Services Catnpus
Hoover, 1985
Located at Inverness, this 60-aore projeot fooused
on a three-building corporate campus with more
than 30 acres of undisturbed open spaoe, The com­plex
is oriented around a 10-acre lake allowing for
tree save areas and outdoor plazas adjaoent to the
water. RHF's responsibility included site planning,
site grading, entrance/lakeside plaza hardscape
design and details and landscape design,
Bitmingham Museum of Art &
Charles Ireland Memorial
Sculpture Garden
Birmingham, 1991
To complement the museum's recent expansion,
RHF designed the streetscapes along Eighth
Avenue North to create a pedestrian-friendly
atmosphere compatible with the newly renovated
Linn Park aoross the street and the adjacent
Memorial Garden Walk Ma!L In addition, the firm
designed the renovation of the existing garden to
the north and collaborated on the design of a new
sculpture garden - the largest outdoor sculpture
space in the nation,
Huntsville Hospital Campus
Huntsville, 1992
Huntsville Hospital, occupying five city blocks,
desired a master plan for its expansion which was
to inolude a new emergency room, cancer wing
and professional building with five-story parking,
The goal was an encompassing campus land­scape
master plan with a sunken central plaza and
two public fountains,
Hampton Cove Community Entrance
Huntsville, 1995
RHF prepared a unique landscape and hardsoape
treatment for the main entrance to this 2,600-acre
planned community with a claSSical, free-standing
identifier monument and a water feature using the
natural topography in the median of the divided
drive, A series of waterfalls cascades down the
hillside, and water is recirculated up the hill via
pumps to a mill house,
fKiXllSSoci2ltes ]
Horse Creek Golf Course
Dora, 1999
This 18-hofe municipal golf course and driving
range is being built over a 220-acre site of which
38 acres have been strip mined, One existing lake
and four additional lakes were oonsiructed lor
water features, One unique oharacteristic is eaoh
hole plays as an entity to itself without awareness
of adjaoent holes,
Eufaula Master Tree Planting Plan
Eufaula, 1992
The Eufaula Tree Comrnission retained the firrn to
develop a comprehensive master tree planting plan
to preserve the heritage of this pre-Civil War town,
It encompassed 15 downtown and 28 residential
blocks including two major arteries that intersect
downtown, RPK used 644 trees of22 different
species to reestablish spacial boundaries and
shade along the major thoroughfares that had
lost aging trees,
Chase Park South Office Park
Hoover, 1983
Robert Kirk provided the site planning and
landscape architectural services for this 16-acre
office park located in Riverchase which backs up
to the Cahaba River. Seven office buildings were
uniquely placed on sloping terrain with a mini­mal
amount of land disturbance, The result was
an office park-like environment where existing
trees and natural features were inoorporated
into the project.
Resource Recovery Facilities
Alabama and other' states, 1981-91
For 10 years RPK was the prime landscape archi­tectural
consultant to Rust Intemational's 20
resource recovery facilities in 10 states and
Portugal. These 25-40 acre sites were where
municipal and county refuse would be incinerated
and converted into electricity. The firm developed
conceptual landscaping plans during the permit­ting
process and final working drawings when the
permit was approved.
Hampton Heights Townhouses
Birmingham, 1985
This 65-unit townhouse neighborhood is located
on six acres atop Red Mountain. Robert Kirk was
responsible for the site planning. grading and
landscaping for the project.
Binningham Botanical Gardens
Rose Garden .
Birmingham, 1986
As part of the master pian, RPK was selected to
des"gn the rose garden. The firm retained the
existing formal garden while enhancing its bound­ary
with entrances at the ends ot the tour cross
axes. The dilapidated pergola was reconstructed
with a bluestone surtace and decorative walls. A
new old-fashioned garden was added with empha­sis
on creating outdoor rooms displaying roses on
a variety of arched gates, pergolas and tencing.
Tj&A0/3ociates]
Dothan Area Botanical Gardens
Dothan, 1994
MCA was involved in design decisions trom site
selection to concept plan tor the gardens. The 48-
acre site has an existing creek and wellands; 40-
toot grade change and 13-plus acres of open
area. The concept plan created parking, a garden
building, trails, service and greenhouse areas,
ponds, fountains and garden areas. Phase I
includes a pond, walking trails, rose and herb
gardens, a demonstration garden, tree plantings, a
service area, a 1OO-year-old farmhouse/office,
irrigation and plantings.
Wallace Community College
Dothan, 1992
MCA has provided landscape architecture ser­vices
here since 1992. Built on an airtield with
separate academic and technical buitdings, tree
plantings create a park-like campus. As funds
became available oak-lined drives, a courtyard
with benches, plantings and fountains were
added. The firm recently coordinated an ISTEA
project including a pavilion, lighting, a walking
trail with trees and irrigation, landscaping parking
areas and ADA accessibility.
)uPritchett ]
Master Land Use Plan/City of Valley
Recreation Complex
Valley, 1996
This project evaluated a 220-acre tract the City
wanted to subdivide to sell a portion while retain­ing
enough for a sports and recreation complex
and future high school. A series of schematic
master plans delineated possible land use and
size requirements. The final master plan showed
possible development of each parcel with guide­lines
to control Quality and impact on the recre­ational
complex. From the adopted master plan,
construction documents were developed for a five­field
softball complex, four tennis courts, recre­ation
complex and entry road.
