Design Alabama: The Public Forum for Design in Alabama, Volume 14, Issue 2, 2004

              Fall/Winter 2004
Volume XIV, Issue II
$400
Des.• abama
THE PUBLIC FORUM FOR DESIGN IN ALABAMA
Board of Directors
Debbie Quinn, Chair
Fairhope City Council
Fairhope
Nancy Mims Hartsfield, Vice Chair
Auburn University, Professor Emerita
Montgomery
Michelle G. Jordan, Secretary
CUy of Decatur Planning Department
Decatur
Joseph R. Oooofro, Treasurer
Donotro & Associates Architects Inc.
Dothan
Arnelle Adcock
Central Alabama Electric Cooperative
Prattville
HB Branlley
Brantley Visioneering Inc.
Birmingham
Elizabeth Ann Brown
Alabama Historical Commission
Montgomery
Charles Callans
Birmingham Realty
Birmingham
Janet Driscoll
Driscoll Design
Monigomery
Scott Finn
Auburn University
Auburn
Cathryn Campbell Gerachis
Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood tnc.
Monigomery
80 Grisham
Brookman! Realty
Birmingham
Debra Hood
Greenville
Robert Martin
Southern Progress Corp.
Birmingham
Edward Vaughn
Dothan
larry Watts
Birmingham Regional Planning Commission
Birmingham
Gina Glaze Clifford, Executive Director
Philip A. Morris, Director Emeritus
Volume XIV, Issue II
Cover: A rehabilitation of Adamson Ford in
Birmingham exposed the building's dramatic
space and its unusual history.
This publication is made possible through funding by the following contributors.
Advantage Marketing Communications
AlabamaAssociation of Regional Councils
Sloss Real Estate Group Inc.
KPS Group Inc.
Dperatkm New Birmingham
Support the Arts Tag Advisory Committee
A Alabama
State ~CO""d!
~11,m'ne
~ .. :\rts
DAVIS ARCHITECTS
~kinner
D:~ISCOLL
DES1GN~
GEt-JIVE
Si:R'/iCES
BRASFIELD
&GORRIE
WILLIAMS, BLACKSTOCK
ARCHITECTS
GiATllNA FISHERAYCOO<
Editor: Gina Glaze Clifford
Managing Editor: Tomie Dugas
Art Director: Nancy Hartsfield
Associate Art Director: Ross Heck
Assistant Art Directors: Kelly Bryant
Tomie Dugas
Bruce Dupree
Dana Gay
Samantha Lawrie
Contributing Writers: Jessica Armstrong
Elizabeth Via Brown
Tomie Dugas
Philip Morris
, , ,
Sullmissian Inffolmaltio,rn, , ,
DesignAlabama encourages submissions
from its readers. Articles about work from all
design disciplines are requested, as well as copy
related to historic preservation. Please submit
copy along with visuals (photos, slides, drawings,
etc.) to DesignAlabama tnc., PO. Box 241263,
Montgomery, AL 36124.
Items for Project News and Details of
Interest should include a paragraph summary
detailing the nature of the project, the design firm,
principals and associates involved and any other
details that may be of interest such as unusual
or special design features, completion date,
approximate cost, square footage, etc. Also include
the name, address and phone and fax number of the
client and an individual whom we may contact for
further information. Direct inquiries to (334) 353-
5081 or mail to gina.clififord@arts.alabama.gov.
Past journal issues are available for $6.00
including postage and handling. Contact
DesignAlabama at the above numbers for
availability information and to order.
A special thanks to Philip Morris for his ongoing
assistance and advice with this publication.
Correction:
The volume number on the Spring/Summer 2004 issue was
listed incorrectly. It should have read: Volume XIV, Issue I.
We reg rei any confusion this may have caused.
© 2004 DesignAlabama Inc.
ISSN# 1090-0918
This issue oj DesignAlabama was designed and
produced on Maciniosh Computers utilizing InDesign CS.
Proofs were printed on a HP 4050N and Phaser 7700, with
tinal Him output on a Compugraphic 9400.
Designing space by visualizing how
people funclion at work.
p7
DesignAlabama is a publication of OesignAlabama Inc.
Reader comments and submission of articles and ideas for
lulure issues are encouraged.
CONTENTS
Restoring the original character
to an art moderne building.
p9
FEATURES
"A New Life"
. ~~ilgiQg~TraQ~l 0 rfIl~g
ADAMSON FORD
KRESS BUILDING
JEMISON FLATS
YOUNG & VANN BUILDING
Creating a commanding symbol
for downtown Mobile.
p.22
.. ~~ .. ~,,-~----~---------
9
10
12
14
17
TUSCALOOSA COUNTY OFFICES 18
WINTER-LOEB BUILDING 19
DEPARTMENTS
---------------------_._ ...•..... __ .. -.-.
Project .... News
Work of Statewide Significance 4
Designer@lProfile
Alice H. Cutright 7
CommunityeProfi Ie
Monroeville 20
Design.Makes A Difference
RSA Tower 22
Historical~Perspectives
Delano Park 24
AlabamatUpdate
McClelland 27
Details+Of Interest
Noteworthy Observations 29
Preserving and revitalizing an
historic park in Decatur.
p24
Project ... News
Project News
is a regular
feature of
DesignAlabama and
provides
an opportunity
to keep
up-to-date on
design projects
that have an impact on
our communities,
T
Spring Hill Administraiion Building and Mo~re Hall in Photo
and with Renovations and Addiiions in DraWing
Byrne Memorial Hail
Myers Real Estate Corporate HeadQuariers
DesignAJabama 4
The Architects Group of Mobile
is working with Spring Hill College
on a 140,000-square-foot renova­tion
addition project involving five
National Register-listed buildings,
as well as the National Register-
: eligible 1930 Charles Rogers-designed library renamed in
: the master plan as Byrne Memorial Hall.
: The renovation and repurposing of one of the campus'
: oldest and most high profile structures, the circa 1870
: Administration Building, is now in the planning stages, It
: will provide space for a number of programs and offices for
business, financial aid, the registrar and some faculty An
addition to the adjacent Moore Hall wlil house admissions
and the president's office, The concept is to provide all the
services students need in one location,
The former Byrne Memorial Library will house offices that
have an oUPNard focus such as development, alumni affairs
and public relations, Walls and interior delineation will be
largely preserved, but plumbing and electrical systems will
be replaced, The focal point will be the new great room­the
former library reading room - which will become the
college's primary site for speeches, ceremonies and events,
: TAG is also designing a Mediterranean-style, 36,000-
square-foot new corporate headquarters for Meyer Real
Estate, currently under construction in Gulf Shores,
The new four-story building will be state-of-the-art while
remaining sensitive to the natural surroundings of the
environment. It will feature a courtyard, a park area and a
dramatic two-story glass atrium lobby that will wrap around
mature oak trees already established on the property,
Bristol Southside Apartments
The Birmingham News Building
Pullman Flats
Williams-Blackstock Architects of Birmingham has
been selected to design the new office building for The
Birmingham News, Four firms were vying for the project
which involves designing the exterior and interior including
: furniture and technology and even relocation coordination
: for the employees, A location for the office building has yet
. to be determined as with technology today, the newspaper
office no longer has to be located next to production facili­:
ties. The building has been designed with a glass internal
structure featuring an atrium fronted by a traditional com­mercial
fa~ade with shades of red brick,
'*'
Alex and Jeanne Krumdieck of A+I Design of
Birmingham have designed plans for a proposed residen­tial-
office-retail development to be cailed Pullman Flats.
'liNO structures are to be built at 2226 First Ave, South at
the site of a recently demolished long-abandoned ware­house
in Birmingham. The development's name derives
from the nearby railroad tracks, A two-story building facing
First Avenue South wili be connected by a courtyard to a
three-and-a-half-story structure facing the railroad, The
development will include retail and office space at ground
level and 14 loft units, One-bedroom units wiil sell for from
$140,000-$200,000 each,
Bristol Development Group of Nashville plans to build
two four-story buildings in a 170-apartment complex near
the University of Alabama in Birmingham The $20 million
project includes lofts with open-floor plans and high ceil­ings
mixed with more conventional apartment floor pians,
Apartments will range from 700-1,300 square feet and
contain from one to three bedrooms, The Bristol Southside
: Apartments will include a pool and courtyard, fitness center
: and business center with a cyber cafe. There will be an adJa­,
cent parking deck and skywalks to connect the buildings on
the three upper floors. Construction began this fall with the
apartments ready for occupation fall 2005.
Donofro and Associates Architects of Dothan and
Major Holland and Associates of Tuskegee are design­ing
renovations and additions to the 1976-built Lakepoint
Resort in Eufaula. Eight new cabins, a swimming pool
complex and chapel will be built and the marina and main
lodge with guest wings renovated and expanded. Additionally
general landscaping, way lighting, entrance signage and civil
infrastructure will be improved. In keeping with historic lodge
architecture, the renovation palette wili include heavy tim-ber
trusses, rustic stone veneers, lap siding, slate flooring,
Stickley-period light fixtures and stained woods.
The lodge and guest wings will receive major design and
renovation emphasis with new electrical, lighting, plumbing,
mechanical and interiors. A new 660-seat bailroom will over­look
the rear terraces and lake. There will be three meeting
rooms, a lakeside grill and pub for informal dining and an
expanded dining room. The lobby will be decorated Stickley
style with exposed wood, stone veneers, slate flooring and
anchored by a signature stone fireplace.
The cabins, sited on the old beach area, range from single
bedroom to three bedroom/three bath to duplex units with
internet and cable. A marina store and grill is being reno­vated
with updated bathrooms, enlarged dining room and
new interiors. The pool complex will feature children'S water
sprays, outside hot tub, game room, tiki bar and trellised
patio for pools ide parties An amphitheatre-chapel will host
concerts, weddings, plays and movies. The $14 million proj­ect
is slated to be finished in late 2005.
Lakepoint Resort POOl House
Lakepoint Resort Lodge
ArchitectureWorks of Birmingham is renovating the
Harris Warehouse and Transfer Building in the UAB district
of downtown for the new Fish Market Restaurant on the
same block as the existing restaurant. The ground floor will
be renovated to provide for a new market, restaurant and
kitchen, as well as allowing the storage business to stay in
operation and occupy the upper floors. A new trellised terrace
and outdoor patio fronting the restaurant is 100-feet long by
16-feet wide. The planned expansion from 4,500 square feet
to 13,800 square feet will provide much needed additional
dining space, as well as a new grocery/market with fresh
produce, I ive seafood and other foodstuffs. Three authentic
fishing boats from Greece will become part of the display
and aesthetic of the interior space Lisa Beasley of Design
South has worked closely with the owner and architects to
create an interior environment that recognizes the history of
the warehouse while accommodating its new capacity as a
market and eating establishment Much of the existing shell
will remain as is, with the incorporation of a series of high
quality elements - oyster bar, live tanks and service counter
- that reveal the building's new life.
