Design Alabama: The Public Forum for Design in Alabama, Volume 18, Issue 2, 2008

              Fall/Winter 2008
Volume XVIII, Issue II
$4.00
Desi abama
THE PUBLIC FORUM FOR DESIGN IN ALABAMA
Board of Directors
Debbie Quinn, Chair
Fairhope City Counci!
FairtlOpe
Nancy Mims Hartsfield, Vice Chair
Auburn University, Professor Emerita
Montgomery
Scott Finn, Secretary
Auburn Universily
Auburn
HB Brantley, Treasurer
Brantley Visioneering
Birmingham
Arnelle Adcock
Central Alabama Electric Cooperative
Prattville
Elizabeth Ann Brown
Alabama Hisrorical Commission
Monigomery
Chip DeShields
Sller/ack, Smith & Adams
Montgomery
Janet Driscoll
Driscoll Design
Monigomery
David Fleming
Main Street Birmingham fnc,
Birmingham
Cathryn Campbell Gerachis
GOOdl"'Y{), Mi/ls & Cawood Inc.
Monigomery
80 Grisham
8rookmont Realty
Birmingham
Ross Heck
Auburn Universify
Auburn
Bob Howard
Alabama Pm/er Co.
Birmingham
Michelle G. Jordan
Cfry of Decatur Planning Department
Decatur
Darrell Meyer
KPS Group
Birmingham
Linda Swann
Alabama Development Office
Montgomery
Gina Glaze Clifford, Executive Director
Philip A. Morris, Director Emeritus
Volume XVIII, Issue II
Cover: A dusk view of the Concord Center lobby in dO'iintown
Birmingham iilusirates how !ile office building lobby \vas designed by
Williams BiackstockArcil!tects to f18ve the character of an art gallery.
Visible is a sculpture by Alabama native \Nilliam Christenberr)l Illat INas
commissioned for the space. Ciear giass and skHiiul illumination help
engage boih pedesirians and motorists. Photo by !/:les Frazer
This publication is made possible through funding by the following contributors:
BRASFIELD
l!fGORRIE
G S 8: P
GRESHAM
SMITH AND
PARTNERS
A!abama
State
Council
on the
Am
.\Htil!'fECTLH __ \L
F'IH. \l.l.\'!--j4t\
Brookmont Realty Group LLC
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Nimrod Long and Associates
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WiUiams Blackstock Architects
MacknaUy Ross Land Design
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Daniel Corporation
Editor: Gina Glaze Clifford
Managing Editor: Tomie Dugas
Art Director: Nancy Hartsfield
Associate Art Director: Ross Heok
Assistant Art Direciors: June Corley
Tomie Dugas
Bruce Dupree
Wei Wang
Conlributing Writers: Jessioa Armstrong
Susan Braden
Gina Glaze Clifford
Tomie Dugas
Pr:ilip Morris
Gita M. Smith
icon lIIuslra!ions: Ray Dugas
,ftim,uiUii1r:UU,H'Hii
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© 2008 DesignAiabama Inc
ISSN# 1090·0918
This issue of DesignAiabama was designed and
prodUCed en Macintosh Computers uiilizing inDesignCS2.
Proois were printeD on a HP 4000N and final output
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Reinventing a town that
water washed away.
p.l
~ ...
DesignAlabama is a publication of DesignAlabama Inc.
Reader comments and submission of articles and ideas for
future issues are encouraged,
Creating pedestrian-friendly
street frontage.
p.11
FEATURES
CONTENTS
Blending old and new on a
cherished courthouse.
p.24
"BUILDING STREET SMART"
An urban approach to curb appeal
CONCORD CENTER
DOWNTOWN EUFAULA
UAB CAMPUS
MT LAUREL TOWN CENTER
MONTGOMERY RENAISSANCE
2nd ROW
AUBURN RURAL STUDIO
ARTICLE
McWane Science Center Plaza
DEPARTMENTS
ProjectANews
Work of Statewide Significance
CommunityeProfi Ie
Brookside
Designer@'Profiles
Landscape Architect: James Crowe
Historical~Perspectives
Preserving the County Courthouse
Details+Of Interest
Noteworthy Observations
9
10
12
14
16
17
18
19
20
4
7
22
24
25
Energizing a renovated plaza
with art in motion.
p.20
ProjectANews
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.
mt- Engineering
~,;{ ''','''','" ...
_lillll Architecture
-.''''''D'''''
lilllit.(£. Urbanllesign
DesignAlabama 4
.dAJ Northport Downtown
~ & Riverfront Plan
A strong citizen-based process led by The Walker
Collaborative and Third Coast Design Studio of
Nashville has produced a new Downtown & Riverfront Plan
for Northport The document presents a plan sensitive to
the community's historic resources and delicate environ­mental
sites while providing for economic investment and
infrastructure improvements. The town was divided into
sub-districts with standards developed for each involving
building, parking, site design criteria and land use. A key
infrastructure improvement being investigated in the historic
downtown core is a parking deck designed in a context-sen­sitive
manner and skirted by residential and commercial that
are accessed internally from the lot Greenspace is promoted
as a means to link disjointed areas of downtown that are cur­rently
separated by use and appearance. An ambiiious and
complicated but inviting prospect is a possible cooperative
venture to build a pedestrian bridge over the Black Warrior
River linking Northport to Tuscaloosa.
The document with its concept drawings is only a vision of
how the area might grow, but implementation is the most
important part for city planner Katherine Ennis. To that
end, work has turned to creating design and zoning stan­dards
to be incorporated into the plan that will "attach teeth"
and help make things happen.
Top: View near Lurleen Wa!lace bridge showing the smaller pedestrian
bridge and welcome center (upper right).
Middie: Waterirom area shOlving a private marina and the RR trestle bridge.
BoHom: Town looking south toward the riverironi from Main Avenue.
fBI ~ ~ Russell Crossroads
Developer Russell Lands is creating a new town center for its
Lake Martin holdings near Kowtiga Bridge The initial phase
of Russell Crossroads will include restaurants, a market and
a welcome center designed in period architecture. The 2,400-
square-foot Discovery Center, now open, was designed
by Dungan Nequette of Birmingham and functions as a
welcome center with displays on the history of the lake, the
Russell family and their lake developments. A future phase
will add a community conference room and office headquar­ters
for Russell Lands. Setting the tone for the architecture of
the entire project, the structure is built from pines harvested
from Russell property and cut at its sawmill operation. Local
stones and cedar planking will be used to convey an authen­tic
sense of a rural Southern town in the late 1920s. Streets
of cobblestone with granite curbing flanked by sidewaiks will
link the structures and promote walkability.
Catherine's Market, a modern upscale grocery and deli,
will open mid-fall and be operated by the owners of
Birmingham's V Richards. Its rustic exterior will house
a 5,000-square-foot grocery and provide casual dining
inside and outdoors. The SpringHouse Restaurant will
offer fine dining in a casually elegant atmosphere from the
talents of the Hastings, owners of the Hot and Hot Fish
Club in Birmingham.
The commercial center of the community is located at the
hub of an extensive series of trails planned to link the
Russell lake developments Expanding from its current 40
miles to 80, the trails are suitabie for biking, hiking and
horseback riding. Additionally, the developer will set aside
several thousand acres of property as a nature preserve
known as Russell Forests.
Top: Catherine's Market is a neighorhood style grocery store with iocal pro­duce.
prime meats and handmade bakery goods.
Bcitom: Russell Crossroads Master Pian
LA....a:(OT.!I41 Blue Springs
U ~ ~Nature Preserve
To tum an old quarry tract near Ragland into a nature preserve
reflecting the native plant ecosystems, a group of St Clair
County citizens formed the Blue Springs Nature Preserve Steering
Committee and sought professional help at the urging of the
Regional Planning Commission (RPC) of Birmingham.
Planner Toby Bennington, formerly with the RPC, was instru­mental
in promoting and assisting the project from its inception
and helped enlist the landscape architecture and engineering
firm 4Site (wwwAsiteinc.biz)to draft a master plan.
A visionary plan created by the Huntsville firm places access
into the 320-acre preserve from an entrance on Highway 144
leading to a parking lot where visitors will board trams to
enter the grounds. Guests will first encounter the Alabama
wildflower garden and outdoor arboretum highlighting nat'lve
plants to be located near an existing farm pond.
The nearby visitor center and greenhouse will contain exhibit
space including a special display on the endangered Alabama
Leather flower plus an outdoor gathering spot for self-guided
tours and a viewing platform To tell the story of the land, a
cultural preservation building will house St Clair County
artifacts and historical exhibits. The knoll known as Spencer's
Bluff will serve as an ideal site for a picnic area with pavilion
overlooking Blue Springs Lake opposite the tram route
On top of a knoll along a ridge iine will be sited the prinCipal
buildings for the preserve, a location that allows the struc­tures
to gently fit into the contour of the land and provides a
dramatic overlook to the valley below. Rounding out the built
environment are an education center, administrative offices
and classrooms and further along the ridge line the confer­ence
center and support facility. As with all the buildings in
the preserve, each will be built according to LEED principles
and blend seamlessly into the environment
However, the main exhibit is nature, which takes the lead in the
valley's prairie and wildflower meadow as a prairie is restored
to its original state. Another ecosystem in the valley will show­case
the process of wetland mitigation as the area undergoes
restoration. Plans for the Trout Creek Crossing area could
include an outdoor classroom and boardwalk to offer close-up
views of the wetlands. A network of walking trails crisscrossing
the Alabama Ridge and Valley topography will link the over­looks,
greenways, wetlands and prairies. Funding efforts are
currently underway to make this ambitious plan a reality.
: Blue Springs Preserve Site Pian
, • 0 ' Historic Downtown
~~Corridor X Development . ~~ Foley Streetscape
The advent of Corridor X has the potential to transform a
section of rural northwest Alabama through economic devel­opment
Several communities along the future 1-22 that will
eventually link Memphis to Birmingham are working with
Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood on developing industrial parks :
in a bid to attract business and industry. The design process
starts with the selection of the site, surveying and performing
geotechnical work. After developing a master plan, GM&C
will oversee design and development of roads and utility
connections. The architecture and engineering firm based in
Birmingham advises throughout the project and even gets
involved in the recruiting process, helping potential prospects
fill out technical forms and coordinating with state and local
economic development agencies.
A $725 million downtown renovation is planned for Foley
involving landscaping, curb renovation and parking improve­ments.
New sidewalks, pedestrian crossings and decorative
lighting will be part of the project to be implemented in the core
downtown area. The Downtown Historic Streetscape Project
will take 10 months to complete and will be accomplished In
stages. Nimrod long & Associates of Birmingham designed
the project, and Volkert & Associates of Foley is the project
engineer. The city will pick up the tab for 85 percent of the cost
and property owners will cover the remaining 15 percent With
much of the downtown area designated as a commercial historic
district in 2004 by the National Park Service, the cost to land­owners
will be significantly reduced by tax breaks.