Parcourse: Baptist Medical Center
Montclair, Birmingham
The design for this one-mile exercise course within
a wooded area between Baptist Medical Center and
Montclair Road included construction of two lakes,
numerous bridges and stream crossings and
signage and pedestrian connectors to the hospital.
Aubu111 University Soccer Field
Auburn, 1994
This project included design and construction of a
NCAA soccer field and associated irrigation system.
parking, spectator area and pedestrian bridge con­necting
the intramural fields with the new facility.
Trace Crossings Trail!
Greenbelt System
Hoover
HNP provided master planning of several miles ot
asphalt trails linking all the residential areas of
Trace Crossings with Hoover High School, the Met
and Hoover Elementary School. Designed to pro­vide
access to as many individual lots as is practi­cal,
the trail makes use of various utility easements
and greenbelts that would otherwise be useless,
Southern Progress Corp,
Headquarters Atrium
Homewood
Plans for the atrium were developed to link the
existing building with the new expansion and
define an inviting space with views from the floors
above, The challenge for Holcombe/Wood
Associates was to build on the conceptual plans
and develop tinal versions detailing grading plans,
mechanical design development for the water fea­ture,
pool and wall deSign, subsurtace drainage
design, storm water management, routing of utili­ties,
design of benches and bridges, boulder selec­tion
and placement and irrigation system design,
Homewood High School
Baseball Field
Homewood, 1998
This project involved design and construction
administration of the baseball field, bleachers,
associated buildings, walls, walks and drives.
Holcombe/Wood Associates also developed the
grading plan, grass specs, soils mix design, sub­surtace
drainage and irrigation system design and
is currently involved with a turt management pro­gram
pertormed by the high school.
Lake Cyrus
Hoover
This 700-acre-plus project reclaimed land that
was once a strip mine to become the home of
Hoover Middle School within a planned commu­nity,
Currently under construction, it contains
gated estate homes, medium density housing,
garden and town homes, along with commercial
sites and amenities such as a walking/jogging trail
and swim and tennis club, Responsibilities
include land planning, site planning, zoning rep­resentation,
detail design of the development,
ongoing construction administration, as well as
service on the architectural review committee,
Aubu111 University,
Samford Park
Auburn
As renovation of the park began, a storm severely
damaged most of the existing 150-year-old oaks
resulting in a complete change in design. The
scope shifted to utilizing the remaining trees,
designing a new walk system with lighting,
planting design and signage.
Trace Crossings
Hoover, 2000
Holcombe/Wood Associates' responsibilities came
after the completion of the schematic master plan
and included preparation ot the final master plan
along with numerous retinements and additions,
HWA also prepared all the graphics for marketing,
detail design of a swim and tennis club and vari­ous
entrances, as well as studies for additional
land acquisitions and zoning revisions.
Inc.]
Anniston Softball Complex
Anniston
This five-diamond complex designed for major
tournaments included landscaping and irrigation,
walkways, children's activity center, sports field
and site lighting. The two-story central bu',lding
contains press boxes and park and rec offices
upstairs and concessions with kitchen, restrooms,
first-aid station and locker room below. The pro­ject,
which won an ASLA design award in 1992,
also includes a gate house/ticket booth,
information kiosk and park signage.
QuintaI'd Avenue ISTEA
Improvements
Anniston
The project consisted of streetscape improvements
and establishment of gateways for the historic
downtown, After an inventory and analysis of land­scaping
with consideration for historic oak trees, a
design was implemented utilizing intensive land­scaping,
masonry/limestone entrance walls and
accent lighting. Other elements included an irriga­tion
system and decorative street lighting.
Jefferson County Greenways
Jefferson County
The county program to acquire and maintain
protected greenways along the rivers in the Black
Warrior and Cahaba basin aims to protect and restore
water quality by reducing non-point source pollution
and soil erosion, NS was a central part of the con­sulting
team which prepared the greenways master
plan. It examined issues including water quality, land
development, planning, habitat wildlife and real estate
to guide the commission in its land purchases, The
plan, which won an ASLNAlabama chapter merit
award in 1998, will also address public access
and trail needs.
North Birmingham Industrial
Redevelopment Plan
Birmingham
This project involved a comprehensive industri­al
redevelopment plan for about 900 acres of
old industrial land and adjacent declining
neighborhoods. A key feature was the identifica­tion
of approximately 150 acres which could be
assembled and redeveloped into industrial sites.
Conceptual site plans illustrating the potential
for development were prepared along with
a set ot standards.
Alabama Power
Baldwin County
NS provides ongoing advisory services to
Alabama Power regarding the potential develop­ment
of this 15OO-acre Baldwin County industrial
site, Services include master planning, site design
and advice related to appropriate zoning and site
development standards.
Village Creek Greenway Plan
Birmingham
This highly developed urban creek passes
through a variety of neighborhoods, industrial
areas, a golf course and the Birmingham airport.
Phase I involved a conceptual plan for the green­way
along 15 miles of the creek with detailed
plans for potential recreational developments
at six sites. Phase II consisted ot a master plan
with detailed recommendations regarding a trail
and linear park.
Downtown Andalusia
Revitalization Plan
Andalusia
The project area encompassed the old central busi­ness
core, including a commercial historic district.