•
.-~--
.,.. . ~
Developed by Hodges &
Associates of Birmingham for
Metropolitan Gardens Developers
LLC (a jOint venture of Sioss
Real Estate of Birmingham and
Integral Properties of Atlanta),
the name and logo for Park Place
represents a new vision of residential living in the heart of
Birmingham Arrayed against a dramatic background of
lush green mountains and the distinctive Red Mountain cut
is a graphic depiction of high- and low-rise buildings that
define an urban vocabulary unique to the city Central to the
design is a repetition of trees that comprises the urban oasis
- suggesting the serenity to be found in the city'S revitalized
central parks. The name and logo are clearly meant to reflect
the best of urban living - safe, clean and within walking dis­tance
of the c'lty'S major art and cultural institutions. Creative
direction was by Greg Hodges with design and illustration
by Patricia Hooten.
l" l" l" l" l" l" l" l" '!\i"
PARK PLACE
FISH MAR.KET RESTAURAtfl WHOLESALE-RETA!L SEAFOOD
•. c'- ',,~, t~lEr2JX:b , ... :- -. ,- ;> ., •• ' " .. .,
Fish Market Restaurani
Sentell Engineering Inc. of
Tuscaloosa designed the downtown
revitalization of two city blocks in
Uniontown. This project involved the
rehabilitation of existing sidewalks which
were constructed more than 30 years
ago with an exposed aggregate. During the past several
years this has become a hazardous situation with people
slipping and falling The design included replacing existing
sidewalks with stamped concrete, decorative lighting and
landscaping. This project is of particular interest due to the
historical significance of the downtown area of Uniontown.
Construction began in September 2004. The project was
funded in part with a grant through the Alabama Department
of Transportation Enhancement Program.
andscape rchitecture • y
Eufaula Rails to Trails received a boost
as the City recently learned it was
awarded a $480,000 Department of
Transportation grant, which along with
an earlier Tea-21 grant of $28,000,
will fully fund the first two phases of
the project The trail runs along the
northeastern side of downtown on the old Norfolk Southern
railroad line. It begins at the Eufaula/Barbour County Chamber
of Commerce Building in downtown Eufaula and wili end at
the Old Creek Town Park without touching U.S. Highway 431
which traverses town. The 12-foot wide asphalt trail will have
bike racks and water fountains along its path The project was
one of the cornerstones of the Envision 2020 strategic plan and
a part of the recommendations of the City's planning consul­tant,
LDR of Baltimore, Md., in its master plan for Eufaula.
Construction is complete on renova­tions
to the sanctuary and music suite
at First Baptist Church of Decatur.
TurnerBatson Architects of
Birmingham provided the architectural
and interior design services. The
project included an interior renova­tion
of the church's ornate 1969 sanctuary. The chancel was
redesigned with the addition of new pews and balcony seat­ing,
theatrical and house lighting, new finishes and expanded
video capabilities. The project team included Dave Reese,
AlA, principal-in-charge; Jamie Collins, AlA, project
architect; Noelle Norman, MIA, project coordination; and
Kristin Corley, IIDA, interior designer.
First Baptist Church of Decatur
5 Voiume XIV. NO.1!
•
A different type of playground
is being constructed nationwide
and in Alabama. The Boundless
Playgrounds project was started to
provide the opportunity to children
with and without disabilities to play
side-by-side. More than five million
: children in the United States have some type of disabil-
. ity that makes it difficuit or impossible for them to enjoy
: conventional playgrounds. The primary aim is to remove
: all architectural barriers and allow children to play without
: having to abandon their special equipment and crawl onto
: the play area. Boundless Playgrounds offer greater acces­:
sibility than the minimal requirements set by the American
: Disibilities Act Co-founder Jean Schappet, CPSI, is the cre­:
ative director who leads a team of environmental designers.
: The Boundless Playgrounds designers coordinate with local
: design professionals regarding site design issues and con-
: struction details. In Montgomery a Boundless Playground
: in Vaughn Road Park was funded by a grant from Alabama
: District Kiwanis International. The organization has also
: funded a Boundless Playground in Sheffield and at Langan
: Park in Mobile.
~ Vaughn Park Playground
Sherlock, Smith & Adams Inc.
(SS&A) of Montgomery has provided
master planning and estimating servic­es
to the town of Shorter in an effort to
secure grant funding for an industrial
park. The town of 500 located about 2
miles east of Montgomery has a small
commercial/retail base supported largely by interchange
: traffic from Interstate-85. Businesses include a campground,
: gas stations, dog racing track and restaurants. In an effort to
: attract industry, the town has launched an aggressive cam-paign
to upgrade its infrastructure and provide an industrial
: site that would take advantage of the close access to 1-85.
: The development of the industrial site is divided into three
phases: 1) design and construction of an access road to the
: site (including the expansion of available utilities); 2) design
: and construction of a sanitary sewer system to serve the
industry and other potential commercial/retail customers;
: and 3) development of the site for industry As the project
: develops, SS&A will be involved in the design of the access
road and sanitary sewer system.
: Shorter Industrial Park Pian
: In fall 2003 the Auburn University Center lor
: Architecture and Urban Studies (AUCAUS) assisted the
: community of Cordova to articulate a vision for the town of
: 2,500. The Small Town Design Initiative program, conducted
: with the help of seven fourth and fifth year architecture
: students, included town hall meetings, site visits, meetings
: with leadership and stakeholders, investigations and stud-ies.
The process resulted in a set of concepts and drawings
: that constitute an illustrative master plan presented to the
: community in poster format The AUCAUS is still involved
in the planning process that will lead to a comprehensive
: plan drafted by the Regional Planning Commission 01
: Birmingham (RPC).
: The initiative created a scenario to capitalize on the town's
: exceptuallocation in light of Corridor "X"/1-22, now under
: construction, which will link Cordova with Jasper and
: Birmingham The proposal also focused on making the
: downtown a destination. Critical to this was restoration and
: revitalization of the historic downtown core. The plan also
: addressed recreational and housing opportunities relative to
: the Black Warrior River.
: The City of Vestavia has adopted a Comprehensive Plan, a
: first for the century-old city Its plan is a document of poli-
: cies and strategies to guide the City in all municipal service
: areas as the community confronts future development issues
: and the preservation and improvement of neighborhoods
: and business areas. The plan identifies areas for new growth
: while putting a new emphasis on redevelopment Through
: redevelopment, existing commercial areas will become vital
: centers for both the community and commerce-walkable,
: mixed-use centers that aspire to a high level of design to
• complement the community's vibrant neighborhoods. The
: plan also emphasizes better connecting the community, its
: neighborhoods and centers and the surrounding region
: through improved infrastructure for motorists, transit users
: and pedestrians and bicyclists .....
~. VE'STAVIA HILLS
i'VTt":;;,E GRC\vr" CC",CEPT
Veslavia Hills Future Use Plan
C"';"~'''''''''O-~,,,, l",."H.',,-,',,«
G,""'>'··'·~~c.,,~,
t/ain SUes; looking East toward the Taiiui2h Hole! shov.,!nc! proposed RGsto(2.t!ons
~ Proposed Master Plan for Downtown Cordova and Restoration Proposals
OesignAlabama 6
Interior Designer: Alice H. Cutright
Puzzle of Space
Intrigues
Award-Winning
Designer
Life, sometimes, has a way of changing
lanes just when the course seems steady
on another path. Such was the case for Alice H. Cutright.
ASID, who had set her sight on becoming an architect, but pursued an
art degree instead to suit her personal needs at the time. As it turned out.
art school gave her the background she needed to become an interior
designer. and now she combines elements from both principles to plan
public spaces in wblch people work and function.
"I can visualize how people will really work in particular spaces,"
says Cutright. an interior designer with The Architects Group Inc. (TAG)
in \lobile. Working in tandem with an architectural team from the out­set
of a project. an interior designer can create themes and motifs that
extend throughout a project.
"Making space configuration work is
like a puzzle," she says. "It's my favorite
part of any project."
Before beginning her career as an interior designer, Cutright spellt
several years in carpet design and sales, \vhic11 helped her understand
the Ileed for creatively designed floors. Today, she says, her designs par
dose attention to floors, because they add color, direction and playful-ness
to a project.
Her attention to details recently garnered the deSigner her sixth and seventh project awards bestowed by the
Alabama Chapter of the American Society of Interior DeSigners. She was cited for work at the \lobile \luseull1
of Art and at the corporate headquarters of Integrity \ledia Inc.. also in ;\lobile.
Both were projects in which Cutright worked \vith architect Dan Borcick)·, also of TAG. In the museum the
spaces linking the galleries are artistic, as \ve!l as functional. At Integrity ~ledia the designers capitalized on
the building·s beautifully wooded site with an exterior of reflecting mirrored glass. The interior features the
firn'-s oval logo repeated in the reception area, the recessed lighting space over the squared-oval conference
table, a hanging globe and the carpet, \\·i1ich features a geometlic cilde and square pattem.
But, Cutright·s role in a project involves more than selecting carpets or furnishings. "j design the space
Integrity Media Inc. atrilJm.
itself,.· she explains. "and not just
the surface materials.'· Along with
space planning her tasks include
preparing construction drawings
and specifications for cabinetry
Designer~Profi Ie
by Elizabeth Via Brown
Mobile MuselJm of Art entrance and grand lobby.
Integrity Media Inc. media/conference room.
PlJatography by Tbigfte1l PbatagraplJy (p. 8) mid Dalliel Borciek)", TAG (p. 7).
7 Volume XIV, No. II
DesignA!abama 8
Pediatric oncology unit treatment area at USA's Children's and Women's Hospital.
fabrication and making sure plans meet specific codes. Before she ever sets pencii to paper, she spends time with clients determining their needs,
wants and plans for using tbe completed spaces.
"Expressing a client's purpose is rewarding," says Cutright.
Of all her projects, the one in which sbe takes special pride is the pediatric oncology unit at the Women's and Children's Hospital at the University
of Soutb Alabama in ivlobile. [sing tbe staffs desire for an underwater [heme, Cutright chose a palette of blues and greens in a watery texture and
illuminated with special lighting to soften the space for patients. I-Ier design also created custom areas for medical equipment and for privacy.