Currently, GM&C is working on five industrial parks, a specu­lative
industrial building and other developments with the
communities of Hamilton, Guin and Winfield, as well as with the
Industrial Development Authority of Winston Co. and the Black
Creek Development Authority. Focus is on recruiting small to
midsize companies often involving suppliers and distribution
centers for the growing automobile industry in Alabama and sur­rounding
states. Preparation is key, so GM&C project engineer
Burt Hankins is working to make sure necessary infrastructure
is in place for opportunities offered via Corridor X.
. .. A... ~ .a:(OT Tarrant High!
: U fW ~ Middle Scnool
• ~Trails of Africa
The Birmingham Zoo is launching a major new exhibit with
its Trails of Africa, a $14 million showcase for elephants and
other native mammals and birds. The 14-acre natural habitat
designed by ClR Design Inc, of Philadelphia will incorporate
waterways to separate visitors from the 55-acre central habitat
and earthen berms to separate the species. Ground-level
walkways and shaded terraced overlooks will allow visitors
to comfortably observe the animals. The Safari Cafe will offer
shaded seating and house restrooms. From a central gateway
visitors can proceed right or len along a pathway that skirts a
series of pools ranging from deep swimming channels to shal­low
splash zones for the animals. At each end of the exhibit are
educational stations: Boma Village is an elephant educational
center with the new pachyderm facility, and at the other end
is an animal transfer hub and encounter station with a giraffe
feeding station a short distance away. In the expansion, the cur­rent
bison exhibit will be replaced, and an additional area will
be incorporated from an undeveloped portion of the zoo's 120
acres. The project, currently in a fund raising stage, is expected
to be open by the second quarter of 2009.
Tarrani Ciiy High/Middle School
After much planning and antiCipation, construction of the
new state-of-the-art Tarrant City High/Middle School is
underway. Designed by McElrath & Oliver Architects,
PC, the main campus complex will reflect a "comfortable
yet stylish" design consistent with the "technology-for-all'
approach of the Tarrant school system. The 120,000-square- :
foot main building is strategically located at a high point
within the 97-acre wooded campus to provide a grand
approach to the main entrance with a park-like atmosphere
and lovely views from the transparent walls of the media
center. The Gadsden-based firm is also responsible for the
interior design and landscape architecture on the project
The two-story facility will include approximately 35 class­rooms,
distance-Ieaming classrooms, science labs, a large
dining facility, a high-tech media center, two gymnasiums,
administrative offices and more. Multiple athletic fields and
facilities are planned for the near future, and several existing
buildings on the site will be adaptively reused for miscel­laneous
academic and administrative functions.
The new facility is replacing a nearly 100-year-old building.
which is rich in history but is no longer able to provide the
students with needed resources while becoming increas­ingly
inefficient to maintain.
Scheduled to be completed in late summer 2009 in time
for the fal! school opening, the $17 million facility will cost i
well below the typical square-foot amount for contempo-rary
school projects of similar size and complexity.
Notes David Oliver of McElrath & Oliver Architects, "The
new Tarrant High School/Middle School will be an excel­lent
portal to higher education well into the next century,
as well as be a facility that the Tarrant community can be
proud of for years to come."
5 VOlume XVIII. No. Ii
The Birmingham Convention and Visitor's Bureau (CVB) is
Big CommuniGations' oldest client, and over the years
the Birmingham agency has developed campaigns that have
been highly successful in generating tourism in its home­town.
But when the CVB approached Big late in 2007 about
updating its ad campaign, the agency decided it was time for
a new approach. Big Communications created a campaign
that would not only be embraced by potential visitors but
also by local residents - a campaign that would essentially
rebrand Birmingham from the inside out
A key component was the campaign's ability to bring
together leaders from the CVB, the Birmingham-Jefferson
Convention Complex, the Birmingham Regional Chamber
of Commerce, Operation New Birmingham and the
Metropolitan Development Board in an effort to change the
way Birmingham sees itself and, in tum, the way visitors
view the city.
From a design perspective, the task demanded simplicity
The campaign needed a central message that was flexible
enough to house the diverse agendas of all these entities,
as well as Birmingham's many selling points. Big found that
central message in the center of the city itself - the 'in" in
the word Birmingham. Designers highlighted those two let­ters
with an unadorned red box that became the logo from
which all elements of the campaign would flow.
The print ads, which are now running in meeting and
convention trade publications, as well as consumer
travel magazines nationwide, feature inviting photogra­phy
of a Birmingham resident holding the IN in the word
BIRMINGHAM. Each feature a headline promoting different
aspects of the city.
A city-wide PR campaign was launched requesting help
in deeming the best 'IN" places in Birmingham. IN boxes
- giant versions of the logo itself - and questionnaire
cards were placed around the city asking for input on the
best things the city has to offer The IN cards were inserted
in Birmingham magazine as part of spread ads to raise
awareness, and inbirmingham.org was launched to gather
information online.
The nominations were compiled into an IN book of IN spots
that will be available to visitors through the CVB and is
already on sale in local bookstores. IN spots received IN
stickers for their windows, which have gone up in establish­ments
across the city.
The magic 01 the campaign has been that it stirred a sense
of community pride that had been somewhat dormant in
Birmingham. Businesses and attractions are proudly proclaim­ing
that they are IN on their Web sites and windows, and local
residents are buying up the IN books to share with family and
friends. Everyone wants to be IN.
IN's ability to unity circles back to the design of the cam­paign.
The logo's applications and interpretations are
boundless, but yet it is completely simple and emphatically
memorable It effortlessly draws you IN.
Designers who worked on the IN campaign are Ford Wiles,
chief creative officer; Brook Hagler, art director; and Brian
Curtain, graphic designer.
DesignAiabama 6
BIRt'i!l:lGHAM
Top to bottom: The IN book; IN poster promoting local dining and the IN box
ai a local iestivai.
1& ~ ~Wind Creek Resort
A 15-story hotel towers over the rural landscape by Interstate
55 in Atmore marking an ambitious $260 million casino/hotel
being developed by the Poarch Band of Creek Indians. The pro­ject
design team consists of Brown Chambless ArGhiteGts
of Montgomery, Hnedak Bobo Group of Memphis,
Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood of Montgomery and Cagley &
Tanner Design of Las Vegas.
The Wind Creek Casino and Resort, named for the Wind Clan,
the only federally recognized branch of Creek Indians in Alabama,
is a state-of-the-art facility with a 55,625-square-loot gaming
floor, a 160,000 square-foot lUxury hotel with 236 rooms and four
villa suites, plus opulent spa and 2,000-S83t outdoor theatre. All
are designed to overlook a 3-acre, man-made, multi-level lake
with an island in the center to accommodate a pool and Jacuzzi.
The design aesthetic of the new resort will reflect its natural
surroundings, combining contemporary and rustic elements
into a fluid and flowing design representative of the "wind
clan." The hotel tower's gestural curved roofline and graceful
edges cap a glassed exterior with stone and copper finishes.
A special feature is the hotel tower glazing that can withstand
130-mph hurricane winds, allowing the facility to be used as
a refuge for the tribe in the event of natural disasters.
The interior design of Wind Creek is based on a series of
contemporary metaphors that invoke Water, Earth, Air, Fire
and Nature. The oval shape of the casino is punctuated with
sleek hanging light fixtures that recall clusters of leaves
floating in space. The oval is bisected by a huge stone wall,
Earth, in which a waterwall fountain brings in the central
vision of Water Shaped wood ceiling elements above this
fountain evoke the movement of Air, and Quite a number
of individual motifs (in the carpet, the upholstery and the
various art pieces) are covered in the color of Fire. These
elements are all held within the oval in perfect balance,
which is meant to signify Harmony, a precursor to Good
Luck. These elements and motifs are repeated and elaborated
on throughout the facility, in dining rooms, entertainment
spaces, even the guest rooms and suites, reaching their ulti­mate
expression in the VIP Villa Suites overlooking the lake.
Phase I will be completed as the caSino opens in January 2009
and the hotel in February, then the spa will follow sometime
later in the year Phase II involves replacing the current Poarch
Creek Entertainment Center with the 3-acre lake and, eventually,
a golf course. If the project succeeds as anticipated, the tribe
plans to double the casino and build two additional towers.
Wind Creek's oval-shaped casino will house 1,600 gaming machines and the resort's spa in [f'L8 lower righi-hand corner will also include a cooking school.
When coal was king in the hills of northwest
Jeffe"on Coun1\; one of Alabama's thickest coal
seams ran through the hamlet of Brookside. In
the early 19005, a surge of Slovakian immi­grants
settled there to mine the coal and work
the furnaces. The town grew in population and importance. Sloss
Furnace Co. controlled Brookside in those days; the Hussian
Orthodox Church, with its onion dome, dominated the city's center:
a railroad line ran through and so did Five Mile Creek. Echoes of
Brookside's heyday as a thriving company town are faint now but
the creek has continued to affect the very fate of Brookside in IVays
the town\ founde" could not have predicted.
Five Mile Creek borde" the dOlmtolVn blocks of Brookside on the
east, west and nortb. Surrounded by water in this way. the city's
center lies in a hazardous flood plain. In the past century, the creek
has flooded the tOIVn numerous times. The last two. in 2000 and
2003, destroyed municipal buildings, as well as the historic wood­frame
homes of more than 80 families. Chiefly. the Brookside
Community Center \vas ravaged. and what little survived of the
commercial district was largely uninhabitahle. Tod",; the entire
ci~' of Brookside (3,840 acres) has no commercial district.
This town that surpassed Hoover's population in the 1970s had
shrunk to 1.430 souls Iw 2003. The municipal offices were in trail­ers.
No new industry or businesses were coming in. Thus, Brookside
had to decide once and for all: Could it remain a viable commu­nity?
And, jf so, what redesign plan would create a safe. accessible
and architecturally relevant new city center on higher ground?
\loreover, with the right design approach, could Five ,liIe Cl~ek
itself be changed from a natural threat to a natura! a.<;,.)et?
Civic planner Jim Lebe first visited Brookside to give emergency
assistance after the 2000 flood. At the time he was part of a
Jefferson County emergency response team on loan from the City
of Birmingham. From an outsider's perspective, be summed it up
with: "Interesting history, quaint place, hut ve~c had location con­Sidering
that the creek kept flooding."
But something about Brookside kept tugging Lehe back. It \Va.)
~ and is - an isolated community. made even more so because a
major inte"tate diverts all east-west traffic alVay from Brookside. ilt
one time the town had a reputation for street brawls and a hard­drinking
populace (with seven saloons). But in 2000 Lehe saw a
Community.Profi Ie
Bv Gita M, Smith .' Rebuilding
Brookside
• It is not often that a town decides to reinvent itself,
When that does happen, it is usually because
disaster struck or major forces called for major change,
In the case of Brookside, disaster struck not once or
twice, but many times, For history to stop repeating,
the time had come for city design.