The plan addresses the visual needs of downtown,
historic resource preservation, adequate parking
and vehicular and pedestrian circulation and public
infrastructure upgrades. Key suggest'rons ',nclude
the complete redevelopment of a central courthouse
square to provide a multi-use park space and the
creation of a tourist attraction in the commercial
historic district.
Zinn Park Revitalization Plan
Anniston
The goal was to revitalize an underutilized
portion of downtown which because of its historic
character and public space could become
a significant attraction. The plan included recom­mendations
for restoration and adaptive reuse of
historic resources, streetscaping amenities and
sidewalk improvements and facade treatments
which respect the historic character of the area.
It also defined a public service core based around
a proposed municipal service complex. In addi­tion,
a specific revitalization plan for Zinn Park will
help transform it into an attractive and functional
park while respecting its historic context.
Mulberry Bend Industrial Park
Walker County
NS identified potential users and prepared alterna��tive
site development plans for a 225-acre site
near Cordova. Considerations included its loca­tion
on the Mulberry fork of the Black Warrior
River and significant topographic features. The
site plan provides five large primary sites with
road, rail, river and utility access, as well as some
smaller secondary sites.
Samford University Campus
Homewood
NS has provided landscape architecture, planning
and design services ior Samford during the last 15
years. Projects include a master landscape plan,
planting designs, traffic control plan, pedestrian
traffic flow studies, intersection realignment and
design, a pedestrian plaza and walkway system
layout and athletic program improvements. Land
use and master planning services also have been
provided for development of university-owned
property adjacent to campus including a conceptu­al
plan for the 150-acre University Park site,
Milan Court at UAB Research Park
Birmingham
Milan Court is the main entrance road into UAB's
new research park, Design and construction docu­ments
detailed street tree development, a gateway
entrance with intensive landscaping and main
entrance wall with pilasters and accent lighting,
decorative pedestrian paving at the gateway
entrance, sidewalks, decorative street light fix­tures,
coordination with the utility companies in
the design layout and automatic irrigation system,
Bibb County Glades
Bibb County
This project consisted of a plan to preserve,
protect and enhance the biological and historical
significance of the site. It includes reducing site
erosion areas and makes provisions for public
use of the area compatible with ecological goals.
This may include parking, a trail system, access
to the river and picnicking, swimming, fishing
and education areas.
Oak Ridge and Sand Ridge Parks
Birmingham
Major work items were the master plan design,
site surveying, final subdivision plat, park design
phasing and construction documents with exten­sive
coordination between various City depart­ments.
Other elements included a survey, site
grading and drainage improvements, asphalt
parking lot, basketball court and picnic pavilion.
Tannehill Historical State Park
FU111ace Trail
Birmingham
The design consisted ot a pedestrian link
between the Civil War Roadway and the Iron and
Steel Museum, Design elements included a 10-foot­wide
trail system with retaining walls, ramps and a
pedestrian bridge and steps, as well as modifying
grades and drainage accommodation.
19 Volume X, No, I
Community.Profile
Willard A. Barnes' sketch of
the Florence waterfront was
featured on the cover of the
1991 Alabama Community
Design Program report for
Florence. Improvements to
the harbor (bottom leh),
which were recommended
in the report, are now a
reality. Future plans include
additional public recrea*
tional development on an
adjacent golf course.
DesignAlabama 20
•
•
Traveling
Alabama,
up the Tennessee River In the northwest corner of
early settlers and merchants found their progress
blocked by rock shoals, now known as the Muscle Shoals. In the
early 1800s, Huntsville-based Cypress Land Company recognized
the potential value of the land which overlooked the furthest
navigable point in the river and selected it as the site for a new
town. Hype leading up to an 1818 public land auction for the new
riverfront community drove prices for some lots up to $10,000.
In Florence,
"plans don't just
sit on the shelf."
- Florence Main Street
executive director Hester Cope
The finn hired 22-year-old land surveyor Ferdinand Sannoner, newly imn1i­grated
fron1 Italy, to plan the settlement. He named the new to\vn for one of
Italy's greatest cities, Firenze, or Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance.
Today Florence, Ala., is known as the home of the University of North
Alabama (UNA), which occupies a prominent spot directly north of down­town,
and as the site of the annual we. Handy Music Festival. This event
brings more than 150,000 people to to\vn over a week each August
to celebrate the life and music of Florence's native son "Father of the Blues"
we. Handy. But Florence is proving that it has much Inore to offer as its
leaders and residents prepare for the future, preserve its past and assume its
role as Alabama's renaissance city.
Sannoner located FIorence on a bluff overlooking the river. He endowed
it with wide streets, 100 to 110 feet in some areas, and what may be consid­ered
a precursor of the modern bypass, the Circular Road. This enabled
Florence to adapt to the insurgence of auton1obiles, still nearly a century
<l\Vay, that overwhelmed and forever altered 111all'y' towns unable to accom-
1110date the new demands for parking space and traffic lanes.
This foresight ti'om Florence's original planner has been echoed over the
decades and today by its modern leaders. Bill Dixon, Florence resident and
active volunteer with several civic organizations, notes, "I have lived in 15
states, and Florence is the best run city I've ever lived in. The politicians -
the people \\lho are in office now and those \vho have served in the past -
have had tremendous foresight. The leaders have had the ability to see a
need well in advance and plan f()f it,"
Alabamas
I RenaIssance Webster's dictionary defines 'renaissance' as the activity,
spirit, or time of the great revival of art, litemtHre and learning
il1 Europe beginnil1g il1 the 14th century mld extmding to
the 17th century; (z£ pcrtaillifl}!, to, or sHpgcstive ~f this period,­a
rellel-pal C!f life) V{~01; interest) etc.; rebirth; revival.