So special was the project, the whole staff at TAG got involved to paint tile colorful ceiling tiles
that were too expensive for the
client's budget.
Cutright's awards also include renovations to the auditorium at
the Alabama School of \\atl1 and Science in \lobile. tor which she is
now at work on the new library, and for three projects at branches of
Regions Bank in Gulf Shores, Bay \1inette and \lobile. Currentl)', she
and her colleagues are also working on renovations to the courthouse in
Pensacola, the campgrounds and bathhouses at Gulf State Park in Gulf
Shores, a daycare facility in \lississippi and a nc\v home office for :\leyer
Real Estate, also in Gulf Shores. (See Project t\ews. p. 4.) ,.
Elizabeth Viii Brow1l is II freelance writer tilling in J.Jmltgomery.
Display shelving for the gift shop at USA's Children's and Women's Hospital.
The reception area includes swirls
of color and watery blue glass that
maintain the ocean theme at USA's
Children's and Women's Hospital.
8!::1 PHILIP mORRIS
It would be hard to overstate the importance of saving
historic buildings, blocks and entire districts to the character
of Alabama's towns and cities. The rich accumulation of
varied architecture, diverse scale and building types adds up
to a distinctive sense of place nothing else can match.
From the start, OesignAlabama has given attention to both full
restoration and what is termed 'adaptive-reuse'.
Finding new purposes for older buildings has been going on for decades, and we have featured many. These
have included individual projects, as well as community reports like the recent one on Eufaula where almost
the entire town is one continuing adaptive·reuse.
We are pleased to present a survey of recent projects illustrating the continued strength of this movement
They are:
• Rehabilitating a building for Birmingham's Adamson Ford dealership and discovering a surprising past
• Converting the 1939 art moderne Kress Building in downtown Birrningham
into the headquarters for a law firrn
• Pursuing a new aesthetic approach with Jemison Flats, a mixed-use development
in downtown Birmingham
• Transforming the Young & Vann Building into a center for community design
for the Birmingham region
�� Turning two modest buildings into Tuscaloosa County Offices while saving a piece
of downtown's past
• Giving impetus to Montgomery's emerging Warehouse District by renovating
the landmark Winter-Loeb Building.
What you will discover in these projects is a remarkable range of building types, clients and design approaches.
And something else worth noting: This is not just about bricks and mortar, but about community spirit and our
culture. As with the environmental movement, we now have a second or third generation for whom caring about
our architectural heritage is as natural as breathing.
Philip Morris has more than 30 years experience in magazine work including tenures as executive editor and editor-at-Iarge at Southern Living,
Coastal Livingand Southern Accents. Although he retired in 2000, Morris remains active as a freelance writer and respected lecturer on design,
as well as a major contributor to OesignAlabama.
9 Voiume XIV No. Ii
When the architect discovered
huge timber roof trusses above
the original second floor ceiling,
spanning between masonry side
walls, he convinced the owner to
keep the entire space exposed.
This view, from the front of what
was a second floor stage, shows
parts of the floor removed to
make a mezzanine within the
lofty volume.
Architect: AI Chiesa, Birmingham
Structural Consultant: Bob Barnett, Birmingham
Owner: Adamson Ford, Birmingham
Photography
by Wes Frazer
DesignA!abama 10
As part of a comprehensive rebuilding and reorientation for the dealer­ship,
it was decided to renovate the historic two-story, brick-walled building
facing Second Avenue South. "There was layer on layer of renovations, all
downhill," says architect AI Chiesa, asked by owner Bill Israel to explore what
might be done. "The inside was all chopped up into little hallways and offices,
and the building looked like it had run its course."
On the second floor, the architect noticed some tiles missing from the
40-year-old dropped-ceiling. He got a ladder and above that could see a
decorative tin ceiling. When he looked through a hole he was dumbfounded.
"1 could see all the way up to the original roof and the huge wooden trusses
that spanned the space. When we later took out a wall we discovered the
fly-loft above where the second floor stage had been. There was a trap door
in the floor, and the loft still had catwalks and metal ladders extending up
walls." There was no evidence of a raked floor, so Chiesa thinks there was
a saloon on the main floor with a stair leading up to the performance hall.
Though some thought it may have been erected in the 1880s when
Birmingham was a wild-west kind of boomtown, research by the Birmingham
Public Library archives department indicates otherwise. "The first indication
of a building on that site from the city directory indicates the Grand Theatre,
which apparently only operated between 1913 and 1914," says archives
director Jim Baggett. "By 1919 it already housed an auto dealership, the
Scouten Motor Co."
While the decorative tin ceiling and other elements left over from the
theatre use were too far gone to save, the architect felt the big move should
be to expose the original load-bearing masonry walls and the impressive
roof support system, opening up the full height. "It was obviously more than
the client anticipated, and Bill Israel asked what they might wind up with,"
says Chiesa. "But he was open-minded and got excited as the idea unfolded."
The idea? Float the new uses within the 50-by-140-foot space so it
would keep its drama and raw, structural aesthetic. To achieve that, all exist­ing
interior walls were removed and portions of the second floor opened up
so it would work like a mezzanine. All offices and conference rooms are open
or wrapped with glass in black-painted steel frames to keep the visual flow
while providing acoustic separation where desired. The client enthusiastically
embraced the openness.
This photograph from the late 19405 shows the original arched
entrance facing Second Avenue South. The building has been
used as a car dealership since 1919.
Concrete floors on the ground level are stained a warm, aged-leather
color, suitable for both auto display and sales. Plaster walls that extend up
to the level of the tin ceiling were patched but left, the thick brick walls above
exposed. With the original stage-level floor removed, the full 55-foot height
of the fly loft is visible (about 35 feet for the main building). With portions
removed, the second floor required some new column supports, and new
composite rafters were added length-wise to make up for bracing provided
by the original tin ceiling (structural consultant Bob Barnett).
To give the renovated building primary exposure to 20th Street, what
was a blank party wall was opened up and sheltered with a large, simply
detailed portico in keeping with the original structure. The rest of the block
holds existing service department functions, all reworked and given a
compatible paint scheme.
For this downtown dealership (one of many remaining, unusual among cit­ies
today) the stunning loft space encountered by first-time visitors provides a
handy tool for Adamson Ford sales personnel- a good conversation-starter. •
A large glass-walled
conference room on
the mezzanine takes in
the view of the exposed
original structure and
new HVAC ductwork.
The original plaster
waifs stopped at the
level of the decorative
tin ceiling. The long,
composite rafter is one
of several added to the
bottom of the trusses
for bracing once pro­vided
by the ceiling.
Above: Glass panels set in black-painted steel
frames were used for offices, conference rooms
and workstations to retain the openness. A
leatherwfoned polished concrete floor is both
beautiful and functional, including occasional
displays of current models.
Left: To reorient Adamson Ford toward
busy 20th Street South, large openings were
cut in what was once a party wall and a farge,
boldly scaled portico added. The fly-loft part
of the o,;ginal theatre visible to the ,;ght is
fully exposed inside - much as the original
performers were.
11 Volume XlV. No. II
On the main floor, terrazzo floors
were uncovered, walls removed from
the original mezzanine and new
lighting fixtures modeled from 1939
photographs of the space recovered
from the construction company
that built it.
DesignA!abama 12
Left: Under renovation for a law firm
headquarters, the art moderne Kress
Building's terra~cotta fayade was
cleaned and damaged tiles regJazed
in situ. A new entrance was opened
facing 19th Street.
Architect. Cohen & Company,
Birmingham
Owner: Wiggins, Childs,
Quinn & Pantazis, Birmingham
Contractor: Charles & Vizant,
Birmingham
While the 1980s conversion of the Kress Building in downtown
Birmingham to office use was not sympathetic to its 1939 art mod­erne
design, it accomplished one important thing: It kept the building
occupied and in good shape. Some other long-empty buildings nearby
have deteriorated to the point they will be more difficult to reuse.
Now the building has been returned to its early modern aesthetic under a
sensitive design by Cohen & Company of Birmingham for the law firm of Wig­gins,
Childs, Quinn and Pantazis - a dramatic turnaround that reinforces the
larger revival of 19th Street linking the upper and lower parts of downtown.
"The Kress Building's original entrance facing Third Avenue North had
been linked to an adjoining building with a modern atrium by the Costa-Head
partnership," says architect Amy Cohen. "They returned to separate owner­ship,
so for our clients we reoriented the building to the primary frontage on
19th Street with a new entrance, restoring the original as an emergency exit
only. This move also strengthens the relationship with the McWane Center
and the new One Federal Place."
A compatible new metal canopy bearing the firm name repeats the
smooth curves found at the prominent corner. The light grey terra-cotta tiles
that smoothly wrap the exterior were in generally good shape, and those
that had spalled were reglazed in situ by a specialist from Philadelphia. Steel
windows were repaired and repainted, and the raised "Kress" lettering incor­porated
into the fa<;ade was regilded.
The new entry leads to the most dramatic feature: the restored ground
floor and mezzanine that now functions as lobby and in-house conference
center for the firm. "We took the space back as close as possible to its
original character, removing carpet glued to the terrazzo floors, restoring
the plaster ceiling and its diagonal patterns that link the columns," says
Design.Makes A Difference
•
&EWe have worked to
make sure that It
comple.ments Ilr:;
urban settln!l and
at the same tuoe
takes advanta!le
of the opportunity
to be a comn/al/dln!l
spi1Jbol H
DesignAiabama 22
• era In
[n the hands of TVS, a leading At[anta architectural firm, the
35-story RSA Batt[e House Tower now rising on the Mobi[e
waterfront has been shaped into what promises to be a singular
[and mark for the city and state, Some residents stil[ think it's big­ger
than the city needs, but in this revised design it is going to be
graceful - and stirring
'From the start and from ali sides, including Dr.