But in 2000 Lehe saw a quiet place where
kids ride bikes, play ball and swim in deep,
cool pockets of the creek, He saw a place
where everyone's roots go back to the same
mining heritage, And he saw a modest,
blue-collar town that had a design
flavor unlike those of neighboring cities,
quiet place where kil~ ride bikes, play ball and swim in deep, cool
pocket') of the creek. He saw a place where everyone's roots go back
to the same mining heritage. And he saw a modest blue-coUar
town that had a design flavor unlike those of neighboring cities.
"After the 2003 flood, Brookside was on the verge of giving up. City
hall and the police station were under water. By then my view had
changed. I had begun to think, how could this town be saved'"
Making Lists
On any list of Brookside's neells, a new ci~c center topped the charts.
Following the last flood all the town officials and service providers
did their best to rally and then moved to trailers. Brookside's redesign
plan called for a complex of new offices and ser\'ices using a combi­nation
of federal emergency management grant~ and state funding.
Lehe Planning helped Brookside package more than S3.5 million
in funds to build a new 4,OOO-square-foot ci~c hall. communi~'
center, fire station, community stom] shelter that holds 300 people
and maintenance faCility. A new police station witll jail and court
will complete the complex, Funding sources included the Jeffe"on
Coun~c Commission, FnlA Hazard Mitigation Grant Program, IIl'D
Community Development Block Grant Program and the USDA
Ruraillevelopment loan program. Dale Fritz and I\'"ociates [nc
prepared the master plan, and "lark Burns the final architectural
plans for the complex,
Bums cl~ated blocky, utilitarian buildings of purple-r.ed brick
with crisp white trim for the Brookside complex. 111e rotunda
of city hall rises up to a dome, echoing the onion dome motif
of Brookside's oldest church. "We wanted to pav homage to the
Slovakian/Russian design heritage of Brookside," Lehe says.
Although the complex takes up 30 acres of land. 5,000 acres have
been allocated for future development and new industry, Which
brings up another item on Brookside's list of n€ecis: relief from
isolation. No major thoroughfares come close to Brooksicle, No one
"just drives through" the town on the way to somewhere else and
stops to spend money,
But that will change in the next decade, say Lehe and Brookside's
"layor Hoger ivlcCondichie, They are optimistic that new major
roads will open the way for Brookside's grO\vth, One is a new
northern beltway that will run through town. The other.
Corridor X, will come within a mile of town, A planned extension
of existing Hillcrest Road will connect Corridor X to the new town
center. Once Brookside is connected to these highways, tmvns­people
heJiere that more industries will move in.
The third item on Brook.side's wish list is to preserve historic design
elements from the to\\,I1'S coal mining days. To be sure, the visible
onion dome of the 19th century Russian Orthodox Church speales
to the city's ethnic heritage. Too, certain elements of the wood­frame
houses, a sort of folk arcbitecture, bave historic meaning.
The dwellings were built to expand when extended familv members
immigrated to America. High gabled roofs allowed attic bedrooms
for growing families. Original rectangular houses grew additions
upon additions to house elde" who came to stay, Most had interior
chimneys, wide porches and brick foundations below wooden walls,
I.ehe says that Brookside needs affordable Single-family homes.
"Many little cottage homes were lost on floods, I would like to see
historic architecture details incorporated into new housing. The
gabled roofs, the modest scale, the porches."
If you drive into tm'll along Bivins-Brook.lide Road, the fi"t sight
you see is an abandoned gas station - symbolic of the abandon­ment
of the town, says Lehe, "But' It is ,elso symbolic of the
renewal of the town because we will soon turn it into our welcome
center and museum," he explains. "It has been eight years since
the millennium year flood, and if you think about the length of
time it took for Brookside to deteriorate, \\'e are making marvelous
progress on its rehabilitation."
7 Volume XVIII. No. II
The Brookside
Greenway Project
One of the goals dearest to Brookside Mayor Roger
McCondichie is to inco~lOrate Five l1ile Creek into
a greenspace design for ci~r residents. ~loreovel~ he
envisions a greenway that wUllure visitors and attract
businesses to Brookside. When the last nood receded.
many old houses were taken down along the creek.
City covenants now require that those lots remain open
space for a park and outdoor l~creation. The town
has designed a linear park parallel to the creek with
forma! paths. "This plan changes something formerly
destructive into something positive for the town," says
llcCondicllie. "A grant from !IDEO is helping us build
the greenway. ,. So far, all the labor on the greenway
has been volunteered. It is not lIl1USUU1, on any morn­ing,
to see the mayor, himself, clearing land, putting
in paths and sinking posts or fencing along the route.
Six years ago, civic planner Jim Lehe nrst proposed
his initial concept at a meeting of local community
leaders - to connect open spaces acquired through
HillA flood plain acquisition projects in Brookside.
Fultondale and 1)"rant. Shortly aftelwards. the Five
\\ile Creek Greenwav Partnership lVas formed and has
actively coordinated projects and events to enlarge the
initial concept and make the 28-mile greenway a real­ity.
\Iore recently. the firm has teamed with landscape
architect Dale Fritz to package a $125.000 grant appli­cation
for funding of the first phase of the Brookside
greemvay under the Recreation Trails Program admin­istered
through the Alabama Department of Economic
and Community Affairs (ADECA).
"The greenway is the connection between the old and
the new in BrookSide." Lehe says. An old bridge has
been preserved as a pedestrian walkwav. W11en com­pleted,
the gleenw"v is eX]lected to span 5 miles from
the old center of town to the new municipal complex.
Lehe and McCondichie agree that the greenway is an
asset to attract new people to town. Parts of the stream
are navigable by small craft, and a canoe rental/sales
company has recently located along the creek. The
greenway is also for walking, biking, races and outdoor
recreational events such as fishing contests, the annual
Russian Festival or the Brookside Greemvay Festival.
\1cCondichie says the greenway concept is vital to
Brookside. "If we inco~}orate all the good '~]lects of
streamside living into a park, we would have a place
where people escape the big city for weekend fishing,
camping, concerts and sports. \'I/e have all the makings
of a great tourist destination." •
DesignAiabama 8
~J200!:SIOE ToWN \
C-£.IV"fe: ~ l"..!.::o'
R c.tVIt. "'J!, I~T'TvT'ONAI­If
f<,£1>tD6I'ln.<.l ..
'If Rt;TAll-
A conceptual drawing, of th~~ new town center shows the
!H\micipal site property (lower right ~ection), future
reJcrdOpIlll'llt and intiH 1J!" surrouuding I:mtl areas, plus
the extension of [liBcrest Ro:\d which will connect
Brookside with Corridor X. The organization of the
municipal bUildings has ckUlg~~d Si!lCl' this
dw[rettc plan was drafttd.
Phase One Conceptual Plan
D Existing
D Future
The Brookside Greenway
Town of Brookside, Alabama
,i!i,~' ,.~. .c .. "... ." .".......... "' ... . ·','~. . i:;;:""n:;;Ci;" ".~
5'" " 1000ft +
The first phase of the Brookside Greenway and its ultimate connection to the new city hall complex and town cente!:
b)' P!Jilij) lVlorris
For American towns and cities, embrace of sidewalk and
street was a natural. It was valuable every foot of the way as people
walked or took slow transport everywhere. But with the advent of the car, and
a too eager capitulation by modern architecture and planning, this keystone of
town-making was nearly lost.
But over the past several decades, the emerging discipline of urban design championed the pedestrian­friendly
street, the most important element in making livable urban places. The thrust of this old/new design
practice was captured in the 1993 book, "Great Streets," compiled by Alan B. Jacobs, longtime director of
planning for the City of San Francisco. More than a decade before that, Birmingham's first urban design director,
Mike Dobbins, had pressed for good street frontage and insisted that parking decks have active uses along side­walks.
Montgomery's new downtown plan and the codes passed to implement it put pedestrian-friendly design
at the forefront.
This "Building Street Smart" survey presents a variety of projects that take the matter of making
inviting frontage seriously. Some are renovations. Others are new. They range from big city to small town, from
urban core to suburban fringe. Such response is mandated in some locations, but in each case imaginative
architects, responsive clients and others have worked to make walking down the street more pleasurable
Let's take a walk by Concord Center's luminous lobby, downtown Eufaula's appealing additions,
the urbane Montgomery Renaissance Hotel & Spa, Mt Laurel's anchor Robinson Building, 2nd Row in
Birmingham's Loft District, three projects by Auburn architecture's Rural Studio and UAB's developing
University Boulevard frontage.
Philip Morris has more than 30 years experience in magazine work including tenures as executive editor and editor-at-large at Southern Living. Coastal
Living and Southern Accents. Aiihough he retired in 2000. Morris remains active as a freelance writer and respeCted lecturer on design. as wei! as a
major contributor to DesignA!afJama.
9 Volume XVIIi. No. II
Ttlking urballe duesjiwil rl!slored em!)' skyscrapm' (illli' cornel: lfii!!iams Blackstock i1nbitecls created a sl!(Iuence o/bays til ground !eret 10 scale Ibe nell' COllcord CmlfF /0 the sIred alld sidelmlk. Sf!! back bebind a rOle OICO!lIl1lll~~ !be lobby bas
inriling clear glass. iJJe rh)'/bm of/he ba)"j· esfabiisiJes (( ris/ttl/link ICi//; earZl" ~J..'yscmp&rs across tbe street.
DesignAlabama 10
CDncDrd. Center
p!~otography by Wes Frazer
We start our "Building Street Smart" survey with the Concord Center at its corner in
downtown Birmingham. Its first positive? The new 12-story office building (DA, fall/
winter 2003) plugs a parking lot gap that had been there since the former Jefferson
County Courthouse was demolished in the early 1930s. On a tight site Williams
Blackstock Architects figured out how to sandwich three levels of parking between
lobby and office floors, completely invisible from the street and accessed by ramps
around the corner at the rear of the building. A rhythm of lower-level bays similar
to those visible in the restored Title Building (1903) and Massey Building (1920) on
opposite corners is repeated.
7be combinatioil ~fba);\·. arcade (lnd /Jaf{ems ill fbe grrmffrHlac/ collimlls (llIt/glass gire !be
jlrillcij)(i1j(Ir;ade a Iire~F sIred/roll/age. lliree lerel, q/j)({rkill[.!. abore fbe lob~r. (Jccessed aroulid
!he comer (1/ !be rear. are/ul(r cOllcealed. llJe comer sile bad ix!m a j){{rJdllg lotfiJl" decades.
mas! recent(r/or !be r/Olm!Olf"ll DiDI next doOl: Befall: /!.mde j)({l"king l"etfcbed ria (f mmjJ
betlr-eell the buildings (ou! qf ricH" le/!) scnes Y membm'.