City by Laura Quenelle
The city's leaders, under the direction of long-tinlc mayor Eddie Frost,
current Council of Mayors president, also have tapped a valuable asset as
they prepare for the new 111illennium: a strong and very active network of
local volunteers who would nuke a Medici proud. "Volunteerisl11 is rampant
in this area," says Dixon.
Among the organizations working to improve the quality of life in
Florence is its Main Street program. Founded in 1992, the group \"lorks
to promote neighborhood revitalization and downtm:vn redevelopment.
It provides facade improvement grants, design guidelines, informational
reSOurces and public awareness programs to bring attention and investment
to downtown Florence.
Main Street also has played a major role in bringing residents into the
commercial district through its Downtmvn Upstairs tour. The tours inaugu­rated
in 1997 and have increased in popularity, with nearI-y 250 people partic~
ipating in the 1999 tour. The progranl has been a big success. After the initial
tour, 12 downtoyvn properties were redeveloped fbr residential and office use
on the second story. Currently the population of dov\,'ntowl1 residents num­bers
in the hundreds. Main Street not only pla)!S a role in promoting down­town
living, but aiso acts as a valuable resource for potential residents and
developers, supplying infi.)fmation on available bank loans, city and state
funds and tax credits. The group also provides design guidance and inspira­tion
for property owners in the form of colored renderings prepared by
suff member Pat Sunsell, who holds a degree in art from the University
of Alabama.
David and Jean Gay Musselman live in a Court Street apartment \:,.:hilc
they buiid a new home on nearby Cypress Creek. Jean Gay. who works
in elder care services, calls downtO\\"ll Florence "a delightful place to live."
She notes the convenience of the location and the holiday atmosphere as
the most enjoyable aspects of do\\,l1tO\vn living. "\f/c just love to sit on
the patio and watch people go by"
FUl-thcr up Court Street. Susan Jnd Lowell Cru.'.;e live in J second-floor
apartment with their teenage daughter, Kathryn. The first floor, once occu­pied
by <l notorious local bar, now houses an antique store and the Cruses·
hotel management office. A reminder of the building's history is fc)Und in
the immense oak bar the couple installed and retrofitted to be used as their
kitchen in the expansive second-floor living area. The flooring materiai is
allother unique design feature. The Cruses purchased granite for countertops
from a cemetery monument company. Seeing all the unused pieces with
Florence's Court Street remains a vital and animated center of activity despite typical commercial
strip development along nearby bypass roads.
The revival currently taking
place in Florence is no
doubt due to the efforts
of hard-working residents,
volunteers and local leaders
who have the foresight and
level of community pride
necessary to make Florence
an even better place to live,
work and visit.
21 Volume X. No.1
Currently the
population of
downtown residents
numbers the
hundreds.
•
In
mistakes and ilnperfecriolls going to \vaste, they decided to use the stones as
f1oOl-ing and v·nIl decoration. While headstone floors may seenl morbid, their
intricate carvings and varying shapes and textures create an ahllost \vhi111s1c11
effect. The Cruses' sense of hllI1l0r and \vhimsy is 1110St apparent in the
master bathroom where a stone reading "Gone but not forgotten" hangs
over the comnlode.
DesignAlabanw's involvernent with Florence began in 1991 when an
Alabama Community Design Program (ACDP) tean1 visited the city to help
assess design issues and opportunities within the COIlUl1unity. The ll-member
group of volunteer architects, planners, landscape architects, engineers and
students worked with local residents and CIvic
leaders over a period of several days to provide
an objective view on opportunities to inlprove
the quality of life in Florence.
Among the tealn's recomnlendations were:
• improving gateways into the community
• inlproving access to and utilization of the
Tennessee l-:tiver, including the redevelopnlent
of the Port of Florence, the addition of a
city marina at the McFarland Boat Launch
and a riverwalk
• promoting dmvntown redevelopment
• promoting redevelopment in surrounding
historic neighborhoods
ISLAND
• il11proving cit'y'wide open space, park and
pedestrian systenls
florence's original 1818 plan featured 100-
foot-wide streets and a possible precursor
of the modern bypass, called in this 1852
copy the Circular Road.
DesignAlabama 22
TEj\fNEJ"J£
Jean Gay Musselman on the balcony of the
Court Street apartment she shares with her
husband, David.
R.!Y"'-;P
City leaders have since seized upon the
suggestions of the team and similar recommenda­tions
from a 1995 Conlprehensive Plan prepared
by Baltimore-based planners LDRlnternatioML
As Florence Main Street executive director
Hester Cope observes, in Florence, "plans don't
Just sit on the shelf"
Projects already completed include the development of a riverfront
Burina \\'hich is owned by the City and operated by a for-profit COInpan)'.
Located adjacent to the O'Neal Bridge, the marina and its boats provide
a striking entry as motorists approach Florence from the south. Future
plans include the relocation of an adjacent golf course to make roonl for
recreational anlenities including ball fields. The area also marks the starting
point of a new riverwalk which will eventually extend to the Renaissance
Tower to the east.