Bronner and Mayor Dow, the size and scale of the tower has been
something everyone's been sensitive about,' says Ray Hoover of
Thompson Ventu[ett Stainback (TVS) "We have worked to make
sure that it complemenls its urban setting and at tile same time
takes advantage of the opportunity 10 be a commanding symbol,"
The building really is tall with an elegant g[ass-and­steel
cap stretching the overall heighllo Ihe equivalent 01 41 sto­ries,
But the area 01 each tower level will be only 20,000 square
leet, considerably less than the I[oor plate of most comparable
office buildings, The apparent bulk is lurther reduced bycut-away
corners that siim the profile Exterior cladding, which wil[ include
different tones of glass, a custom metal-framed curtain wa[1, cast
stone and granite, are employed both to enrich the fa,ade and
emphasize the vertical thrust
TVS architects, including Hoover and Gene Montezi­nos,
took the c[assical formula for making ta[1 buildings - base.
shaft, top - with special attention to how it could make the tower
work from varying perspectives and distances. "The tower will be
highly visible from a distance, so the top and the overall propor­tions
will be most important there," Hoover says, "As you come
closer you'l[ become more aware of the shaft And as you corne
closer still by car or on foot, the base comes more into play"~
117is fmdefiflg liluslf81es how pfomil7ml Il7e lowef will be 8S
8 flew 18f1dm8fk 8bove Mobile B8Y 117e 8fcl7ilecls ffileclll7e
citys m8filime17efil8ge will7 8 lowef evokiflg ligl71l7ouse:
I I ole by Philip Morris
AI18f1tJ-Msed lVS; Ille 8fcliitecls fespoosib/e 10/ /Ile II[JW RSA BBllle
!louse lOwef io Mobile (oefe sl7owoiBcifig fIIIBlef Stfee/), oBve givefl
il B gfBcfiul proNe will7 CUI-BWBY comefS Bod B glBss Bfld ste8/ top
II7Bt IBpers 10 B oe8dle splle The bBse fIIediBles belweeo loe lowef
aod 1M feslofed BBllle!louse!lolel bel7ifld
A view (if :Vorth Alflbama Avenue jto", Ibe gozeh," 01, the . ..•..
historic tow:i~ square.
The project was completedil)ase(ies()fs!ll~l\phases as the money waS
raised. "ThMown. w;ls' not t)lrivirtg¢cononlically," he~dds,"yet tlwyworkel( long aml hard
without losing sight of their goal, which says so much about the people of the community."
"Most towns with dirt roads and only a couple thousand people did not pos­sess
such a stately courthouse," notes Kathy McCoy, director of the Monroe County Heritage
Museum, located in the old courthouse. "This elaborate courthouse raised their con­sciousness
of design and influenced the entire radius of the square and the to\vn."
Most of [he buildings in the commercial district are brick and were
built about the same time as the courthouse, says Jane Ellen Clark of the Monroe
County Heritage Museum. Buildings that pre-date the courthouse were made of
wood and as they burned were replaced with brick structures, she adds.
Although it was unusual for a small, rural town to have such a significant
courthouse, by the turn of the last century, formal academic training for architects domi­nated
courthouse design \vith various European Renaissance borrowings. Not until the
1920s and 1930s was regionalism a strong influence on courthouse architecture. Andrew
J. Bryan, the architect who designed the Monroe County Courthouse, built many other court­houses
in a similar neoclassical style throughout Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi.
New City Hall and Welcome Center
In keeping with the traditional brick buildings surrounding the court­house
square is Monroeville's ne\v city hall, constructed last year on Claiborne Street.
Also planned is a welcome center that will be home to the Monroeville/Monroe County
Chamber of Commerce and the Office of Economic Development. The original plan
called for renovating a 1940s concrete block building at the north end of the courthouse
square. Yet even with the help of grant money, the cost to renovate the building was pro~
hibitive, explains Sandy Smith, director of the Monroeville/Monroe County Chamber.
"It was not a historically significant building, so we're looking to start over,"
Smith continues. "We plan to design it in keeping with the other brick buildings on the square."
New City Historical Commission
Taking the advice of the Alabama Historical Commission, Monroeville
established a city historical commission this year. One of the commission's responsibili~
ties is to complete a survey of the downtown that was started with a grant but never com­pleted.
The community is also working with the University of Alabama's Office of Economic
Development to make dO\vntown improvements, including s[Ore fa~ade design. "'It's not
a quick fix." Smith admits. "Our downtown looks good, but it could be belter. We want a
more updated look and new businesses. Some of the buildings on the square are vacant."
Garden Club's Downtown Beautification
Hanging baskets adorn the lampposts downtown, and large terra-cotta
flower pots are at each corner of the square. In addition to these beautification
efforts, the Monroeville Garden Club also funds and maintains the Katherine Lee
Rose Garden at the north end of the square. Smith would like to see additional
streetscape projects implemented, such as seating areas in the courthouse square.
Pride of Place
It's no surprise that a sense of pride defines a to\vn immortalized in some of
America's greatest literature. \Vith a variety of revitalization efforts underway, Monroeville may
one day be as well known for its historic commercial district as its rich literal')1 heritage .•
Sets for the play "To Kill (l Mockingbird" grace the courthouse
lawll. The Fiuch house is on the left.
MOllroeville's city hall was dedicated September 2003.
21 Volume XIV, No. II
Community.Profi Ie
•• Quintessential Southern Town
At the center of its community -
physically and symbolically -
the courthouse dome or tower cannot be
removed from the county seat
skyline without leaving a hole
no water tower can fill.
DesignAlabama 20
- Paul Gaeldner. "Built i1l tbe [SA"
T7J€ lwodassical old calmly courtbouse features all oval comtrOO11l,
oval porch aud Ollal building.
by Jessica Armstrong
In many ways Monroeville is the quintessen-tial
Southern town, with its shady tree-lined streets, red
clay hills, courthouse square and antebellum homes. The
heart of Monroeville is its octagonal-domed courthouse,
and thanks to local grassroots efforts was saved from
extinction - the fate of so many early courthouses. The
courthouse is now a museum and site of an annual pro­duction
of Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird," and the
arduous road to returning it to its former glory raised
the community's appreciation for historic preservation.
Today, several downtown revitalization proj­ects
are underway in the town that officially became
the "Literary Capital of Alabama" in 1997 when the state
Legislature gave the community this distinction. It's no
surprise that pride of place would permeate a town that's
home to two of America's premier writers - Harper Lee
and Truman Capote. Monroeville has rediscovered and
revitalized both its literary and architectural traditions.
Situated about 25 miles off Interstate-65,
Monroeville is about a two-hour drive from Selma to
the north, Montgomery to the northeast, Pensacola to
the southeast and Mobile to the southwest. Its popu­lation
just under 7,000, Monroeville is the seat of
Monroe County, said to be older than the state itself.
Old Courthouse Restoration
On the 1\alional Register of Historic Places, the three-story brick old Monroe
County Courthouse was constructed in 1903 and features an oval-shaped central room. The
distinctive courtroom with dark gum floors and a balcony depicted in the movie starring
Gregory Peck was patterned after the actual courtroom. The restoration of the neoclassi­cal
building began in the late 1980s and took about $2 million and 15 years to complete.
"It is a very interesting plan with an oval courtroom, oval porch and oval build­ing;'
notes Nick Holmes III of Holmes & Holmes Architects, the Mobile firm that restored
the courthouse. "All of the front rooms are oddly shaped, and entrances are located on
the sides of the building. From a structural standpoint it is a very unusual building."
Among its unusual features is a concrete-slab second floor, which pre­sented
a number of renovation challenges. Fire prevention may have been the reason
for this type of second floor, Holmes says. Such common renovation tasks as install­ing
new wiring or air and heating ducts were difficult with a concrete ceiling. "It was
a very complicated building to integrate modern systems in," Holmes recalls.
Au unusual characteristic
of the cQw"lhouse is that
Clltral1ces a,'e located 011
the sides.
Architect: Brown-Chambless Architects, Montgomery
Interior Designer: Brown-Chambless Architects, Montgomery
Developer: Summit America, Montgomery
Contractor: Whaley Construction Co., Troy
Photography
by David Robertson
Below: Architects Brown-Chambless of Montgomery
kept massive timber columns and other structural
elements exposed wherever possible to express the
rugged past of the former warehouse.
Above: The building lobby was raised to offset the original sloping ground
floor, the new steps and flooring made of planed-down heart pine salvaged
from what are now elevator shafts.
Not only is the Winter- Loeb Building a superb example of adaptive-reuse preservation, it
also stands on a prominent site within the emerging warehouse entertainment district the
City of Montgomery has targeted for revitalization around the new Riverwalk Stadium. (See
DA, Spring/Summer 2004.] Completed in 2002, it sets a high standard for what follows.
"I don't know that we could have created a more classic warehouse,"
says John Chambless of Brown-Chambless Architects. "It has exterior
load-bearing masonry walls in cut stone and brick in what we describe as
neo-Florentine style, massive and substantial." Built in 1903-04 by two
families in the wholesale grocery business, the three-story building was
served by six railroad spurs at the rear, the tracks still in place. Goods
moved from there to all of central and west Alabama.
Rather than the more typical 50-foot width, the Winter-Loeb footprint
at the corner of Coosa and Tallapoosa streets measures a full 100 by 200
feet. It stands directly opposite the new ballpark which is filling the district
with activity.
"The magnificent size gives us a 20,000-square-foot floor plate, very
desirable in terms of flexibility in space planning," says Chambless. "This also
A large window with a massive segmental brick arch provides views
out to Montgomery's reviving downtown Warehouse District.
means that investment in stairs, elevators and other needed improvements is
more efficient." With three stories, the total square footage is 60,000, not
counting the 12,000-square-foot basement level which is used for mechanical
and storage.
The heavy timber interior shaped both the practical and aesthetic aspects
of the design. "There is a 3-inch-thick subfloor and rough-hewn interior columns
with diagonal bracketing," Chambless explains. "That tongue-and-groove
subfloor took care of our fire rating. Most people assume steel would be better,
but wood chars and seals itself, so it out-performs."
In terms of aesthetics, the grand floor-to-floor volumes (14 feet on the
ground floor, 12 feet on the upper two) and the timber framing set the tone.
The architects minimized the use of new materials and partitioning, even
though this is a multi-tenant building. The structural elements are left exposed
in corridors. Ductwork on the ceilings was painted to match the wood.
Inexpensive light fixtures suspended on cables bring the viewing level down,
but 10 percent up-lighting gives a pleasing glow to the wood ceilings. Since
the pine finish floor was heavily damaged from years of warehouse use,
a patterned black carpet was installed.
The greatest design challenge was the ground floor which sloped fol­lowing
the grade of Coosa Street. To make the transition, the new lobby was
stepped up using wide-plank pine planed down by Whaley Construction Co.
in Troy.
Major tenants are Summit America, a company headed by Daniel
Hughes, developer of the Winter-Loeb Building, and the Crosslin Slaten
O'Connor law firm. Even with a major tenant/developer, the project was
budget-restricted. "He gave us lots of room on the design, as long as the
total cost did not exceed $100 per square foot," says Chambless. "And
that included the acquisition cost." III
19 Volume XIV, NO. II
Below: The architects repeated the bracketed
canopies to give the later, plainer faf}ade more
interest and visually link the two buildings.