Er(!n il/IlIlf dayligb!. tbe (oJ/cord (mfer lob{~)" fllainktills
tmllsj)(lrency ;i((iac(!Jl! 10 fbe colwed (mll:1". l"(!{IciJed ria CO!ltillllous
,lIeN. (i commis..,·ioJled .''CldpJllre ~r bi;r;lJ(r rr.:!{arded (ferlll[/ll sculpfor
gepball /3clikenbol {fi!b fbree carl-wi It"oodjip,lfres ill fbe lob~r s!ejJs
oulside lrill; [{ /lail/led brome figure to greellbe sIred.
fJl/el'ior walls of Ihe lobby arc clad in Irhile marble. cre/ding a nClitm/ "[tr! gal/eIT' space. WiJb a generous corereti sel/)ack. cleal' gla,~\' (lilt!
~!fcclire iffffmfuafion. fbe (Oi/corr! (euler is [/ gift 10 ifs bigl;~r rl,ible dOlt"n/OIOI comer
There is retail facing Third Avenue North, but for the main frontage along
Arrington Boulevard (21st Street) space permitted only a lobby. The architects,
with enthusiastic support from developer Brookmont Realty Group Ltd., designed
the lobby as an 'art gallery' gift to the street. Fronted by generous granite steps
and a granite-clad arcade, the clear glass walls and white marble interior cladding
make the space visually open and inviting day or night. Several works of art,
including two commissioned sculptures, were donated to the Birmingham
Museum of Art's collection, so this stretch of sidewalk doubles as part of its
"Museum in the City" initiative.
Under Birmingham's long-established urban design program, currently
headed by architect Bill Gilchrist, FAIA, director of planning, engineering and per­mitting,
there have been hundreds of incremental improvements in the response
buildings are expected to make along street fronts over several decades. Virtually
every project that falls within one of the many design review districts is measured
against 'primacy of the street' principles. As a result, there are a growing number of
what might be called 'good corners' downtown and elsewhere. As at the Concord
Center corner, it is usually a combination of early and recent buildings that speak
a similar language - that are street smart. III
11 VOlume XViii. No. II
In addition 10 res/orin/!, 'lJJe U{!IIie1s Building on Broad Slree!, arcbiled .!Iike l1t1lilrid~ designed {! Vic/ori(IJf-il1:JjJil'ed ((mop), fha! exlemL,jimll fIJe building to corer mosf oI/be sidemtlk,. fearing a Mbttckji"Olll curbdde parkiug. Tbis aile sbe!!ers
oUldoor dining ((itd people lwlldllg by.
DesignAlabama 12
DUWlltUWll Eufa Photooraphv bv Mike Hamrick ~ ~ ~
Architect Mike Hamrick grew up in Eufaula and returned to live and work there
after getting his degree from Auburn. While working on his own or with local firm
Blondheim & Mixon and, now, with Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood, he has helped
restore and repair his hometown's rich, historic urban fabric. Recent projects
make very good points about enhancing the vitality and pedestrian character of
streets and sidewalks.
"It's one thing to save and restore buildings, and many Alabama towns are doing thai," says Hamrick.
"But they also need to have pedestrian activity The parking needs to be okay. but we've got to get people to feel
comfortable walking. It's not rocket science. but for some reason much of our profession has turned its back
on this issue."
Of the projects shown here, two address the all-important issue of having strong corners downtown. and
two show the return of the sidewalk canopies that once made downtown sidewalks more inviting and liveable.
/! comer once mosf!)' open as a gas staff all bas fJe(!)l jinJl(x! If/l Itit/) ({ ll('!(' sfruc!Ui"1! Hamrick desiglled !Ising delai/s/olflld ill
bfsforic colJllJ1('1"ckd-s<r/e buifdings. ,be budding I!!ms tbecomer but res/ore,,' fbc sidem:dkfroi1fage a/oilg Ibe 11m slree/s.
A amlinNWS ctlilO!~): JNO"! 0/ {j r(!ilo/:alioll 011
El({au/a Atenu(!. creates em ajJjJea/fng pedestrial!
zone (ind also j,rateell' sforefr(iJ!{s/ram deterioralion.
Hamrid? uses common desZfI,iI/ea{uns. bur de/ails
my; {-"{fried fo make a more illlr...'1"es{ill/J. sfree!scajJe.
77;1:\' aile-lime gas staliOJllms restored as (Ii! office.for E!{fau/a Pride. For ({ mean! lo! lIex! dam: Hamrick
des~qlled a comjJa/iiJle ojJell-mi· slmc!ure/or ({.farmers fJl{!rkel and olber en'Nls t~r UTrtj)jJillg a jJre:f{liJrimfl'd
me/a! st!"lfcture /tIl/) iJrid colum;;s (lild aji"ie::e.
Due to their visibility and accessibility, corners were often claimed by gas Restoration and renovation of The Daniels Building on Broad
stations when the automobile came to dominate transportation, The loss of build- and two storefront buildings facing Eufaula Avenue went a big step
ing mass and pedestrian amenity was a disaster repeated again and again, "The beyond the usual faQade, Historic photos confirmed for Hamrick how
corner of Broad Street and Eufaula Avenue had a kind of shed, but it was basically canopies that once extended from buildings to the curb made sidewalks
an open corner," says Hamrick, Some eight years ago he des'lgned an inlill building so appealing, "They prov'lded shade and protection from weather, good
to house a coffee shop, Now it houses Farmers Exchange Bank, Using the straight- for people and for protecting storefront paneling," he says, But in the
forward brick commercial style used in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, he modern era, they were considered hazardous and old-fashioned, Zoning
produced a strong but simple presence, picking up brick detailing at the cornice laws prohibited them,
found in a nearby historic warehouse,
On another corner, at Broad and Orange, Hamrick directed the restoration
of a former gas station into a small office space for nonprofit Eufaula Pride, And on
a long-vacant lot next door he designed an open-air farmers market "The gas sta­tion
had been painted white, and it was not feasible to remove it, so we painted the
brick to take it back to the original red and buff. The rnarket structure is really an
engineered metal roof and supports, We added brick columns and created the frieze
using what's commonly called Dryvit" The latter is used for a variety of events, so a
formerly dead corner contributes to town life,
Hamrick has long fought for their return, and these projects
make clear how much they do to create appealing places to stroll, win­dow-
shop or dine. "We can't take them to the curb because cars would
hit the columns, so we set them back several feet and try to make them
a minimum of 8 feet deep. My wife and I walk our dog downtown in the
evenings, and you find the sidewalks are much more active, The cano­pies
really help" l1li
13 Volume XViii. No. Ii
LAB~' Jlell' lfr:ntage Hilt! embodies !be lmin:IY«)'~'Jm:seIlJ elllpba~7~'01l bllildf!lg~' Ibu! IFspund It"ell fa s1m!l (/fld~itlwrtlk. !Ji':J7;~lJ!ed b.y /be !wm o/Kl~)' G'IVUp and Ctlmbrk(~J/.!, JkL0;(/cblf~r:,&-btlSL'(t G'OOi{j' CltllIl.Y il oddre:se.s Ibe corllel'oj"ClJitelYi~r
Boufemrd alld 141b greet {{'i!b (I comer ell/rallee 101l"l!1' and ({ generolls c({scade oj"~'leps. gudent break ~jJaces slacked aboFf! a/~YJ lake ill campus dell's. CABs lIe!1" mmplfsgreellll'raps bebind. P.':c; i'/ //?S Fi2lc"
fbe nel{' )/)eI~)' illlerdiscfpiinlllJ Bio-,l!edict// Resemd} Building ilddi'isses ifs /9tb
Street cOi"!ler lrilb {/ m:komiilg open-aii' l'O/uJlda (!lid AejJ3 Ibal double tiS settling
a/ollg I jlil"e/"si~)" BO!liel'(m/. fbe builtiing was dr:~t-;lI('d ~r Ibe jirill oj"CC/l2il 0/
Prillce/OII, ,\1-. wil/; ur/Jm/ de'igil direcfiollFol1l L·IB jJlmlJlet:\', ::,:,~'~! ."; ",.,~: '/.)
OesignAiabama 14
Cal l1p1lS
The University of Alabama at Birmingham began building its medical campus in
the era of visionary modern planning when the street became a utility for moving
cars and pedestrian activity would float above on plazas and pedestrian bridges.
There are still a few remnant concrete bridges left, but just about all the uninhab­itable
plazas (that never stopped leaking into buildings beneath) are gone. UAB
builds enclosed pedestrian links between many buildings, but for the past few
decades, the campus has also emphasized the street, sidewalk and ground-level
open space as an essential part of its planning.
"When I first visited the campus 11 years ago, I remarked how buildings along University
Boulevard had blank walls like you'd expect to see next to a freeway," says Sheila M. Chaffin, executive
director of campus planning. "I also saw buildings set back in yards at the university end of the campus, a
suburban design in an urban setting" Today, UAB prohibits blank walls on important frontages and those
suburban setbacks are being used for redevelopment.
7be difference be/lCeen Cnirersi<r Hospila/s /leu' Aor!b Padlioll (abO/·e). de.'4!.ned (~)" HOKSf. L!)lfl~~ lIiI/) GresiJam Smilb & Parium'. (li/d (I 1980" researcb building at /be comer q( [inicm:i(l' (fnri 201}; fn;f!,blj. iSprO./rIlIiid. Huge as if is.
Ibe iJaspila/i, massing. prominent entl:r/)([l"ilioll ({ud arciJilectumi details gire (/ Ir-e/comingpresmce.
The before/alter views of Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences
offer a good summary of the change found in urban design across the U.S.
The street gains primacy, the most important component in creating a true
urban place. That blinding white plaza between the original library and the
street was filled with a four-story 1991 expansion designed by Boston-based
Shepley, Bullfinch, Richardson & Abbott to create a strong but inviting front­age
on University Boulevard.
Each of the new campus buildings with University Boulevard frontage
responds to the street with urbane, welcoming designs the Campus Recreation
Center designed by Williams Blackstock Architects of Birmingham, Heritage
Hall by Goody Clancy of Cambridge, Mass., with KPS Group of Birmingham
and the Shelby Interdisciplinary Bio-Medical Research Building by CUH2A of
Princeton, N.J.
''I'm particularly impressed watching how the base of the 12-story
Shelby Building works at the busy corner of University and 19th Street to
accommodate people," says Chaffin. "Conditions required the base to be lifted,
but instead of landscaping, there is a set of continuous steps that are used as a
place to take a break and watch the activity And I've watched the open rotunda
that addresses the corner so well turn into a big umbre!la when it rains."