The City contracted with Florence-based SKT Architects to design
streetscape improvements. Currently being installed along Court and 1 Tennessee streets in the heart of downtown, they include new sidewalks,
j plantings, lighting and street furniture. Improvenlents will eventually extend
to the harbor area and adjacent riverwalk, providing safe and attractive
pedestrian access to the river.
Downtown Florence has "wonderful anchors," says Billy Warren, curricu­lum
director for the Florence Board of Education, Main Street president and
volunteer for Heritage Preservation Inc., a local activist group working to
stabilize Florence's historic residential districts. The UNA campus lies
directly to the north, the Tennessee I<...iver to the south, historic residential
neighborhoods to the east and a regional hospital campus to the \vest.
The City boasts eight National I=(egister of Historic Places Historic
Districts encompassing 400 buildings and plans soon to expand the dO\vn~
town district to include a several square mile area. With the help of the
Alabama Historical Commission, the first phase of a project to inventory
more than 3,000 buildings for eventual inclusion in the district has been
c0111pleted. The City also has recently purchased the Rosenbaum House,
the only Frank Lloyd Wright-designed house in the state, along \'lith all
its original architect-designed furnishings. In the lease agreelnent, the
City agrees to invest $300,000 in the restoration of the historic property.
A neV·l public library is in the v,:orks, to be located in a prominent spot
on do\vntown's W-ilson Park now occupied by an auton10tive service center.
The City also is making a major investment in its school system through
the Vision 21 program. The S32 million project includes the addition of ne\v
computers 'with internet and networking capability and the restoration of
each of the district's school buildings.
In addition to educational inlprovements, Florence maintains its standing
as a center for cultural events. In addition to the annual WC. Handy Music
Festival, the city plays host to the Festival of the Singing River, the Arts
Alive arts and crafts festival and the Alaban1a Renaissance Fair, which
celebrates the history of Florence's namesake. "The festivals give so 11luch
life to the town," says Warren, "and particularly to downtown."
The revival currently taking place in Florence is no doubt due to the
efforts of hard-\vorking residents, volunteers and local leaders vvho have the
foresight and level of cOlnn1unity pride necessary to make Florence an even
better place to live, work and visit. •
SKT Architect's plan for
streetscape improvements on
Court and Tennessee streets
in downtown Florence.
·~·l·'\
1111
"
Florence Main Street's staff and volunteers (left to right)
Pat Stansell, assistant to the director, Florence Main Street;
Audrey McDaniel, assistant section eight coordinator, Florence
Housing Authority and West Mobile Street Main Street
district head; Shaler Roberts, director, Florence Housing
Authority and Main Street administrative chairman; Hester
Cope, executive director, Florence Main Street; Billy Warren,
curriculum director, Florence Board of Education and Main
Street president; and Bill Dixon, Main Street board member.
23 Volume X. No.1
Historical'i'Perspectives
A Tuscaloosa
By Philip Morris
Photos by John O'Hagan
Restoration of historic gardens
is still an emerging field
as illustrated by recent work at the
Battle-Friedman House.
Traces of original patterns led to restoration of parterres across the front
of the garden. 'Nnile lavifl and parking areas not part of the onginal layout '.'Jere
introduced to handle contemporary needs.
This gazebo could not be rebuilt in its original location due
to an enormous magnolia tree that grew into it. No photos
or dralNings were available, so the design was based on
descriptions of it.
DesignAlabama 24
First laid out in the spring of 1843.
the garden for the Bartle-Friedman
I·-Iouse in c!o\Yl1tO\\"!1 Tuscaloosa is the
oldest intact antebellum garden in
Alabama. The rerishable and change­able
nature of gardens calls for an
approach related to hut different from
other historic preservation projects, as
this case study illuslrates.
'"The central pan of the original
design was incorporated in the new
master plan." says landscape architect
Jane Reed Ross of Birmingham. "hut
the side yards were changed to accom­modate
large parties on the b\\'os and
parking for visitors." As a museum, the
house and gardens provide both a
place for learning about histc)JY and a
center for community life.
In developing the plan, Ross
followed the published GUidelines/i)}"
tbe Treatment q/His!orfc Landscapes
which included the follOWing possible
treatments:
Protection and Stabilization prouicle
!emporco}'. c!fien erneq!,eJlc.y measures
to preWrlt deterio}"ation or failure
ll"ithollt Cllterin[!, tbe !cmdscupe\' bis­/
oric character. 17Jese measures are
geJleral~v considered jJreparatOJY to
other /recttmen/.
Preservation mail/taills the/arm.
materials and features q/t/Je lane/­scope
as it has eL'olved over time,
acknou·>fedging its growth.
loss and change.
The garden of the Baitle-Friedman House in dO'l!f1wl;'/D Tuscaloosa. iirst laid out in 1843, has been preserved, restored and
adapted for contemporary needs under plans coordinaied !lY landscape architect jane Reed Ross.
Rehabilitation retail/s the /mlt/sCCt}!"
as il has erolced bfs/(;rfcal(i' I~)'
nWiil!C/inillg and repair!ll/!, historic
j(Ytlures n"bile a/lou'inp, addiffOll,)'
and alll?rat IOJlsjbr eOJlten/pOntl)'
a!ldjlf/ure {{ses.
Restoration dejJicts cm Clppearallce
that existed durillp, tbe 1{{lIdscape~)
most s(!!,Il(jicmz! periud by renwl"illp,
lalcr c/{lditiolls alUl rehlfildill/!, or
rejJlallling, ear/ier/eel/lf res.