"They didn't look like much," says architect Evans Fitts. The block held
a rundown, single-story retail/warehouse structure, another that once housed
a trolley and bus repair shop and two bungalow houses in disrepair. But they
were part of the fabric of downtown, and the two larger buildings now serve
the community in a new way.
A first phase involved the renovation of the 15,000-square-foot retail/
warehouse built in 1905 with a heavy timber structural system and load-bear­ing
exterior brick walls. The warehouse side faced the interior of the block
with wood-framed storefronts facing the sidewalk. The interior was gutted and
built-out with all new walls, finishes and mechanical and electrical systems.
Wood posts and beams, as well as the roof supports, were left exposed and
integrated into the decor.
The exterior brick was cleaned and repointed, a new roof installed and
wood storefronts repaired. As simple as this building is, the rhythm of the
handsome bays along the sidewalk create an appealing urban character so
often missing in new buildings that lack such detail. Offices inside include the
license bureau, the department of planning and development and the registrar.
Left: Now serving Tuscaloosa County office needs are two formerly abandoned
buildings, a former retail/warehouse built in 1905 (right) and a later structure
long used as a repair shop. Fitts Architects used bracketed canopies over what
once were warehouse loading doors to suggest the earlier use.
Above: Restored wooden storefronts in the
19D5 building give the sidewalk a pleasing
rhythm and scale.
Architect: Fitts Architects, Tuscaloosa
Owner: Tuscaloosa County, Tuscaloosa
Photographs
courtesy of
Fitts Architects
Visitors access these via a circulation route along the windows, so the experi­ence
is the opposite of the expected internal corridors. Former doors facing
the interior of the block were replaced with windows and fitted with bracketed
canopies that suggest their original use.
In a second phase, the l,OOO-square-foot former repair shop was reno­vated
to hold offices for the county and extension service office. These walls
are also load-bearing rnasonry, but large steel trusses spanned the space.
Again, the interior was gutted and the structural elements exposed as part of
the redesign. The clear span worked well for an auditorium located to the rear
with its own after-hour access.
In Tuscaloosa, the typical tear-down mentality was turned around and a
modest but appealing part of the city's historic fabric saved for new purpose .•
Metal roof trusses in the former repair shop
keep the new auditorium column4ree.
DesignAlabama 18
The team found that tenant location neatly sorted itself out. Region 2020
needed storefront visibility, so it took the corner where there had once been a
saloon. The RPC with its sizable staff was a natural for the large, open space
on the second floor. And the top floor, which had always remained warehouse,
suited perfectly the Auburn Center's need for a loft-like studio.
Sloss Realty's Cathy Crenshaw, who has a reputation for taking on urban
revitalization projects like Pepper Place and Hope VI, wants the balance of
the ground floor to be a vital, welcoming place where issues shaping the city
and region can be explored. Along with large meeting rooms where design
charrettes have been held or the RPC invites residents of a client town to
discuss their plans, there is the evolving Franklin Setzer Gallery, dedicated to
the memory of the founder and first director of the Auburn Center.
"That space emerged as the heart of the project," says Engel. "It extends
frorn that arched doorway to the west side of the building and the parking lot.
About 15 feet wide and 100 feet long with an existing skylight above, it works
both as a gallery and gathering space and as a nice way for employees and
visitors to enter."
Remarkably, the once open-air stables now feel almost open-air again .•
Architect Christopher Engel determined
that a high, 100·foot-/ong space carved out
under an existing skylight would be perfect
for a gallery named after the late Franklin
Setzer, founding head of the city's Auburn
University design center. Leading from
the arched doorway (permanently sealed)
to the side parking lot (visible at far end),
it also serves as the primary entrance.
CENTER
REGIONAL PLANNING AND D£Sl&~
17 Volume XIV, No.11
Architect: Christopher Engel, Birmingham
Preservation Consultant: Linda Nelson, Birmingham
Developer: Sloss Real Estate Group, Birmingham
Contractor: Stone Building Co., Birmingham
rvoung&Vann .Building • R nEW LIFE:
Photography
by Wes Frazer
Those Clydesdale horses pulling the beer
wagon in the Anheuser-Busch holiday television
spots once made deliveries leaving through the
grand arch on the side of this recently restored
Birmingham building.
In the historical report prepared for Sloss Real Estate Group Inc. by
preservation consultant Linda Nelson, the three-story grey brick building at
First Avenue North and 18th Street is noted as one of the city's few surviving
examples of Victorian Romanesque commercial architecture. It states:
The building was built in the late 1890s as the Alabama distribution
center for St. Louis-based Anheuser-Busch Brewing Co. The structure
was based on generic plans from Anheuser-Busch, with local association
of the architectural hrm Wheelock, Joy and Wheelock. It originally
included an ofhce, a beer warehouse, horse stables and facilities for
the beer wagons. Large wooden double doors, still in existence,
served as the gateway for the wagons. With the enactment of
Prohibition in 1907, beer companies curtailed operations and the
brewer eventually vacated.
Industrial hardware supplier Young & Vann occupied the building from
1910 to 2002, modifying and later giving it a limestone-clad single-story addi­tion.
Soon after it was vacated, Sloss approached a group of potential tenants
about renovating the building for their use. Working as a team, with architect
Christopher Engel as designer and Stone Building Co. as contractor, were
DesignAlabama 16
Anchoring an important corner downtown, the Young & Vann Building was built for Anheuser­Busch
Co., a rare Romanesque-revival survivor from Birmingham'S late Victorian boom years.
Sloss Realty Group renovated it as a center for community design organizations.
the owner and principle future occupants: the Regional Planning Commission
of Greater Birmingham (RPC), Region 2020 (a 10-county community visioning
nonprofit) and the Auburn University Center for Architecture and Urban
Studies (AUCAUS).
Completed and occupied in 2003, the Young & Vann building houses
these and other nonprofit groups. The three major tenants have also joined
forces as the Center for Regional Planning and Design. (See box, p. 17.)
"It was exciting to work with those organizations from the beginning,"
says architect Engel, who was working independently at the time but is now
director of design for Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood. "The key to that building
was putting a lot of effort up front to understanding it. Young & Vann had been
there so long and so much was covered up. They had slipped in some floors
where the ceilings were 6 feet above the floor. We had to really dig so we
could get back to and reveal the original character." Original linen drawings
still in the possession of the Vann family were of invaluable help.
Among the discoveries? The rear portion of the building where the arched
passage remains was originally stables with only a shed between it and the
main building, the wall facing the street only a screen. ';LIt some point the stables
building was reduced to a fa,ade and a two-story concrete structure inserted,"
Engel explains. "It's disappointing that some really neat things disappeared over
the years, but there was still much to work with."
A minimalist approach was used, partly due to budget but also to keep
existing fabric. Adoption of the Universal Building Code by the City of Birming­ham
was a great help. "Under that code, you get a lot more leeway on fire
ratings if you go with a sprinkler system."
The arched doorway in the lower, rear part of the building once opened to an
open-air passage and stables where horses and wagons came and went with
beer deliveries. The date notes the founding year of Young & Vann, the second
and longtime occupant.
This project also represents a major commitment to downtown revital­ization
by Corporate Realty Development, whose partners include Chris and
Brian Giattina, along with Robert Simon and Geoff Golden of Golden & Associ­ates,
the contractor on Jemison Flats. (Note: the same investment group has
announced a new nine-story residential building to be built facing a planned
new park at First Avenue South and 18th Street.)
With the architect and contractor so fully engaged in the process,
there was a chance to explore options that balanced design and functional
demands with budget constraints. One of the major decisions made to serve
both aesthetics and cost: to expose and stabilize existing building fabric but
not fully restore or extend it. For example, sections of original floor tile are
visible within an expanse of concrete floor as fragments. Doors and windows
cut through thick masonry party walls are left rough, not covered over. The
most visible effect of this approach can be seen to the rear of the buildings
where a large commercial sign and a wall mural painted on the blank back
wall of the tower several decades ago are kept, but punched through with
needed windows.
It is this candid, unapologetic interplay between what the buildings
accumulated over time and what has been done to put them to new use that
gives Jemison Flats its particular thrust. Contemporary elements are played
off the historic fabric with equal directness - though with great finesse. Crisp
new white ceiling planes in the Giattina Fisher Aycock space float several
inches free of the exposed brick exterior walls. Sleek metal and glass compo­nents
wrap conference rooms, offices and works paces following their own,
cool aesthetic. Adaptive-reuse here employs an ethic quite different from the
exquisite restoration given the landmark Alabama Theatre just blocks away.
It's a different language, and one of great potential for the many nearby
buildings yet to be tackled .•
Left: BIG Advertising, with a Shoney's Big Boy welcoming visitors,
makes creative use of the space under the sky~/it domed room origi~
nally used by the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce. In the same
'archeological' approach taken elsewhere, the deteriorated decora~
tive paint was kept but not restored, although the plaster moldings
around the base were.
Below: The original wood storefront bays lining the two Jemison
Flats street frontages, replaced by bronze~aluminum frames and
tinted glass in the 1980s, were rebuilt with clear glass. Due to cost,
modern windows on upper floors were kept.
Below: Sleek, modern materials in Jemison Flats lofts play
off old wood floors, brick wal/s and exposed ceiling structure,
Large windows bring in light and downtown skyline views.
Along with the seven~
story building erected
in 1908 as home of the
Birmingham Chamber
of Commerce, the
mjxed~use Jemison
Flats project includes
a former retail building
next door and the 1928
National Birmingham
Garage, the first parking
deck in the city.
15 Volume XIV, No. II
In Giattina Fisher Aycock
Architects own ground
floor space crisp new
ceiling planes float free of
the exposed brick bearing
walls. Large windows
bring in light and views
of the new pocket park.
Architect: Giattina Fisher Aycock Architects, Birmingham
Interior Designer: Giattina Fisher Aycock Architects, Birmingham
Landscape Designer: Giattina Fisher Aycock Architects, Birmingham
Developer: Corporate Realty Development, Birmingham
Contractor: Golden & Associates, Birmingham
DesignA!abama 14
To begin with, this is the first major project west of 20th Street (the
Loft District lies to the east along Morris Avenue and First, Second and Third
avenues north), so it sets good precedent for an area with many empty or
under-used buildings. In addition to the seven-story former office building
at the corner, Jemison Flats includes an adjoining four-story building and,
beyond that, the 1928 National Parking Garage, the city's first parking deck.