7be 199 i e.V)(lflsiOIl of IIJe OI"~!!JlltI{ Lisle/' iillllAm!lY o/Iix Heaflb
Sciences f1({I) comcsjil"lIl(r 10 ifs Clliu!i:'I~i' Bouler-ardfrou/age
1001/;(I/"0/("%pel1 b({l:" fJe:,\f!!led /~)' 9)(p/r.:): BlI/flinc/;. RicJ;ard~
Sail & Abbo!/ 0/ BOS/Oll. 1/;(' bUildfngJills a/ol"mel"(1" bleak plaza
(abore). J/ IUtS among Ibe.fiI:<:1 at LIB 10 tum/rom (I modem
(inti-slreet appl"Oacb 10 t/"i!()" urban placement and desl;r!/I.
UAB began using more sophisticated urban design when it took a new
approach to campus planning in the early 1980s, a plan updated every five years.
The latest version includes a chapter on Design Guidelines. Among those that speak
directly to issues included in this survey are the following:
* Buildings call be built up to tbe propert.Y line uI/boul a setback {IS prorided/ol' hi
Ihe 13-6 zOJling (Cf~v 0/ Birmingham] district. protided the bu.llding col?/onn.." to tbe ;llaster Plml
(L;HJ]. TlJis approacb maximizes tbe utilization q(sc.arce rea! (~\'t{{le resources wbile al/mcing
reserratioll q( ojJen space.
* 77Je l}lr{jor eully or elltries into tbe building sbould be so located all tbe building
./ooijJrint tbat is tbe logical point in tbe/aqade ll'/Jere a jNdestrirm trill seek (mil}' and arranged ill
slIcb a {ray tbat periestrialllilll'fige to nearby buildings K') easi(r achiered 10 encourage ltalldug
ratber tban morement q( automobile.s betlI'een major destinations.
* Building massing pl'Oporlion and s(£lle sbould be used 10 define sjJace, erect/e bCll~
mQ}~}' ILith adjaeRut buIldings and open spaces and jJrOtide hUlJl{ln settle uitbin the (£llJlpUS settillg.
* Far;trde tr(!atments sbould be a/sufficient dt1J1h and detail 10 pl"Ol'ide rillialtexture
and intere.st. Some articulalion q( columns, Sf)aJ1drels. lriJldOlC openings; sillr; Clnd joints should
be encouraged.
* B/all/..? lrtdl'l should be minimized and ltbere tbe)' are required tbey s/;ould be ell/;ana.!tl
lril/; free and sbrub planting,..,- and nz~/;t lz~btiilg to articulate Ihe SUZfClCf.!. ar/iculated as ajJjJropriate.
At all levels, from campus-wide planning to new buildings to modest renova­tions
like the addition of benches and planters in the forecourt of its administration
building on 20th Street, UAB has put the pedestrian-friendly street front at the top of
its to-do list. I!II
15 Volume XVIII. NO.!i
From Ibe ,11(11'1. .II! iLlure1:, 10U"1l Cf!Ilfer I({1S
eelllra! 10 flsp!rm. find (be Nobill-l·olI Build-ing.
IMjirsl mixed-lise component . .lJtlllc/mr/
Bisfro {lIId !be stiles ojJiee are loca/ed o}/ tbe
end !Oll'(/)"{! DUJlJltll'tmt Viffle)' Hotld Il'hiie /be
IOJlg [dug leilh ojJia.!s m·e1' sbojh" e.riell{k,' along
JIIlLwrel ;1I"enue in/a the /0/['11 cenle!: Xu/ire
s(lJull'/one (flld sbingle.I' belj; set !be tlnNlec/limi
I"ocabulal'yjor fbe tow}/.
THE HOBI,\SO,\,
BCILD['\C
/lll er/n/-Ilide 15lool-deep sidelmfl.: alfOit's sbops /0 ~jJi!i oul with iiltiling di.';pltZl'S ll'bile fmcing room j(;r people
10 (l'(Ilk Signttp;e. slreet jl.fl7lilffre. fli;bting and olberji:fllures make (Ill illl'i1illg place 10 stroll.
fbe sile plan/or tbe Robinson BlIildillg delineates ifs IIlItlI/CiXljoolpl"int u·jlb occasional setback. lbe sniddell'tI): or Ellg/L,h­~~
r!e pededritlll passap,e (dtlrk grey). (!rlends fiJrollgb fbe building bf!!lf"Um ~'idel("('(/k tllId rearptfrking.
"Instead of an entrance feature, they built the town center," says Scott
Finn, architecture professor at Auburn University and director of
design for Mt Laurel as it began to come out of the ground starting
in 1999. "The fire station and the Robinson Building were the first."
Set close to Dunnavant Valley Road in Shelby County, the Robinson Building embod­ies
everything the Stephens family and DPZ envisioned in the new urban plan for a walkable
town. The arts and craits-inspired architecture. a collaboration between ArchitectureWorks and
Henry Sprott Long & Associates of Birmingham, follows key provisions in the town building
code: build to the sidewalk rather than set back suburban style; include a mix of uses; have
appealing frontages with shop windows, signs and architectural details that enhance strolling
and lingering.
Native sandstone harvested from the Stephens' extensive property holdings is used
throughout Mt Laurel. For the Robinson Building it is employed dry-stacked style for retaining
walls, for the round columns supporting the gable end facing the road and on other exterior
walls. "The building is very long, separated by an English-style snickleway or pedestrian pas­sage."
says Finn. "The sales office and Standard Bistro, the destination restaurant, are toward
the road. Shops with offices above extend inward along Mt Laurel Avenue drawing people into
the town."
OesignAlabama 16
The 'Street Smart' aspects here are highly refined, harking back to genera­tions
of good urbanism that could be found in early suburbs prior to World War II. As
an example, the DPZ-developed code specifies that shop window frames are painted
dark and lights are left on to illuminate the sidewalk even after hours. Landscape
architect Rip Weaver, who has overseen Mt Laurel since its inception, confirms that
and adds: "We worked hard not to over-light the sidewalks. Otherwise, the storefronts
become dark holes. We have a very nice ambience for evening window shopping."
Sidewalks also received special attention. The standard width of 12 feet is
expanded to 15 feet along the Robinson Building. "We made the walk excessively wide
in front of our alpha building to let it double as a festival site and so shop owners can
regularly spill out with displays while leaving room for people to walk," Weaver says
Sidewalks are brick-red concrete pavers set on crushed stone, and patterns are subtly
varied to respond to storefronts and other features. Panels set at 45 degrees extending
from shopfront to curb serve to create a slow-down zone.
Mt Laurel town center, now with seven buildings complete, is the major
amenity for residents and visitors, and it is working well. The owners oj Jimbo's, a
sandwich shop. and the hardware store have also opened a grocery/deli at the south
end of the Robinson Building There is a popular pizza parlor. Casual visitors likely
don't understand how much thought and design went into making it a congenial place,
but they have no trouble savoring the effects. III
wII/} defined base. sb(if! and lop/urIbeI' modu{C/led ttil/) subtk: cb(lllge..,' in claddillg and a irmlel'll-Iop/led /ou,'er ({bore {be entrance. tbe .. lfoJl/gomei:r ReJ1(II~'\.'({l1m Hole! & .vIti
es/ablisbes (III ur/;(lIle /rOllt ({long ltdlapoostf eVred opposite ibe CI~r~' reslored milrotld d(l)ot. Commerce Street i, 10 tbe /<ili.
Serrillf!, ol·m.f1otr/rom {be res/mmml/!Jm: ({ m/'ered/}(mlio71
til tbe corner c!f Commerce ([nd Ttll/ajJOoStl occasiolltllzr
extellc/" ix)le! ([Clffj~r illlo public eielf'. EHm {{Hllou! acfi/'l~)'. if
creates (j pedeslriail~(J"'l!Ild()" ({}lebar/or (J key come/:
71;e bole!:, maiJlIK~/(litrailt is located ttl tbe I!Ild}'oniing Commerce Street ltilb Im;r.;e
«meN-lop/Nt! irindou;\' looking out across {/ miser! dining /ur}"(i(A] 10 {be .'>freef.
71Je sife /Y/an SiJOIiS {be baM !md {be related com/JOJlerlis {bat illc0J1!ol"{{/e Ibe
former cidc cenler illlo tlll inferconnecfed ensemble, addillg a Wft/lelforming
mls I'enu(! al l!Je comer o/7(t!{apooSCI and JJolloJ! Sired
Montgomery Ret LRissan.:;e
PtJotograpny COUrTesy al 8;:;:A
The recently completed Renaissance Montgomery Hotel
& Spa built on the parking lot that fronted the city's
civic center, impressively plugs a big gap in the city's
historic riverside district. Designed by Goodwyn, Mills
& Cawood's Montgomery office and TVS of Atlanta, the
342-room, 12-story hotel faces Tallapoosa Street across
from the restored railroad depot. Subtle changes in exte­rior
massing and cladding, and a tower element capped
with a large lantern establish an architectural presence.
Along two important exposures, the $120 million Retirement Systems of
Alabama (RSA) project takes its street frontage seriously
"It creates continuous urban frontage along Tallapoosa Street, absorbing
the former civic center and foiding in a new performing arts theatre. The architects
and landscape architects employ textured paving and a bosque of trees to create
a traffic-calming effect for autos and a human-scale plaza for pedestrians
Like the renovated Court Square not far away, there are no lane markings that
might tip the balance toward cars.
'At the end of the hotel facing Commerce Street with its impressive
row of historic masonry warehouses converted to office and other uses, a
lower, stone-clad element houses the hotel's main restaurant. Generous win­dows
topped with metal canopies look out across a raised dining terrace to
the street. A covered, open-air pavilion that serves as overflow space for the
restaurant and bar anchors the corner of Commerce and Tallapoosa It also
enhances the pedestrian scale of the hotel's entry court.
"I worked on the project for four years and during that time attended
several sessions on the downtown master plan by Dover Kohl & Partners,'
says architect Don Woods of Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood, "We didn't coordi­nate
directly with Dover Kohl, but the city contributed $30 million toward the
project, so their goais to create an enhanced pedestrian downtown were very
much part of the design" II!
17 Volume XVII!. NO. Ii
[;'rdn:icb iircbitecture. lebid) oCCI!jJied tbe (Of/Ii!r b(~)" of tbe ear(r 20fb CWflll:)' tomnu:rcicil rOll' bejore if /I'((S purchased
jiJr }"I:1Iomfioll. slipplied /!Jt:, b(jo}"e jJiJofo.
2ndRow
Built a century ago when sidewalk frontage in down­town
Birmingham guaranteed a constant stream of
people on foot, this single-story commercial block in
the heart of the developing Loft District showed a new
kind of promise when architect Jeremy Erdreich and
his family purchased it in 2005, They had rented the
corner bay since 1998 and felt it was time to buy and
update the building,
Now called 2nd Row for its location on 2nd Avenue North, the
design by Erdreich reduced the number of storefronts from nine to seven. And
in a first for Birmingham, they are offered as commercial condominiums that
under mixed-use zoning can be either commercial, residential or both. The
brick exterior and metal cornice were restored. All the storefronts, which had
been modernized in the 1980s, were replaced with new, high-quality, 6-inch
deep aluminum storefront systems set on a cast-stone base with oversize
doors fitted with full-height, polished-chrome pulls.