Reconstruction recreates a lYtnisbed or
llOJ1-Sllrririnp, [alldsce/jJe ll'ilh lIen'
materials.
To varying degrees. aU these approaches
were applied in the Banlc-Friedman
project.
In addition to a detailed site im'cs-tigation
\\'hich, among otber things, dis­dosed
traces of rhe original brick lining
paths, historical research hy George
Stritikus of the Alabama Cooperati\'e
Extension Service turned up a copy of
an 1847 plan by English garden design­er
Peter '\'1'Arthur. A series of meetings
between the garden committee and
Ross set out a list of goals:
1. Keep maintenance simple.
1. 00 not plant a variety of flowers in the beds which
would be historically correct but require high maintenance.
3. Reconstruct the walkways.
4. Remove the trees planted at a later date that are
in poor condition.
5. Preserve the healthy existing trees, especially the ones
or'lg'mal to the landscape.
S. Provide an evergreen screen adjacent to the YMCA.
7. Reconstruct structures in the original plan
(gazebo and pool).
There \vere many nuances and
compromises worked out as the
plan and implementation proceeded.
For example, pbnt material retained
and ~H.kled is appropriate to the ante­bellum
era, but resicknrs did not want
the 'l/:ah.:as planted around the perime­ter
during the 19",)()S to he rel11oYt . .'d
~md repbced with a more appropriate
cherry laurel hedge. Asiatic jasmine i.-;
Similarly not of the period, hut it
sen'es the purpose of filling out the
shape of the origin:l! 110\\"(;.'1" gardens
that [he committee felt could not he
maintained.
It will take several years of growth
for the Battle-Friedman garden to fill
out its recovered form, hut even today
it hrings (he g~lrden foreground back
to something very like its original char­acter.
And as the master plan and his­toric
garden standards are followed in
decades [0 come, an historic landscape
will grow and change but not out of
recognition. 'ii
The garden provides a pleasant oasis and helps recreate
the domestic character of the historic house.
Children 5 Specialty Center South
Blount Chapel
Office of Walcott Adams Verneuille Architects
Ingram Lake House The Weetop
First Baptist Church in Troy
feature of
fJ!isignAlabama '.
a~dhighYl!Jhtsli ,,'J" "!
a wide variety.
"', .c,<><"
oilFJtirisand
resources.
Alabama AlA
Details of Interest
Five projects received 1999 awards tram the
Alabama Council at the American Institute aT Architecture
(AlA) presented recently in Atlanta. John Holmes, AlA,
was the 1999 Design Awards chairman, and the jury con­sisted
of tour architects from Arkansas.
The Honor Award for exemplary design was pre­sented
to Giattina Fisher Aycock Architects,
Birmingham, for their work on the Children's Specialty
Center South, Birmingham. Projects receiving Awards of
Merit for design excellence include The Blount Chapel,
Montgomery and The Weetop in Wynton Blount Cultural
Park aT Montgomery both by McAlpine Tankersley
Architecture Inc. at Montgomery and the Office at
Walcott Adams Verneuille Architects, Fairhope, by
Walcott Adams Verneuille Architects at Fairhope
A special Honorable Mention was presented to Bill
ingram, AlA, tor Ingram Lake House on Lake
Martin, Eclectic.
The separately judged Member Honor Award
provides an opportunity Tor Alabama Council AlA mem­bers
to vote on the project at their choice by secret baliot.
There was a tie this year between McAlpine Tankersley
Architecture Inc. aT Montgomery for the Blount Chapel
and Peter M. WeiSS, AlA, at Auburn for the First Baptist
Church in Troy - Alteration/Renovation/Addition
25 Volume X, No. I
Birmingham AlA
The 1999 winners of the Birmingham AlA Design
Awards Competition are: Honor Award - KPS Group for
Indian Springs School and Merit Awards - Gresham
Smith and Partners for SouthTrust Bank Regional
Headquarters, Giattina Fisher Aycock Architects
Inc. for Children's Specialty Center South and Williams
Blackstock Architects for AIG/Baker Shipping Center
Properties Inc. Corporate Headquarters, and Honorable
Mention - Cohen & Co. for Offices for Cohen & Co. In
addition, Mayor Richard Arrington Jr. was presented with
the designation "Honorary AlA" for his service in advanc­ing
the architectural endeavors of Birmingham
This year's awards were chaired by William
Gilchrist, AlA, and jury members were Larry Watts,
Birmingham Regional Planning Commission;
Jeffrey Bayer, Bayer
Properties; Michael
E. McDevitt, CHE,
Children's Health
Systems; and
Clarence L. Brown,
District Director, US.
Department of Labor.
Fitzmartin Recognized
Cohen & Co. Offices
Indian Springs School
Fitzmartin, a design-based strategic marketing
firm in Birmingham, had its 1998 Christmas card selected
for inclusion in Print's Regional Design Annual/1999.
Nearly 35,000 entries were submitted from almost every
state. The card featured farm workers with their tools on
panels folded accordion-style with the words "Hoe, Hoe,
Hoe!" captioned on back.
In addition, Fitzmartin was a distinguished win­ner
in the 1999 Becket Honors Competition. The winning
entry was a sta­tionery
package
produced for HKW
Associates, PC, a
commercial archi­tectural
firm in
Birmingham.