The pocket park occupying the space of a former parking lot is also a first
example of an urban amenity folded into such a project, built on private
land but with participation by the City of Birmingham.
Along with being multi-building, Jemison Flats is also multi-use. There
are 57 residential lofts, 25,000 square feet of office space and parking for
200 cars. Office clients include Giattina Fisher Aycock Architects Inc. on the
ground floor of the tower, highly visible at the corner of First Avenue North and
19th Street, and BIG Advertising, which has carved out a creative studio/
office under the dome of what once served as the assembly room for the
Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, the building's first tenant in 1909.
The back and sides of buildings never intended to be seen, one painted with the sign of
a retail tenant and the other with a weathered art mural, have been punched through with
new openings as part of the Jemison Flats project. Along with the new pocket park, it has
an interesting look layered by time.
Photography
by Wes Frazer
Solid walls that sealed off the mezzanine in the 1980s were removed and
glass railings in keeping with the art moderne architecture installed.
Cohen. "The previous tenant had walled in the mezzanine, so we removed
the walls and put in glass railings so you could see the whole space."
New contemporary light fixtures were made, inspired by the originals.
All of these moves were helped by a fortuitous event: When Richardson
Construction, the original contractor on the building from the '30s, heard
about the current project, it brought the photos of the then-just-completed
building for the owners, architects and current contractor, Charles & Vinzant,
to use. "That firm has been around about a hundred years," says Cohen.
"We just couldn't believe it."
To make the most of the opportunity for the owner/occupant, Cohen &
Company cut in a new grand stair leading from the lobby to upper floors of the
six-story building. When a pre-existing tenant's lease for part of the fifth floor
expires, the stair will extend uninterrupted from the lobby to the sixth where a
skylight will wash the full depth with natural illumination.
Upper floors, which were filled with small offices and corridors from when
federal agencies were the occupants, were essentially gutted. Here Cohen &
Company repeated the art moderne ceiling patterns in the open core areas
using gypsum board rather than plaster. Perimeter offices and conference
rooms have extended clear glass transoms with frosted glass panels below,
bringing light to the interiors. This also lets the decorative ceilings be seen
from those spaces. Floors three through five have 12,000 square feet, the
ground floor 14,000 square feet and the mezzanine 8,000 square feet.
The 5,000-square-foot penthouse on the sixth level, added during the 1980s
modernization to be a restaurant, now houses an employee lounge that
opens to a rooftop terrace.
Wiggins, Childs, Quinn & Pantazis has just under 100 employees,
including 34 attorneys and 17 partners. "We were in a Class A high-rise, and
as we explored whether to lease or own, we decided on the latter and formed
a consensus to stay and help with the redevelopment of downtown," says
partner Rocco Calamusa Jr., who volunteered to oversee the project for the
firm. "Tammy and Stan Corsen of Cohen & Company had the vision, and
Charles & Vinzant did a fabulous job. The new stair makes a big difference,
both functionally and otherwise. The light and openness keeps the floors
from feeling isolated."
The Kress Building, built for retail and modified for office use twice
within the span of 20 years, found the third time truly charmed. It's more
architecturally whole than ever. _
The architects, Cohen & Company, designed a new stair extending from the lobby
to the mezzanine and upper f/oors. For the law firm, the stair brings fight. openness
and a sense of community to employees working on different floors.
13 Volume XIV. No. II
Having the tower work both as a link to Mobile's past
and as an exciting symbol for the future also came into play,
Given the waterfront location and the city's maritime tradition, the
top is meant to suggest a buoy or lighthouse, As it soars higher
the tapering glass reveals the steel structure within, terminating
with a very thin steel tower
At the other end of the spectrum is how the building
meets the intimate streets of downtown Mobile, The restoration
of the Battle House Hotel (Smith, Dalia Architects of Atlanta)
which stands between the tower and downtown, goes a long way
to mediate the transition, But TVS has also designed the tower
base to create an appealing pedestrian scale along Dauphin
Street all the way to Water Street and the waterfront. This is
facilitated by the fact that the parking deck is across the street
from the tower, not massed at its base,
TVS, which some years ago designed the city's new
convention center across Water Street, welcomed the opportunity
to continue Mobile's waterfront revival, They were impressed
with RSAs commitment to producing a fine new landmark, "This
is an office building and has to work to that purpose," says
Hoover 'But we were given the chance to make this an important
symbol, It was an intangible mission, but I think the tower will
achieve it.' III
Tile site pla17 sllows WiIter Street 017 Ille
riglll, tile U-sllape olille BailIE! House
Hotel aod tile parki17g deck across
OaiJpl!!i7 Street (lop).
A birds-eye view illustrales 11I8oas8 01 tl78
tower faClilg Waler Stree/,
lj'plcaloflice/loor pla17,
23 Volume XiV. No. II
Historic@Perspectives
DELANO PARK : Historic Treasure
by Jessica Armstrong
Photography by Sloane Bibb
1111:1),'<: rqmxlu(<:d by pcrmi,;s;on of !i1G :\1;,b~!11" D.:{Xlrun<:m of Ar~hi\'c" and Hi,;t()ry,
.\1()Il!:;,olllcl)'. Ala.
DesignAiabama 24
Bath/lOllse and wading pool
ul1der COils/ruction circa 1930.
Nature does not complete things.
She is chaotic. Man must finish,
and he does so by making a garden
- Robert Frost
When we think of historic preservation, old neighborhoods and buildings first come to mind.
Yet many of our early parks are just as worthy of careful rehabilitation. These green spaces are
physical reminders of a shared past and add to the singular character of a city just as its other
landmarks do. For more than a century, Decatur's Delano Park has fostered community spirit
with its natural scenery and distinctive architectural and landscape design.
An ambitious plan is underway to revitalize
and expand the historic park, which sat neglected
for years as new parks were developed. Friends of
Delano Park joined the City of Decatur to develop
rehabilitating the park's 19305, WPA-built stone build­ings
designed by Carolyn Cortner Smith, Alabama's
first licensed female architect. Additional phases
include improving the children's facilities and con-and
fund a master plan and landscape design by necting Delano Park with a pedestrian and bike trail,
Nimrod Long & Associates, which began with revital- along with other adjacent green spaces.
izing the original rose garden by landscape architect
Sam Barnett of Schoe! Design Group in Decatur.
Development of a complete architectural rehabilita­tive
plan and landscape design for the entire park
is being implemented in phases. The plan includes
Historic Precedent
The importance of reserving space for public
use has long been valued in America. The first set­tlers
provided their towns with commons or village
greens, and as communities expanded they included new "work must be readily distinguishable from the
parks in their civic planning. Named in 1941 in mem- historic elements.\\/e've been fortunate to find some
01'1' of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's mother. Delano very helpful photographs of the park in the Alabama
Park was designed in 1887 by notable New York
landscape architect Nathan Franklin Barrett.
"Just as Central Park in New York has been
called the most important ,vork of American art
in the 19th century, Delano Park remains after
117 years, an embodiment of the art of landscape
architecture for the people of north Alabama;' says
Barbam Kelly, v./ho is involved '''ith design, develop­ment
and grant acquisition for the Friends of Delano
ParI.:.. ''At 30 acres, Dclano Park is the largest park in
Alabama surrounded by its original historic residen­tial
neighborhood."
Its original 1887 land parcel is intact and unal­tered
in shape, and the open, informal character of
the Barrett plan has retained its character, says Joel
Eliason of Nimrod Long & Associates in Birmingham,
the firm that also rehabilitated historic Vulcan Park
in Birmingham. Delano Park's other distinct and char­acter~
defining elements include the 19305 structures:
gazebo, bathhouse, rose garden, armory, tennis courts
and picnic pavilion, he adds.
"We are maintaining, or in some cases restoring
individual structures within the context of the park's
history, and also adding new uses to the park that
\vere never part of the original park construction,"
explains Eliason. "While any new construction or
new site elements will be designed and installed to
be in keeping with the original park character, they
will not be constructed so that they appear to be
from the original construction .... We can and will
use materials and construction techniques contem­porary
with the park's period of major significance
that can be documented in the Decatur area, but the
Department of Archives and History, as well as in the
TVA archives."
New Amenities
Several significant changes to the park are pro­posed,
adds Eliason. First is the addition of a \valking
trail through the length of the park connecting it to
city sidewalks and bike trails. This 'history' trail \vilI
have several intelvretive stations that tell the history
of the park and community. The next addition, he
says, \vill likely be a \vater play area built on the
DELANO PARK MASTER PLAN
Nilllrod Long & As,oci~lcs inc.
The planting oftbe rose garden is shown in
the circa 1930 historical photo below.
lm~2~ r"i'rndl<,,~d hy p~rmi~sion of ,~" A "hama lXp;,,,mc>m of :\rchiw, a;](\ )1;'10:;".
:"·h'n!i=mn~ry. AI;,
25 Volume XIV, No. Ii
original location in the general character and layout original intent, as we understand it, and the later
of a popular 1930s wading pool that was demol- 1930s period which is deemed to be the park's
ished. The master plan also includes a new memo- period of significance. When working with a place
rial plaza and picnic area. like Delano Park, you need to be very conservative
Another important component of the master plan in what you add to the place and a little ruthless in
is a tree list. The park is almost exclusively canopied removing later elements that are not in keeping with
with hardwoods, mainly oaks with a few smaller the character of the place."
ornamentals such as dogwood, Bradford pear and Additionally, the master plan also includes a
crape myrtle, says Eliason. As trees are lost, the list Boundless Playground, designed to provide complete
will help determine what species (primarily native) accessibility for children with various disabilities.
should be used as replacements. These full-access playgrounds are also being built in
"I think the challenge is understanding what ele- other regions in Alabama. (See Project News, p. 6.)
ments need to be subtracted from the present park
to bring it more in line with both the designer's
TlJe rose garden rebabilitation is
tbe first major project of tbe master
plan to be implemented.
Park Fund-raising
Delano Park is city owned, and the city has agreed
to match all grants that the Friends of Delano Park
acquire, adds Kelly, who notes that the project is
going to take "lots more money than we currently
have." To help raise interest and funds for the
project, a booklet was designed by Sloane Bibb of
MindVolt Inc. in Decatur that captures the beauty
and ethereal quality of the park
''The brochure design emphasizes the original
elements of the garden - simplicity and structure,"
explains Bibb. "To spark the interest of potential
donors, the brochure's photography details the
garden's bones - the stone wall and the sheltering
oak trees. Other photographs present the entire gar­den
in its raw form, proof that it did, indeed, need
saving. The combination of the colors, mustard and
black, embraces the sentiment of the park and gives
the brochure a stately feel, much like the family for
which it was named. The mustard also adds warmth
and a sense of nostalgia to the photography."