OesignAlabama 18
(({bore) On tbe 241h S'lree! side, lIeH'l!'inc/Oll":;
jJlIllcbed illto tbe blank brick Itall bring !J;~b! i1l10
ErdreiciJ .'ird)ifec!ure~· Audio space. A painted
gmpbicscal0,' fbe 2nd ROff logo up fo mllra/ si::e.
(!r.jij lU,' rielt" ~j){)W' lieu' sionjiwlis. lIu'lIings ((ilIl
gmpbics. it also JiJOlI:5 fbe stm!egic toea/ioll o/2l1d
ROIl' in fbe bearl of/be Lojl fJis!ricl with the Cizl'
Fedeml builciill[{ i/O/l'cOiIl"l:rli!d fa residential, ill
{be dl~1({lIce.
The developers also installed a new reflective white rubber roof and large,
slanting black awnings made of light-emitting vinyl fabric that provides shade and
weather cover while allowing some natural illumination into the spaces. Interiors
were totally gutted and fitted with new plumbing, HVAC and electrical service, leav­ing
'black box' spaces for the owners to finish out.
'Our goal was to give small businesses desiring to own space a fully
renovated, up-to-code building in the heart of the Loft Oistrict," says Erdreich.
'We renovated the corner and the adjacent bay for our use and sought out urban
entrepreneurs that would increase foot traffic and inspire more businesses to open
adjacent to the project." The strategy is paying off. Urban Standard, a combination
restaurant/antiques shop, has become an instant hit for the district and is attracting
a wider following
Exterior graphics have been a key part of the renovation and re-imaging.
The 2nd Row logo, designed by Strange Attractors, a firm based in The Hague,
Netherlands, has been painted wall-mural size on the 24th Street side, and Erderich
Architecture designed a contemporary version of a traditional blade sign mounted
at the corner. Active sidewalk-level uses are a high priority for the Loft District to
turn it into a fully fleshed urban neighborhood This modest project to update an
historic commercial block helps show the way. III
• ••���•••��•• . .
;labul'Jl fll'cbIier.:lure students {oUlillgprojects I~)' I/;e AuiJlI!'il Rural Studio s{tllId ill /lJe /og!.!,ia of/be 1f.B.R.O slorq/I'Ol11 r(!JlomliOJl jJmjec/ ill (;remsborG. 77Je sfee!/mme s/abili::.es jbe brfck/{/(;a{/e ({lid /;old~ llelC gitfSS pmldr;, ?','r:s- ::yj, S:':.,',' F>--'
It doesn't seem that an operation with the name Auburn
Rural Studio would be facing issues of street fronts, but
while much of the highly-recognized projects by this arm
of the Auburn University College of Architecture, Design
& Construction can be found on remote sites, there are
many located within towns,
In Greensboro, the county seat of Hale County, students in the pro­gram
remodeled an empty, single-story storefront space into a community
resource center A joint thesis project of Andrea Ray, John McCabe, Daniel
Sweeney and R. Matt Wilson, the design called for transparency from the side-
Studio
In ThomaS/Oil. OJ! AubUnl aFeI/ilee/ute tbesis {cam IDe bo/dsbed-rorJpro/ileand expressed ltood-anti-sleel
ck.'I:Q,lIed {fnd buill (! !m;u,e screen/Sign 10 gire {be modest /nrsses gire !be ,YeN/hem Volimfeer Fire 5lalirJll and 70l(iI
!?umilferi/age Cenler dsfiJiWrjrolll tbe hZr.;bl(,lIY kXl(!ing flail (l sfrongpresence/rom !be road. Here if doubles (IS (1
walk to engage passers-by A two-layer, exposed steel frame used to stabilize of a large, bold sign that gives the modest center high visibility from
the brick faQade also supports the new clear glass panels set back within an the highway that runs through town. The screen, made of steel mesh,
inviting loggia, As always, the students looked for and found salvage materials also serves as a backdrop for events on the large deck.
that could be put to use, Thus, the irregularly suspended 'awnings' are made
from old conveyer belts, flexible steel mesh that looks like chain-mail.
Intended to be an internet cafe, it now houses HER.O, a housing
resource center for the county. Not only is the space highly visible from the
street, but a back wall made of donated Pella windows opens views to the rest
of the HER.O campus behind,
In Thomaston, the Rural Heritage Society received a $190,000 grant
from HUD to convert a former school into its headquarters and museum.
Phase II, a 2003-04 thesis project by Abigail Barnett, Melissa Harold, Paul
Kardous, Nathan Makemson and Rob White, included design and construction
In Newbern, where the studio is located, students designed
and built the Newbern Volunteer Fire Station and Town Hall, the first
new public building in 110 years. A 2003-04 thesis proiect by the
team of Will Brothers, Elizabeth Ellington, Matt Finley and Leia Price,
the wood and metal truss structure largely enclosed by translucent
polycarbonate panels presents a simple shed-roof profile to the
street Cedar slats provide sun protection. With minimal rneans it
creates a civic landmark. II
19 Volume XVIiI. No. II
This plaza produces an OVllrpj~Wj~rillgji~~,~;·.~~ ••• ~p~k~ •• ~jl;01!ti
moderate artistic sensibilities caI1nDlt.ff:~~rjq;l!ii~.~lliJl'1Ii,II~'tiiij
powerful impression it evokes. Thf'fe j~lI'i1l
attention; nothing that reminds us ;~~~.~~~~'~~~~\~~~~~~~Iif
- Camillo Sitle: City Planning A
SCienCe
S itte is referring to the Piazza del Duomo in Pisa. Yet his words hold true for the
MCWane Science Center's newly renovated plaza in downtown Birmingham­designed
to stimulate daily life with open space that sets a vibrant stage for the city.
Principles of good plaza design have been executed in a number of ways, enhancing
McWane Science Center's vitality and visual attraction. Most notably is "Linear Motion,"
a moving sculpture consisting of robotic pendulums that can be set in motion by
McWane visitors and anyone who passes by. The interactive installation allows people
to decide to what extent and for how long they want to engage in it. which is perhaps the
most populist form of public art
Merging early scientific and artistic discoveries with contemporary advances in
technology, 'linear Motion" suggests new ways of perceiving the surrounding landscape,
explains Lloyd Cooper of Push Product Design in Irondale. His piece was selected from
among 30 entries and was installed in July to mark the center's 10th anniversary.
A fascination with the connection between art and science led Cooper to study early
scientists. mathematicians and artists such as Euclid, Leonardo da Vinci and Galileo, who
all serve as inspiration for his work.
"Linear Motion" is based on Galileo's exploration with pendulum motion. Eighteen
individual pendulum arms are operated through a computer-controlled counter weight that
swings the arms up and down following certain mathematical principles. The entire struc­ture
is suspended above the plaza. Five cantilevered I-beams are anchored directly to the
reinforced concrete buttresses that support the round IMAX theatre building.
rt in Motion
By Jessica Armstrong
Each pendulum face is formed by a polished stainless steel shield, and the height-to­width
ratio of each shield is based on Euclid's golden ratio. The pivot axis for the arms is
21 feet off the ground. The arms can pivot as low as 12 feet off the ground and as high
as 28 feel, 6 inches. From shield-edge to shield-edge, the pendulums form a gleaming
80-foot line.
"The use of highly reflective stainless steel not only acknowledges
Birmingham's historic past with its roots in the steel industry, but also
literally serves to reflect the future evolution of our city," explains Cooper.
who studied industrial design and mechanical engineering at Auburn University. "It is
an artwork that reflects both the visual landscape surrounding it and the
creativity of those who interact with it."
Cooper says he is not aware of any other works that move such large sections of
structure so rapidly and efficiently. One based on similar principles is at the London Stock
Exchange, a robotically controlled series of spheres on cables, he notes.
Out of the eight finalists. "Linear Motion" was the only piece by an industrial designer,
and the only one created by a local resident Although this was not a requirement,
Cooper's understanding of the Birmingham area enabled him to create an artwork that fits
the plaza specifically.
"It was everybody's first choice," says McWane's exhibit project manager Bob Levine.
"It met all the requirements for creating a sense of arrival and a sense of wonder.
We wanted an iconic piece immediately associated with McWane."
DesignAlabama 20
This close view of "Linear Motion" (above) shows it in action, a wave pattern
that reflects the city and people standing below it in the plaza. The polished
stainless steel plates are mounted on painted steel arms attached to the fa,ade.
Not only did the interactive sculpture need to be exciting, accessible and have
scientific principles behind it, it also had to be designed to withstand all weather con­ditions,
vandalism and be safe for public use. Such a complex structure required the
expertise of many. O'Neal Steel in Birmingham provided structural steel and Motion
Industries in Birmingham donated operational parts. Other services were provided by
Brasfield & Gorrie, Birmingham; Advanced Manufacturing Systems, Decatur; Star Electric,
Duncanville; and CRS Engineering, Birmingham
The revitalization project encompasses McWane's exterior plaza at the intersection
of 19th Street and Second Avenue North and was made possible by a $1 million donation
from the Joseph S Bruno Charitable Foundation. In addition to "Linear Motion," the
project includes new landscaping, round concrete seat bollards, benches directly below
the sculpture and LED light pavers that when stepped on interact with "Linear Motion"
to move the pendulums.
"The primary goal was to create a sense of 'wow' and to provide a
kinetic element that was educational and representative of the type of
activity and learning environment contained within the exhibit halls in
the building," explains Susan Lineberry of Birmingham-based KPS Group, which
handled project management, architectural design and landscape design for the plaza.
Sparked by the installation of "Linear Motion," the existing plaza was
renovated including an arc of grass punctuated by a cast concrete
sphere that wraps the outside corner.
A mother and young daughter step on LED
sensors set in the pavement that activate
panels directly in front of them. As they
bow down, the plates reflect the visitors
and the city beyond.
New landscaping provides a live element designed to be warm and welcoming. The
landscaping beds include newly planted Boston ivy vines, which will eventually create a
green backdrop for plaza activities.
Coordinating the technical details to ensure that all the elements worked together was
one of the greatest challenges, Lineberry adds. Another challenge was to successfully coor­dinate
the work within the city infrastructure. Utilities run under much of the ground below
the plaza, making it difficult to install new landscaping and other in-ground elements.