DesignAlabama 26
Fitzmartin's Christmas card
Bienville Square
lights
The City of Mobile
has plans to replicate period
light fixtures for Bienville
Square The ornate I ights seen
in many early 20th century
photographs of the square
were installed in 1912. The
posts, made of cast iron, were
designed by a local architect
and manufactured in Mobiie.
The original 32 lights installed
in the square have long since
disappeared, and the City
would like to know if anyone
has a hint of what happened to them. Replication is being
accomplished with scavenged original pieces and historic
photos. Robinson Iron of Alexander City has a contract to
recreate the patterns and will fabricate new fixtures next
year when further funding is secured.
Salvaged parts of original lamps are used as patterns (top).
An original light fixture in old Bienville Square photo (above)
UNA Students Aid Main Street Project
Photography students at the University of North
Alabarna in Florence took a shot at helping with an archi­tectural
and restoration project in the downtown. The stu­dents'
photographs will be used as guides in future
restorations and will document the buildings for possible
tax advantages. "We felt like it was important to do a pho­tographic
record at the turn of the century," said Hester
Cope, Main Street executive director. Wayne Sides, an
assistant professor at UNA, coordinated the project with
Cope. Works were featured at the Milner-Hackworth Art
Gallery in Florence and were displayed during the WC.
Handy Festival.
With the help of the UNA students and their pro­fessor,
the Main Street Program is creating a calendar fea­turing
the photos in a fundraising effort to continue the
restoration of downtown. Students who participated are:
Chandra Dye, Meridianville; Krena Curtis, Russellville;
Stan Choat, Sheffield; Tonya Smith, Florence; Walt
Vandiver, Tuscumbia; Heather Golliver, Killen; Autumn
Lawrence, Florence; Salina Evans, Harvest; and Tim
Uselton, Humbolt, Tenn.
Design Interaction '99
Auburn University's industrial
design students held their 21st
annual symposium on November 5.
Around the theme of transportation,
four professionals shared their
career knowledge and experience.
Tom Dempsey is head of research and develop­ment
with Perception Kayaks in Easley, SC He started the
design department from scratch and now has a staff of 10
composed of industrial designers, engineers, a computer
expert and a modeler. Perception produces 32 different
models of kayaks for the world's largest sport by using
rotomolding techniques.
Jerome Melinowski, now the chair of the
industrial design program at the University of S.E.
Louisiana, has worked as an automotive designer for both
General Motors and Ford and participated in the design of
an electric commuter vehicle while on the faculty at
Syracuse. His presentation focused on his design and
development of the bobsled for the 1988 US Winter
Olympic Bobsled Team. He detailed the trials of creating
the fiberglass and kevlar sled on stainless steel frame and
testing and refining the shape.
Larry French of Grifton Aerospace (see Project
News Engineering) and Ken Smith with NASA/Marshall
Space Flight Center (see Project News Industrial Design)
rounded out the program, addressing air-related areas
of transportation
Furniture Design Exhibition
"Celebrating the
Creative Spirit: Contern­porary
Southeastern
Furniture" features works
by 25 of the South's finest
art furniture makers who
use everyday, functional
forms as a means of per­sona
artistic expression.
From self taught to acade­mically
trained, the artists
craft pieces that demon­strate
the subtleties and
sensuous qualities of vari­ous
materials while reinter­preting
everyday objects
with a personal twist.
The show presents a
broad survey of works by
contemporary Southern
Torchiere lamp in various woods artists, several of whom
by Ronald C. Puckett were featured in
DesignAlabama's
"Alabama Furniture Design" in the journal's Fall/Winter
1997 issue. The exhibit, organized by the Mobile Museum
of Art, will be on display at the Montgomery Museum of
Fine Arts from Nov. 20, 1999 - Jan. 2, 2000. It is spon­sored
in Montgomery by Sherlock, Smith & Adams.
NEA Funds New Design Initiatives
Mark Robbins, director of design for the Nat­ional
Endowment for the Arts (NEAl, was at Auburn Univer­sity
in November meeting with various design profession­als
and community leaders to tout leadership programs
totaling $675,000, "These initiatives are part of a concerted
effort to develop public awareness about design, serve the
varied design disciplines and act as a conduit for design
expertise for other federal agencies," said Robbins.
The four initiatives are:
New Public Works - The NEA wi II award
$500,000 to fund a series of design competitions for a
range of projects from public buildings to planning to
graphic, landscape and industrial design. As many as 10
projects will receive grants of up to $50,000 each.
Organizations interested in applying must submit a letter
of intent by Jan. 18,2000. For information call 202/682-
5452 or check the Web site: www.artsendow.gov/endow
news/news99/NewDesign.html for program guidelines
Redressing the Mall- The NEA has ear­marked
$50,000 for a two-day session at the Woodrow
Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., on February 10-11,
2000, to explore mall design and its implications for Amer­ican
communities. The project will propose alternative
development models for failed, first-ring commercial cen­ters,
incorporating a mix of residential and community uses.
Mayors' Institute for City Design - Focus
on Schools - Mayors and design professionals in an
extra session will identify ways in which schools can oper­ate
as catalysts for community redevelopment. This pro­gram,
funded at $75,000, will include discussion of case
studies involving historical schools in downtown centers,
school reuse in suburban settings and the design of new
school buildings. The University of Illinois in Chicago will
host the three-day event in winter 2000
Your Town - Focus on Native-American
and African-American Communities - This initia­tive
builds on an NEA/National Trust for Historic
Preservation program that works with rural communities
through workshops on design issues that concern the
quality of life in small towns. These additional sessions,
funded at $50,000, will focus on issues of importance to
traditionally underserved populations, beginning with
African-American and tribal communities.