Delano Park is a unique and special place that
unites people of diverse ages and backgrounds,
notes Nell Standridge, campaign co-chair of finances
for the Friends of Delano Park. "True to its original
intent, the park will bring people together as they
seek respite from the \vorld and pleasure from
"True to its original intent, the park will bring people
together as they seek respite from the lUorld and
pleasure from the arts, "
the arts."
- Jessica Armstrong is a freelance writer living
in Auburn.
DesignAlabama 26
DesignAlabamatUpdate
Makin ~:;: "~~; ~~
~ :;::- > \l
Gina Glaze Clifford
Economic development is a key component to the growth of any city or town in Alabama. Such is
the case with the development of McClellan in Anniston, which is rapidly becoming a community
with families, businesses, recreation and the arts since it closed as a United States army base in
September 2000. Working through the Joint Powers Authority (JPA) [the organization charged with
bringing the former fort back to a viable planned community], a number of individuals recently
gathered to create a plan for part of McClellan as a center for the arts that crosses all disciplines
and will serve to attract tourism and talent from across the state, country and world.
Building a Partnership
• In December 2003, DesignAlabama established a part­nership
with the Joint Powers Authority to bring together
a number of design professionals to generate a master
plan for approximately 11 acres of the property for use
The Charrette
by arts-related organizations, individual artists, retailers
and the general public, The focus is seven structures in
the historic motor pool area designated Creekside Village
in the master plan, The red brick buildings once served
as housing for both horses and automobiles on the base,
It is the hope of the JPA that these buildings will be
developed into lofts, studios, cafes, restaurants and mar­ketplaces
that will attract artists to McClellan and work
in partnership with the Buckner Arts and Exhibit Center,
a building restoration project by architect Julian Jenkins
of Anniston,
• 'Design charrettes are always exciting because they
are inherently intense, where a tremendous amounto!
information is synthesized in a short time frame, and they
are a situation where the end product is generally ,loose
in nature and speaks to the overall character of the pro­posed
reuse,' Brewer explains,
• Several months of planning preceded the charrette, Then
on July 201h approximately 15 design professionals and
artists from across the state met for the first steps of the
process, Pete Conroy from the JPA board of directors
began with the history of the vision JPA had created for
the McClellan property, The group then toured the cur­rent
facilities. While the historic brick buildings might
conjure up images of horses, blacksmiths and military
officers, participants of this design charrette were chal­lenged
not to look at the past but rather the future of what
this area can become, The group first worked through a
brainstorming and SWAT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Assets
• The foundation for this vision was created in early
talks between DesignAlabama and the JPA. Then
DesignAlabama solicited design professionals interested
in leading a charrette and creating a se! of renderings
that the JPA could use to sell their ideas to artists and
developers, A number of design tirms across the state
responded wilh proposals, and DesignAlabama in part­nership
Witll the JPA selected Goodwyn,Milis & Cawood
(GM&C) of Montgomery to lead the envisioning process
Team leader Jeffrey Brewer ofGM&C was enthusiaslic
about the project in which he notes, "Redevelopment
of the property into an interactive live/work community
could nOlonly serve the needs of the artistic community
within the region, but also be an economic driver for the
overall redevelopment of McClellan,"
and Threats) analysis togelher A broad disClission ensued aboul the potential of this community what was
needed by the arts component and what could and would be sustainable as pari of this new arts and retail
community; in short, what would help to .further economicallyrJevelop McClellan. Participants worked
throughout the afternoon, investigating all aspects of lhebuildings from overall potential uses to detailed
physical measurements, By the end of the day, the group had produced a number of ideas and thoughts for
Ihe GM&C design team 10 ponder lhat night as they worked to produce draft drawings and renderings, The
plan presented the next day encapsulated the group's ideas and met all initial design goals.
27 Volume XIV. No. 11
The Plan
• Over the two-day period the GM&C design team had for regional and national artists. Plans for other
compiled information from a wide range of sources buildings and spaces include a cafe. bookstore
including the JPA. OesignAlabama. architects. planners, and gallery all to be located in two historic
arts organization and local leaders. The result was a stables, working artists and retail areas and an
series of master plan drawings and character sketches open green space for recreation.
that embrace the quality of the existing buildings and
illustrate the potential rebirth of Creekside Village. Within It is clear that there is great potential for the
those drawings are a number of recommendations on economic redevelopment of McClellan as those
how this property could be used and what could be attending the charrette and others who have
developed and sustained at McClellan. Among the ideas been to McClellan can attest The hope is that
generated: an amphitheatre, orchestra shell to become
the summer home for the Alabama Symphony Orchestra,
a performance venue, artist cottages and an open-air
market The market would be located in two open-sided
sheds that once provided cover for cars and horses,
but now wouid shelter fresh fruit and vegetables from
the region, arts and crafts and an interactive fountain,
all drawing from a wide range of demographics A third
garage is designated as work studios and loft apartments
this exercise will jump-start the eliort to realize
an arts-centered community in the region and
serve as a model for other potential projects .•
Stable to be converted into cafe and bookstore.
Elevated view of proposed courtyard in Creekside Village.
Streetscape envisioned for a converted garage at McClellan.
Current garage at McClellan.
Outside view of historic stables in Creekside Village.
Floor plans for converting historic stables in Creekside Village.
OesignAlabama 28
Rural Studio Design Among World's Best
Antioch Baptist Church, a small church in rural Perry County redesigned and rebuilt by students
from Auburn University's Rural Studio, has been named among the top 100 best designs in the
world by New York-based Metropollian Home magazine.
'The spirit of much-beloved architect-educator Sam Mockbee lives on in a tiny Alabama church,"
the magazine says in its June issue. '[Students] from the workshop Mockbee founded transformed
materials salvaged from a derelict chapel into a striking house of worship wrapped in glass and
metaL" Mockbee, who died in 2001, co-founded the Rural Studio, which is part of AU's Department
of Architecture in the College of Architecture, Design and Construction.
Andrew Freear, co-director and associate professor at the Rural Studio's Newbern campus in West
Alabama, says, "In terms of the extraordinary achievements of the Rural Studio, this is one of the
best. The church is very sophisticated spatially, programmatically and in its details. Spiritually, it
sets a beautiful context for the next 100 years of this small congregation It reminds you of a project
completed by an architect with many grey hairs, not great youth.'
Freear says a church leader approached him about the possibility of rebuilding the structure, which
became a 2001-02 thesis project for Jared Fulton, Marion McElroy, Gabe Michaud and Bill
Nauck. The church, which had a small congregation based on only four families, lacked a restroom
and baptismal font and was losing membership
The existing building had major foundation problems and was sagging, so a decision was made
to replace it, Freear explains. The students used all of the salvageable materials from the original
church including roof and floor joists, wood wall paneling, tongue-and-groove boards and cor­rugated
metaL 'To reuse almost 75 percent of the materials from the original building sends an
extraordinary message to the world,' says Freear.
The new SOO-square-foot building has a dramatic sloping roof held up by hand-built composite
metal and wood trusses which form a retaining wall and water diverter next to the cemetery. The main
view from the sanctuary of the church is through a horizontal window that allows the congregation to
be at eye level with the graveyard.
Architecturally, the building contains two interlocking wrapping forms: one runs north-south con­taining
the soaring south wall, the ceiling and the horizontal glass waiL The other wrap runs east­west
and forms the baptistery at the west and minister's room and restroom at the east entrance. The
baptismal font is below the baptistery and accessed by a secret tiled stairway The exterior of the
building is clad in student-installed galvalum.
Top to bottom:
The main view from the sanctuary of the Antioch Baptist
Church is through a horizontal window that allo'>'>'s the con­gregation
10 be at eye level ','lith the graveyard
The exterior of the church is ciad in Qalvalum
This interior detail shows wood wall paneliilg recycled from
the original churc.tJ.
A w A R o s
29 Volume XIV No II
Art Museum at Auburn Receives
National Design Award
The first newsletter published by The Jule Collins Smith Museum
of Fine Art (JCSM) at Auburn University received a coveted second
place in the American Association of Museums' 2004 Museum
Publications Design Competition in April The national, juried
competition divided institutions according to budgets of more
or less than $SOO,OOO. Falling into the larger category, JCSM
competed with institutions such as The Metropolitan Museum
of Art, New York; The Phiiadelphia Museum of Art; The Phillips
Collection, Washington, DC; and the Museum of Fine Arts,
Boston. The contest drew more than 9S0 entries. Twenty-three
received first prize, 19 second prize and 101 honorable mention.
In the newsletter category, first place was awarded to The Hood
Museum of Art, Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H.; second
place to JCSM; and honorable mentions to The DeCordova
Museum and Sculpture Park, Lincoln, Mass; The Museum of
Contemporary Art, San Diego; and The Smithsonian Institution
Traveling Exhibition Services, Washington D.C.
JCSM Assistant Director Haden Holmes Brown, noting the criti­cal
role publications play for a new museum, explains, "That
publication must transfer the concepts of quality, professionalism
and scholarship for which a university art museum stands. At
the same time," she adds, "it must be inviting and accessible to
people of varied backgrounds."
Designer Dana Ezzell Gay, an assistant professor of graphic
design in AU's Department of Art saw this as "an opportunity
to create a memorable and sophisticated identity." She adds, "I
felt that it was important to focus on color, space and image - all
strong visual aspects of the museum itself. Integrating these
forms with clean, readable typography was crucial to developing
a consistent graphic style that could be applied to other printed
collateral, therefore delivering an overall cohesive and unified
graphic look for the museum."
JCSM NewsleHer Cover and Spread
East Alabama Textile Mill Rehabs
Two former textile mills in East Alabama, Langdale Mill and Opelika Manufacturing, are being rehabbed for new uses. This past spring
the City of Valley purchased the 2S-acre Langdale Mill complex City leaders are looking into the possibility of turning the former
textile mill into a downtown area with hotel and conference center, specialty shops, restaurant and loft apartments. An old steam plant
may be transformed into an environmental learning center while an area by the mill could be turned into a master gardening area.