Additional improvements are proposed for 19th Street between Second and Third
avenues north. Plans include a children's play area, cafe seating, window graphics, kinetic
wind sculptures on the lamp posts and an additional entrance to the center's retail space
Future phases are years away unless "a donor sees their value and steps forward to
make them happen," says Tim Ritchie, McWane president and CEO. "What we have
accomplished thus far is still just one more phase in a series of improve­ments
that will bring life to our corner of downtown Birmingham."
The McWane Science Center has always been full of life on the inside, and now its
exterior creates "a sense of wonder, a sense of awe, a sense of curiosity," Ritchie adds.
"I hope [the new plaza] will increase interest in downtown development. I
hope it will highlight our commitment to solid, fun, functional, wonderful
science. I hope, most of all, that it gives our community pride, and in some
small way, hope.".
Jessica Armstrong is a freelance writer based in Auburn.
21 Volume XViii No. II
Designer~Profile
"1 came to Mobile in 1967 right out of LS~'"
says Mobile landscape architect James Crowe. "1 was told
the area was on the verge of a boom) and 42 years later
it may have arrived A mellow sense of humor has been part of his approach to his profession,
a practice based in Alabama's port city but extending over the geography of the immediate Gulf Coast and inland.
By Philip Morris
DesignAiabama 22
Jlrowe came to join the firm of Robert S. Bateman &Associates, and
when Bateman decided to leave the profession, Crowe purchased the firm in
partnership with another staff member, George Shorter. Today, CSA Group
Inc. includes Crowe and a small support staff, plus two landscape architects
(including a semi-retired Shorter) who work under contract on specific
projects. "I long ago decided to keep the firm a manageable size and to not
add staff for a big project only to let them go."
Crowe also likes to be candid, and he points out the firm's work in
Mississippi and the Florida panhandle, as well as Alabama is a necessity.
"Mobile has just not been a big enough market for a landscape architecture firm
to thrive on local projects like you can in Birmingham and Atlanta," he says.
Gulf Coast Community College
Crowe is delighted to have projects past and present to show in
Mobile. One is Unity Point, a new small park underway downtown, which
will feature sculptures of two early pioneers of racial conciliation. Another
is the recent site renovations for the new University of South Alabama's
Children's and Women's Hospital adjacent to Mobile Infirmary. But he
estimates that 80 percent of the firm's work is elsewhere.
The kinds of projects are diverse. For Mississippi's Gulf Coast
Community College, which has seven campuses, CSA Group Inc. is
commissioned to design campus improvement projects for each campus
location. "We have ongoing relationships with most of our clients,"
Crowe explains.
Work for military bases, usually landscape and irrigation plans, are
also an ongoing part of the practice with multiple projects at Keesler, Eglin,
Tyndall, Hurlburt Field and Columbus Air Force bases and at the Naval Air
Station in Pensacola as well. Hospitals and medical centers around the
Gulf Coast have also been important clients.
Alabama
Long-term relationships with architectural firms and developers
have been key to CSA Group Inc. over the decades and have assured that
the landscape architects are involved from the start, avoiding the 'after­the-
fact' complaints often lodged by landscape architects. "We are
usually brought in from the start, made part of the project team with
architects and civil," says Crowe. For example, Montgomery-based
architects Barganier Davis Sims included the firm on the team for an
updated campus master plan at the University of South Alabama in west
Mobile, as well as for the school's new Allied Health Serv'lce Building
Similarly, CSA Group Inc. was brought in by Watermark Design Archi­tects
of Mobile for landscape design of the new AIDT Training Center for
Thyssen-Krupp Steel Mill in north Mobile County.
Nurturing relationships has come naturally to Crowe. "I enjoy
getting to know people, and I try to make myself knowledgeable about
them. But then, we are also good about being on time and in budget.
We've had a great run" iffY
23 Volume XVIII. No.lI
Historical'iPerspectives
PRESERVING THE
1110ughtful preservation of the
architectural and cultural legacy attached
to a county's courthouse can create enonnous
benefits for a community; a successful ex­ample
can be found in central Alabama's Bibb
County. ''The refurbished Bibb Countv Court­house
blends old and new with exceptional
sensitivity and grace, breatlling fresh life into
the original structure with an addition that is
at once respectful and yet makes a pleasing
architectural statement of its own," comments
Robert Gamble, senior architectural historian
with the Alabama Bistorical Commission.
In the 1990s, PH&J Architects of
ylontgomelY repaired the distinctive old Bibb
Countv Courthouse in Centreville and, in
1998, constructed a functional. yet elegant
addition. In 2000, the finn finished renova­ting
the interim, of the original courthouse
for continued use as offices and courtrooms.
Todav, the courthouse displays a refurbished
stateliness and enhanced functional and
aesthetic VigOI; an asset to both the ci~'
by Susan Braden
PH&)'s glazed connectOr links the 1902 cOU!1house (left)
with the 2000 addition (right).
PH&)'s rear addition !O the Bibb County Courthouse
retlcCls elements of the original building.
and countv. The 1902 Bibb County Courthouse's asymmetrical fal,;ade fe;:ttu\~s an imposing clock lOwer capped by a domed cupola.
An old courthouse embodies the collective memory of a place.
It's a living link between past and present, recalling old hopes and
aspirations, triumphs and sometimes tragedies - the human ebb
and flow of a county's life through time.
Bibb County is sparsely populated, reinforcing the importance of Centreville and the
courthouse as culturally and architecturally significant. Bordered bv luscaloosa and Jefferson
counties to the north, Bibb Countv boasts great natural beauty - notablv, the Cahaba River, a
section of the Talladega National Forest and green, rolling hillsides. The coun~"s colorful historv
of pioneer settlement, Civil War partiCipation, flamboyant outlaws and hard-working coal miners
remains part of the coun~"s image. Today, the timber industrv and tourism contribute to the
economy. Significantlv, the county's Willingness to preserve rather than replace the courthouse
echoes architectural historian William Seale on small town courthouses: " .. mosLhave earned
public affection for the stability and continuity they symbolize,"
Courtroom furnishings are traditional, creating a decorolls yet familiar space with the jury box.
centrally located judge's bench and ampJe public seating.
OesignAlabama 24
Robert Gamble. Alabama Historical Commission
The handsome tan brick courthouse, designed in1902 by William S. Hull ofJackson,
\!iss., anchors Centreville's cOUlthouse square and features a Richardsonian-arched entl)way,
tall round-arched windows, an elaborate cornice and a graceful clock tOlVer PH&j's match­ing
addition stands at the rear of the courthouse and is connected by a glassed-in entl)Wa)',
Although the addition serves primarily as a service annex (ADA compliant entl)ways, elevator,
fire stairs and restrooms), project architect Roland Pond placed these facilities inside an
elegant structure that pal's homage to the original bUilding, creating modern spaces that
blend comfortablv with the old. The glassed-in connector also brings in daylight, illuminating
the vintage stairG~e that leads to the main courtroom, The addition aptlv reflects Pond's desil~
to make the space "light and welcoming and accessible."
PH&j's renovation of the interior returned orderliness and dignity to the offices
and courtroom. Visitors easily undenitand how to use the building because hallways, offices
and service areas are clearly visible and accessible, The most distinctive space in the court­house
is the main courtroom, located on the second floor. Here PH&J emphasized the loftv
proportions of the original room. removing a more recent dropped ceiling and revealing
the tops of the arched windows that flank the sides of the courtroom. Dark wood trim and a
white pressed-metal ceiling add refinement to the surroundings. Today, the space is dignified
and formal, but not authoritarian, In "Celebrating the Courthouse: II Guide for Architects,
Their Clients and the Public," Supreme Courtjustice Stephen G, Breyer wrote, "."public
spaces tell the public something about themselves." For Bibb Counn', the handsomelv
preserved and expanded courthouse references the count\"s natural beauty and preselws a
sense of the countv's colorful past e\'en as it continues to serve the needs of its citizens, '0;
Susan Braden is an assistant professor a/art bislOlJ at Aubum UJlil-'ersi~)'.
Single Space/Sandra Cumbest. ASIO. Pascagoula. Miss
Institution/H. Den Bowden. FASID, Mabile
CorporalefLynne Dunn. ASID. tv'robile
The 2008 Design of Distinction Awards for the Alabama
chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers
were announced in April at the annual state conference in Gulf
Shores. A panel of judges from the Georgia chapter of ASID
selected the winners lrom a record number of entries. The fol­lowing
were first place award winners.
Photos courtesy of Alabama ASID
Kilchen/Marisa Smith, AS!D, Mooiie
large Resiclence/Perry Umphrey. ASID, Birmingham
HealJtlcare/Alice Cutright. ASiD. Mobile
Temporary Space/Perry Umphrey. ASIO. Birmin'Jham
Bath/Marisa Smith, ASIO. Mobile
Details+of Interest
International Charter Award
The Atlantic & Pacific development in the Old
Cloverdale district of Montgomery won a 2008
Charter Award from the Congress for the New
Urbanism. The project developed by City Loft
Corp. is one of 15 chosen worldwide that "set
the gold standard for urban design and devel­opment
and serve as powerful examples for
future development" Designed by McAlpine
Tankersley Architecture of Montgomey. the
complex includes 18 retail offices, 16 lofts and
eight cottage homes built on a 2.5 acre site lor­merly
occupied by an old A&P store and three
other abandoned buildings. The jury. chaired
by Andres Duany of DPZ Architecture in
Miami. stated that the projects "reveal the power
of well-executed urbanism to strengthen com­munities.
achieve broader sustainability and
create places worthy of respect and admiration'"
City Loti's mixed-use projecl marries unique residences wiih pedestrian conll8cli'fily to adjacent commercial featuring street-oriented shop JlOnts and ouldoor dining space.
25 Volume XVIII. No. !I
World-renowned landscape designer Pie! Oudolf lent his expertise
recently to Auburn University landscape architecture graduate students
who are creating a rnaster plan to transforrn a 6-plus acre site near
the Montgornery Riverwalk Stadiurn. Students under the direction of
Professor Charlene LeBleu are focusing initially on Cypress Creek
inlet. a %-acre area encornpassing an ernbankrnent to the right of the
Rivertront Arnphitheatre and below the railroad track.
equal opportunity access to all visitors including the handicapped.
Arnong the ideas explored were reconstructing the historic railroad
trestle; adding walking and biking trails; introducing water features
such as fountains, water sculptures or waterfalls; adding 1I0ating
docks; constructing tiered retaining walls and installing layered
plantings Project funding rnust corne frorn the city and can be
supplernented with grants and private donations. The first phase
could begin this faiL A second charreite conducted by the students
is planned for October to focus on the broader area with Oudolf
participating via video screen.
The centerpiece of Baldwin County's 2009 bicentennial celebration
is a 367-acre park being planned for Stockton. The site, 2 rniles
north of 1-65 on Hastie Lake, is rich in history spanning the eras of
Arnerican Indian, colonial and early settler occupation and logging
industry dornination. The $6 rnillion project is a recreational and
educational cornplex with historical exhibit areas on the northern
half and nature-based recreation on the southern side. Landscape
designer Charles McCullough volunteered his services on the
project as a charter rnernber of the Friends of Bicentennial Park.