Olmsted Stamp
The U.s. Postal Service has issued a commemo­rative
stamp honoring Frederick Law Olmsted, one of
the founders of American landscape architecture and a
prolific park designer. His portfolio includes Central Park,
the U.S. Capitol grounds, the Biltmore Estate and the cam­pus
of Stanford University The stamp was dedicated in
Boston at the September opening session of the American
Society of Landscape Architects' annual meeting which
celebrated it's 100th anniversary this year. Said William
Downes, Boston District Manager for the Postal Service,
"Olmsted's contributions - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - --- - -"
to the development of
this country were not
merely significant, but
masterful, and we will
continue to be rewarded
by his accomplishments." C~'~~M,"."'~._'~'"
Bike Rack
Sculpture
Artist-designed bike
racks are gracing sidewalks in
Mobile as the city's newest
adornment to the downtown
streetscape. Beginning in
1997, a sculptor has been
commissioned to produce a
bike rack each year. The first
piece was created by Casey
Downing for Cathedral
Square. The 1998 rack was a
Tom Telhiard work installed at
220 Dauphin St. The most
recent rack is another Casey
Downing piece. Each year
leading up to the city's
Tricentennial in 2002, a
sculptor will be commis­sioned
to produce a bike rack
for placement in public use.
This project is sponsored by Main Street Mobile with sup­port
from the Mobile Arts Council and the City of Mobile.
Southern Home Awards
Southern Living is soliciting entries for its 2001
Awards. The 13th annual program honors the best new
homes, residential renovations and additions in the South.
Homeowners, architects, designers, builders and develop­ers
are invited to submit entries of homes located in the
primary circulation area of the magazine. New homes
shou Id have been completed after January 1998. Noted
Southern architects will help Southern Living staff in
selecting winners. Entries must be posted by May 31,
2000. Contact Katie Baker or Lynn Nesmith at 1-800-366-
4712, ext. 6374 for more information.
Depot Renovation
The City of Eufaula has hired the architectural
firm of Blondheim-Mixon to develop an architectural plan
to renovate the historic Central of Georgia Freight Depot
on Broad Street in Eufaula. The 1890 structure, which is
listed on the National Register of Historic Places, will
eventually become a welcome center, museum and office
headquarters for the Eufaula/Barbour County Chamber of
Commerce and the Eufaula/Barbour County Tourism Council,
Bike sculpture series.' (top left) Casey Downing,
1999, (top right) Tom Telhiard, 1998, (bol/om)
Casey Downing, 1997.
Arts on Millennium Trails
Arts on Millennium Trails is an initiative to create
public art works, exhibitions, interpretive works or preser­vation
projects on the 50 Millennium Legacy Trails. The
NEA is funding the project with $520,000 to be adminis­tered
through a cooperative agreement with the National
Assembly of State Arts Agencies
Alabama's Millennium Trail, The Coastal
Crescent, is a combination of regional trails. It was con­ceived
last summer by linking the Eastern Shore Trail with
the Weeks Bay Estuary boardwalks, the Bon Secour
Wildlife Refuge on Fort Morgan with a ferry ride to
Dauphin Island and a visit to the Audubon Bird Sanctuary
and Sea Lab Estuariurn. With access to the Battleship
Alabama, Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines for history buffs,
Alabama's Millennium Trail offers something for everyone.
Now the NEA is working with a network of
national cultural organizations, state and local arts agen­cies,
folk and traditional artist professionals and commu­nity
development specialists to help identify artists to cre­ate
site-specific creations along the Coastal Crescent For
more information on this arts initiative, check the Web site:
www.arts.endow.gov/endownews/news99(Trails.html .•
27 Volume X. No. I
Desi nAlabama
Volume X, Issue I
PUBLIC DESIGN AWARENESS AND EDUCATION
DESIGNING THE LANDSCAPE
DesignAlabama Inc. works to increase awareness and value of the design disciplines
1b l that injlue'1ce our :~Wr~ng!UJ@JItYtievefJi!lt~h'lJul!1Jtf life and (( e ong term tmha~t
economic groutG oj FIns s!'i:!€ft !Ire eYJhanced throJ:!-gh .fltte,ntion to and empoaSIS on WOll~ foe
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r:.nglfltfe-nnlf weaknesses. "
.~~~ people call home." Neal Berte,
.#fI ~dt~1 Architecture Birmingham-Southern President
"Tbe perishable and 0 E S I G N I N G THE LAN 0 S CAP E
Landscape Design
NATIO N AL EN DOWM ENT FOR THE ARTS changeable nature
EBseo I Il1IlIS1rIes.
Inc.
ALABAMAA
POWER
A SOUTHERN COMPANY
Alabama Power Foundation Inc.
Alabama Council AIA
Intenor Design
of gardens calls for an
Urban Design
approach related to
Industrial Design
but different from other
G aph1c Des,gn
historic preservation
I-s[ , v
projects, as this case
study illustrates."
This publication was made possible through funding by the contributors listed above.
For additional information about DesignAlabama, please call (800) 849-9543.