There is grant money available to cover the $300,000 purchase price and conversion of the property Auburn University's Small
Town Initiative and KPS Group of Birmingham are helping through a study to plan the development of the mill
The Opelika Cotton Mills, organized in the late 1800s, last did business as Opelika Manufacturing. The red brick facility gained fame
as the site of the filming of "Norma Rae" in 1977. Now plans cail for the old mill to be turned into 120 loft apartments. The upscale
units will feature heart pine floors and beams, SO-ioot ceilings with two 10-by-16-foot windows. Developer Burt Pace says that appli­cation
has been made to place the lofts on the historical registry for future protection
In May fashion designer Iris Joanna Billiter of Irisewn
Designs presented her collection in the old Lowe Mill in
Huntsville. The textile factory backdrop was a contrasting
counterpoint to her modern dress designs. Before an audience
of approximately 2S0, models hit the runway in clothing with a
futuristic flare fashioned in original shapes and bright colors.
Live music with heavy drum beats echoed in the large industrial
space as 20 models appeared one by one in silhouette before
emerging onto the runway. Background colors changed to com­plement
and accentuate the outfits. The first model wore a pink
Opelika Textile Mill (top) al1d Langdale Mil!
shiny taffeta circle wrap over a simple black dress containing tub-ing
in the sleeves and hemline. Others followed wearing Billiter's
clothing line that featured accent shapes sewn into the fabric and
her signature tubing which gives the fashions individual shape
and avant garde flare. Billiter will be producing another sh_il'N~ +_
at the Lowe Mill in Huntsville on November 27, 2004, at 8 pm. I
Tickets may be purchased at the door
Ilisewn Coilection Presentation in Huntsvit!e
Support the Arts
Purchase a "Support the Arts"
car tag and help support educational design art in
Alabama schools. Help to increase awareness of
design disciplines that influence our environmentl
stimulate economic development and enhance
the quality of life for all Alabamians. When you
purchase a "Support the Arts" car tag, your $50
registration fee is tax deductible and directly helps
arts education programming in Alabama.
The elegance of Hollywood comes to the Huntsville Museum of Art this fall with the exhibition "Fashion in Film Period Costumes for
the Screen." Thirty-five costumes from recent major motion pictures including "Titanic," "Evita," "Out of Africa," "Pride and Prejudice,"
and "Gosford Park" will be displayed on mannequins and accompanied with stills from the films. The museum is the national debut
venue for this exhibition which will open November 7 and be on view through January 23, 2005.
For further information:
www.arts.state.al.us
or call your local county probate office.
The costumes demonstrate the development of fashion from about 17S0 to 1960. Lavishly embroidered suits and elaborate dresses
from "Dangerous Liaisons" and "Jefferson in Paris," both taking place in pre-revolutionary Paris, show the sumptuous and colorful
fashion of the period around 178S. Fashion greatly changed after the French Revolution. Dresses from the film adaptation oi Jane
Austen's "Sense and Sensibility" show the plainness and freedom of fashion at the beginning of the 19th century This simplicity did
not last long. In "The Portrait of a Lady," starring Nicole Kidman and based in the 1870s, dresses are tight and constricting. The mate­rials
are heavy and dark in color
DesignAlabama 30
Places in Peril 2004
The Alabama Historical Commission (AHC) and the Alabama
Preservation Alliance (APA) announced Alabama's nine most
endangered places for 2004,
Allen-Weathers House,
Oxford, Calhoun County­Once
the center of Hudson
Allen's prosperous planta­tion,
the Allen-Weathers
House is a rare surviving
example of a Federal period 'I' house and was built in the mid-
1830s, Scholars suspect the intricate wood detailing is the work
of Lev and Griffen Borders, enslaved local artisans, Evidence of
decorative painting exists on the plaster walls, an unusual early
find, The family cemetery, a brick smokehouse and other out­buildings
help complete this picture of life in early Alabama,
Although a fire in spring 2002 caused significant damage, much
of the original fabric remains, The AHC, the APA and the Heritage
Conservation Network stabilized the building, Without a plan for
its reuse and rehabilitation, the building may not survive,
locust Hill, Tuscumbia,
Colbert County - A fine and
very early residence, Locust
Hill is one of the oldest sur­viving
brick houses in the
state, Constructed in 1823,
it was the home of William H, Winter of Prince William County,
Virginia, and his wife, Frances Washington, kin to George, During
the Civil War the house served as headquarters for Gen, Florence
Cornyn Cabinetmaker William Braden carved its fine mantel­pieces
and Federal-style woodwork, An exuberant Eastlake porch
was added in the 1880s,
Currently unoccupied, Locust Hill was on the market for several
years with no plans for its preservation, However, as a result of this
listing, the building has been sold to owners wishing to restore it
Otto Marx Mansion,
Birmingham, Jefferson
County - Designed by
noted Birmingham architect
William C. Weston, the
Otto Marx Mansion is one of
the finest examples of mis­sion
revival domestic archi­tecture
in the state, Two years after it was constructed in 1909,
the house was pictured in The Archilectural Record, a prestigious
trade magazine,
More recently known as the Mary Lewis Convalescent Center, the
mansion is a major landmark on Highland Avenue, Birmingham's
elegant turn-of-the century boulevard, Despite its architectural
significance, its prime location makes it a tempting target for
demolition and redevelopment A developer who has a contract
on the property plans to demolish it and construct a high-rise
condominium in its place, Preservationists and the local neigh­borhood
association have convinced the City to delay action on
issuing the demolition permit
Johnston-Curtright
House, Tuskegee, Macon
County - The Johnston­Curtright
House is among
Tuskegee's finest surviving
Greek revival dwellings,
Constructed around 1850
for Burr Johnston, a prominent lawyer and delegate to the Alabama
Constitutional Convention, the house features a two-story portiCO
with six fluted Doric columns and a hand-carved staircase,
Now seriously threatened by neglect, the Johnston-Curtright
house is open to vagrants, Ruinous chimneys and open windows
expose sections of the interior to the elements, Local preser­vationists
are trying to work with the owners to encourage the
stabilization of the building and to look into options for purchase
and rehabilitation,
Old Rock House,
Harpersville vicin­ity,
Shelby Cou nty
- Threatened by deteriora­tion
and neglect, the Old
Rock House, possibly
dating before 1842, may
be the state's lone surviving example of an early stone dwelling, It
may also have region-wide significance as one of but a few exist­ing
houses of its kind in the Southeast With its small upper level
windows, carefully laid native limestone blocks, twin doorways,
and paneled, recessed and arched stone surrounds, the rock
house looks decidedly out of place in the Alabama landscape, So
unique is this dwelling that surveyors with the Historic American
Buildings Survey (HABS) photographed and recorded it in 1935.
Today the house remains mostly intact though one corner of the
house leans and vegetation has caused deterioration of the mortar
and window sills, The current owner is aware of its significance
and hopes to preserve the house if possible.
YMCA, Selma, Dallas
County - Possibly the
oldest surviving YMCA
in Alabama, the 1887
building is prominent on
Selma's main thoroughfare,
Although alterations have
occurred over the years - most notably the removal of its man­sard
roof - it retains its architectural significance and many of the
distinctive elements of the second empire style,
Preservationists are working to find options for preservation and
adaptive reuse, A 1979 architectural rendering by noted Mobile
architect Nicholas Hotmes illustrates just how spectacular the
old 'Y' might look if restored to its former grandeur.
Winter Place, Montgomery,
Montgomery County
- Threatened with demolition
by neglect, Winter Place is a
forgotten landmark, To gen­erations
of Montgomerians,
this once proud house
evoked a glamorous past. Built in the mid-19th century for one of
the city's wealthiest families, it reflected the then-current fashion
for 'Italian villas' with its tower, brackets and heavy moldings,
Now hidden behind dense overgrowth in a marginalized neigh­borhood,
it is slowly moldering away An interested buyer eager
to preserve the house with protective restrictions offers some
encouragement for its future,
Harris-Hill Plantation,
Huntsvitie, Madison County
- Harris Hill is among
Huntsville's oldest surviv­ing
working farms, Frances
Eppes Harris purchased the
land in 1813, and genera­tion
after generation made a living working it The main house,
which incorporates materials from two earlier residences, dates
from 1935 and features a classical portico and fine entrance way,
Several outbuildings remain as does an important early cemetery
containing the remains of Ellord Bently, a Revolutionary War soldier.
Huntsville'S rapid expansion makes this land ripe for develop­ment
A plan to build a Wal-Mart on the site generated iocal out­rage
and is currently on hold, Although the propertyis still zoned
residential, the owners are seeking to sell their land.
1856 Memphis and
Charleston Railroad
Freight Depot, Huntsville,
Madison County - Severely
damaged by fire in March,
the 1856 depot and its
nearby 1860 passenger depot may well be the only pre-Civil War
complex of its type left in the United States, Norfolk Southern's
chairman, David Goode, agreed to hand the building over to the
AHC and donate funds targeted toward its demolition to help sta­bilize
the building The Historical CommiSSion added the build­ing
to its endangered properties program and allocated emer­gency
funds, The AHC will hold the property until the Historic
Huntsville Foundation is able to take possession and restore it
The Russell County Historical Commission has finished the reconstruction of the 1813 Ft MitchelL The fort, which once housed close
to 1,000 soldiers, has walls which stand 16 feet high and on two corners block houses two stories taiL A blacksmith shop is currently
under construction and plans are to build other log structures such as a replica tavern, hospital, trading post and building to house
horse-drawn equipment and vehicles, The commission, under President Bill Benton, broke ground in July on a $1 ,6 plus million visi­tors
center designed by W. H, Hogencamp Architects of Columbus, Ga, The project manager is Dean Hogencamp, The 12,000-
square-foot rustic-style center will feature a 100-seat theatre, large lobby with artifacts and museum depicting the fort from 1813 to the
Civil War. It was funded by state and federal grants plus a $350,000 anonymous foundation grant. The $4-5 million cost of the total
project was a 15-year effort by the Russell County Historical Commission which helped raise funds through hard work and numerous
yard sales, cake sales and aluminum can drives, The project should be completed by spring 2005 .•
Fort Mitchell Visitors Center
31 VOlume XIV No. II
Desi nAlabama
Volume XIV, Issue II
PUBLIC DESIGN AWARENESS AND EDUCATION
DesignAlabama Inc. works to increase awareness and value of the design disciplines
(Vesign is not just
that influence our environment. We believe that the quality of life and
what it looks like
economic growth of this state are enhanced through attention to and
and feels like.
investment in good design.
Design is how A D APT I V ERE USE
it works.)) ('Form follows function -'
-Steve Jobs that has been misunderstood.
(Wot everything that is faced
Form and function
can be changed,
should be one,
but nothing can be changed
joined in a
until it is faced.))
spiritual union. ')
- James A. Baldwin
- Frank Lloyd Wright
For additional inlormation about DesignAlabama. please call (334) 353-5081.