By the end of 2008, a boat launch with restroorns, bathhouse,
The project initiated by the Montgornery Tree Cornrnission began
with an all-day charreite in which the students discussed site
opportunities and restraints with Montgornery officials and citizens.
They sketched ideas and presented concepts to the group. Their
concepts were then folded into a prelirninary plan for review by
Oudoll. The students' design efforts focused on restoring the native
shoreline of the waterfront, prornoting connectivity between the
Design projects by the influential Dutch landscape artist include the prirnitive and recreational vehicle carnping and a srnal! store at
Gardens of Rernernbrance dedicated to the victirns of 9/11 in New Bicentennial Park and Village will be operational, all funded by a $1
York's Battery Park and the Lurie Garden in Chicago's Millenniurn rnillion Coastallrnpact Assistance prograrn grant
Park. The author of five garden design books, Oudolt is a leading
waterfront and downtown, providing a diversity of uses and creating figure of the "New Wave Planting" rnovernent, which focuses on
plant and grass structure, as well as color with regard to design.
upre';5 Creek. Rive, Connection
A compilation of design concepts by the landscape architecture Qraduate students
Piel Dudal! (on the right ill black sweater) discusses the proposals with Professor LeBleu
(far teit) and the landscape architeciure graduate students
An aerial view 01 the Rivi;I'Nalk area with Ihe ballom right comer below the railroad track
the area to be developed
A group of dedicated citizens has been working for the past six years to restore Tallassee's 1935 vintage Mount Vernon Theater, which has been
closed since 1969. A project of the nonprofit Mount Vernon Theater Inc, the restoration, led by president Gene Lawrence, has been accorn­plished
using rnostly volunteer labor. Architects frorn McKee and Associates of Montgornery advised in the initial stages of the project,
The rnarquee for the red brick, 650-seat theater has been restored and all wiring and plurnbing replaced. New fixtures were purchased frorn
funds raised by the group and installed in the restroorns. A 50-ton air conditioning unit was donated, and volunteers are building the trunk
line for installation. That was the last rnajor hurdle, so rnainly rninor details such as painting rernain to be done before the theater can open
as a venue for local plays, concerts and other cornrnunity events. With its wood interior walls, the facility has excellent acoustical properties
for such functions. When the rnissing pieces of projection equiprnent donated frorn a theater in Miarni can be secured elsewhere, the theater
could also host rnovies. When finished, the project will have cost approxirnately $600,000.
A $2 rnillion, two-story viSitor's center and rnuseurn to display arti­facts
reflective of the 200-year history of the county on the first floor
and house rneeting roorns and educational classroorns on the sec­ond
is slated for cornpletion before the 2009 event It will be rnod­eled
in a federal style after the Daphne Norrnal SchooL A University
of South Alabarna surveyed archeological site near the boat rarnp
and a partially constructed Indian Village will also be in place by the
Decernber celebration.
Baldwin County cornrnissioners provided $125,000 to jurnpstart the
park developrnent, and a fundraiser has been hired to solicit dona­tions
for the pay-as-you-go project, As funds are acquired, other
parts of the park will be irnplernented. Arnenities/Venues to be devel­oped
in the northern section include a restaurant and B&B/tavern, a
Veterans Mernorial Park and Alabarna rnilitary history exhibit area.
Period structures in living rnuseurn forrnat will include a cornpleted
Creek Indian Village, 19th century village, 1800s working farrn, Civil
War earthworks and 1850s dock offering steamboat rides plus hik­ing
and biking trails, a botanical park area and farnily picnicking and
play area. The southern end will feature a nature center, boardwalks
offering close-up views of the wetlands, hiking trails and carnping
and fishing areas. The Bicentennial Express, with its !ocornotive
typical of those used in the logging trade, will transport passengers
throughout the park and will be based at a turn-of-the-19th-century
train station. The project was announced in Decernber 2006 and is
expected to take a decade to cornplete.
The Bicentennial Park's visitor's center and museum l'Ii!1 be modeled alief the Daphne
Norma! School shown above in a vintage photo.
MASTER
PLA:"
BICENTE~1'\IAL
PARK
il.i';IJ:.L!lH;JJ.. M:,(:,;
,:WW:TS-G' _v:H,~
r,,:C['''ATiOS,-:''-
Tallassee's "1935 vintage Mount Vernon Theater is being reswred lor a community arts venue. The Bicenlenniai Park Conceptual Master Plan places educational exhibits in the north section and recreation amenilies in the SOLl!n
DesignAiabama 26
Voter registration posters hanging in state public offices and voter The Alabama Preservation Alliance in conjunction with the
registration sites throughout the state were designed in Auburn Alabama Historical Commission present their list of the
University Professor Ross Heck's Design Consortiurn class last fall, state's most endangered historic places for the year 2008,
The graphic design students worked with Alabarna Secretary of State
Beth Chaprnan's office to develop the posters Three of the designs
were selected to be printed and distributed, The designers are Ali
Conn, Laura Goehring and working together are Alana Baldwin,
Tori Cameron and Kalie Brown,
Bethlehem Baptist
Church, Valley
When this Baptist church, the
oldest building in town, came
into disrepair, city officials
Lowndesboro Colored
School, Lowndesboro
One of Alabama's oldest
surviving African-American
schoolhouses. it is now
boarded up and used for stor-age,
but much of the exterior
is intact This rare and significant schooi is rapidly deteriorating and
in need of immediate repair Although privately owned, local preser-decided
to save it After acquir- valionists hope Ihat it can be restored and eventually included on the
:vtAKE IT COl:;'<T
ALABAMA
For ,n,om:;nticr< on '1<;.[r.::' rcgislr;>(ion e>ne c!octio,.,~ cnli
the OifiC8 of the Secret;;:ry of S!;>\c S-cth Ch~pmlln,
1~800~274--VOTE (8683)
http://www.sos.aiabama.govf
For more than a
year The Alabarna
Trust has been
working and plan­ning
for a license
plate for preserva­tion.
At this time the Trust is only asking for names of those
interested In pledging to purchase a tag. These tags for
preservation can be a rallying point for all the grass roots
organizations in Alabama and a wonderful way to promote
preservation throughout the state, To make a pledge, cail
Monica Moore at 205-652-3497 or send an a-mail to ala­bamatrust@
uw3.edu.
ing the building, the Valley Historic Preservation Commission is work- annual community pilgrimage tour
ing on plans to restore it, though they do not have sufficient funds yet
Boynton House, Selma
During the 1960s, the home
of Amelia and Samuel
Boynton was the central
meeting place for some
of the 20th century's most
important civil rights leaders. Dignitaries including Or. Martin
Luther King Jr. US congressmen, attorneys and others from ail
over the country met there to plan the demonstrations that would
eventually lead to the Voting R.ights Act of 1965. The house, now
empty, is in need of repair and facing an uncertain future.
Folsom Birthplace, Elba
After vandals broke windows
and set fire to the old Folsom
house, preservationists and
iocal officiais determined
to save it The house is an
exceptionally intact example of a iate 19th century farmhouse and the
birthplace of James Folsom, 45th and 47th governor of Alabama. The
house is in need of repair. and a group of dedicated preservationists
want to see the building opened to the public
Gateway to Anniston
Buildings, Anniston
In an effort to seil Anniston to
potential investors and resi­dents,
the citys founders con­structed
several fine Victorian-style
buildings designed to
give a favorable first impression Today three of the five surviving build­ings
are vacant and deteriorated. Together, the Anniston City Land Co,
Building above (1890), Union Depot (1889) and the Ritz Boarding House
(c.1895) represent one of the city's most significant historic resources.
Green Street Baptist
Church, Selma
Despite being architecturally
and historically significant a
shrinking congregation and
a lack of funding for mainte­nance
threatens this church's
future survivaL The congregation has been advised to tear down an
o!der section, as saving it would be too costly. Most members do
not want to, but acknowledge the chal!enges to saving their church,
Historic Fort Gaines,
Dauphin Island
Fort Gaines along with Fort
Morgan was oDe of the key
participants in the Battle of
Mobile Bay. Significant for its
masonry architecture, Fort Gaines is among the best presenled 19th century
brick coastal fortifications in the country However. its location along the Guif
Coast has rnade it a prime target for erosion and deterioration, Funding is
needed to address the many maintenance and restoration problems.
Oaks Plantation,
Leighton
The Oaks is among the area's
earliest and most important
plantations, The complex
includes the original c.1820
house. the attached c.1825-
32 main house and a very early log kitchen. Although the current
owner passionately restored the buildings in the 1960s, she is
unable to maintain them today. Deteriorated siding, broken chim­neys
and shutters, peeling paint and sagging floors iitustrate the
critical need for repair
Old Mobile, Fort Louis
de la Louisiane Site,
Axis
This site is so significant that
archeologists have described
it as a "French colonial
counterpart to the English settlement at Jamestown, Va.' The site is
unique for the integrity of its archeological remains dating from the
early 18th century. Despite its importance, Old Mobile-Fort Louis is
under continuous threat of industrial development and other poten­tially
adverse uses,
Old Rock School,
Springville
This landmark once provided
classroom space for high
school students. Constructed
in 1921, the building is now
empty and unrepaired Aiong
with its significance as an historic educational facility, the old rock
school may be the largest surviving chert rock structure in St Clair
County Amid discussion of tearing the building down, many in
Springville want their landmark to be saved and put to a new use,
One option may be as a much needed new public library.
Ramsay-McCormack
Building, Ensley
Constructed in 1929, the
Ramsay-McCormack build­ing
is an impressive 10-story
art deco structure that once
overlooked the Ensley steel
mills. Four years atter the
mill closed in 1979, the
city acquired the building,
but plans for its use never
panned out It has stood empty since 1986. Although structurally
sound, the building might be too costly to renovate. The city is con­sidering
both options of demolition and renovation, making the late
of the building uncertain at this point
Pi;otas caur!esy a.! !ile Alabama His/orica'! CorTimissfon
27 VOlume XViii. No. iI
DesignAlabama
Volume XVIII, Issue II
PUBLIC DESIGN AWARENESS AND EDUCATION
DesignAlabama Inc . works to increase awareness and value of the design disciplines
that influence our environment. We believe that the quality of life and
economic growth of this state are enhanced through attention to and
investment in good design.
BUILDING STREET SMART
((It is possible to fail
. (~ goal without
zn many ways ...
a plan is just
while to succeed. h )) a wzs . -Antoine de Saint-Exupery
is possible only in
~
)) one way. -Aristotle
1
JfVf'L
.. .
a ,~ J/zere lCI np
is to jeopa rd ize
tbe success
oj' a ny site. -Curt Cloninger
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