Design Alabama: The Public Forum for Design in Alabama, Volume 16, Issue 1, 2006

              Spring/Summer 2006
Volume XVI, Issue I
$400
Desi 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
City of Decatur Planning Department
Oecaiur
Joseph R. Donofro, Treasurer
Danafro & Associates Architects Inc.
Dothan
Arnelle Adcock
Ceniral Alabama Efectric Cooperative
PraUvi!le
HB Brantley
Brantley Visioneering Inc.
BirmingtHm
Elizabeth Ann Brown
Alabama Historical Commission
Montgomery
Janet Driscoll
Driscoli Design
[v1ontgomery
Scott Finn
Auburn University
Auburn
Cathryn Campbell Gerachis
Goodwyn, hliJls & Cawood Inc.
Montgomery
Bo Grisham
Brookmon! Reaily
Birmingham
Ross Heck
Auburn Universify
Aubum
larry Walls
Birmingham .Regional Planning Commission
Birmingham
Gina Glaze Clifford, Executive Director
Philip A. MorriS, Directol Emeritus
Desi nAlabama
Volume XVI, Issue I
Cover: SI. Vincent's Hospilals grand founlain
enlertains and ani males.
Photo copyrighted by Kieran Reynolds Phoiography
This publication is made possible through funding by the following contributors.
Advantage Marketing Communications
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Alabama League of Municipalities
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Arts Education License Plate Advisary Committee
Brantley Visioneering
Brawn Chambless Architects
Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood
operation New Birmingham
Daniel Corporation
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Sherlnck, Smith & Adams
DriscoU Design & Creative Services
DAViS ARCHITECTS
\\01 En 1 L \.\
\HCHllH:TUU1.
H)L\r} \TW0;
NATJONAL
ENDOWMENT
fOR THE ARTS
A AloW",o
Start ~COlinCil
"11,onrhe
~ . Arts
BRASFIELD
&GORRIE
WILliAMS· BLACKSTOCK
ARCHiTECTS
Editor: Gina Glaze Clilford
Managing Editor: Tomie Dugas
Art Director: Nancy Hartslield
Associate Art Director: Ross Heck
Assistant Art Directors: Tomie Dugas
Kelly Bryanl
Bruce Dupree
Samantha Lawrie
Wei Wang
Contributing Writers: Jessica Armstrong
Gina Glaze Cliliord
Tomie Dugas
Philip Morris
Gila M Smith
DesignAlabama encourages submissions
Irom ils readers. Arlicles about work Irom all
design disciplines are reqUested, as weI! as copy
related to historic preservaiion. Please submit
copy along with visuals (photos, siides. drawings.
etc.) 10 DesignAlabama Inc .. PO. 80x 241263.
Monlgomery, AL 36124.
Ilems lor Proiect News and Details of
Interest should include a paragraph summary
detailing the nature of the project, the design jirm,
principals and associales involved and any oih.er
delails ihal may be 01 inleresl such as unusual
or special design lea lures, completion daie.
approximale cosl, squere loolage, elc. Also include
Ihe name, address and phone and fax number 01
the client and an individual whom we may contact
lor luriher inlormation. Direcl inquiries to (334) 834-
4346 or mail to: designalabama1@belisoutr,.neL
Pasl journal issues are available for $6.00
including poslage and handling. Conlacl
DesignAlabama al the above numbers ior
avaiiabiilty information and to order.
A special thanks to Philip Morris for his ongoing
assistance and advice with this publication.
© 2006 DesignAlabama inc.
ISSN# 1090-0918
This issue of DesignAiabama was deSigned and
produced on Macintosh Computers utilizing InOesignCS2
Proofs were printed on a HP 4000N and final output
on a Compugraphic 9400.
Retaining the historic character
and small-town charm.
p7
DesignAlabama is a publication 01 OesignAlabama Inc
Reader comments and submission of articles and ideas for
future issues are encouraged.
Exploring the impact of
landscape architects at work.
p9
FEATURES
CONTENTS
"From the Ground Up"
Landscape Architects at Work
TROY UNIVERSITY QUAD
Fueling the effort to revitalize
early gas stations.
p.24
ST. VINCENT'S FOUNTAIN PLAZA
HOMEWOOD CENTRAL PARK
THE LEDGES
BIRMINGHAM'S CHILDREN'S ZOO
VETERANS MEMORIAL PARK
CENTER POINT MASTER PLAN
CHELSEA TOWN CENTER PLAN
DEPARTMENTS
ProjectANews
Work of Statewide Significance
CommunityeProfi Ie
Loachapoka
DesignAlabamatUpdate
2006 Mayors Design Summit
Historical'i'Perspectives
Alabama's Early Gas Stations
Designer~Profi Ie
Evans Fitts
Details+Of Interest
Noteworthy Observations
9
10
12
14
16
18
19
20
21
4
7
22
24
27
29
Drawing architectural inspiration
from many sources.
p.27
Project.A.News
DesignA!abama 4
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.
Ciiy FEdera! Building Lobby
. ,' IIJ ill Hi' I i 'fIIItY . Work has begun on the Eastern Shore Art Center expan-
: slon In Fairhope. Walcott Adams Verneuille of Fairhope
The rooftop neon sign has been : designed the new multi-purpose facility, which will be used
restored and work has commenced on : as a teaching facility and overflow space for large social
conversion of the 27 -story City Federal ; functions in the main gallery. A bank of clerestory windows
Building into 90 condominiums. The In the north wall will provide natural light, and cabinets
classical-style 1913 tower, the last of : at each end will serve storage needs. The project should
several early skyscrapers designed by be finished in summer 2006. Project architects are Mac
New Zealand-born architect William ; Walcott, principal, and W. Coleman Mills.
Weston with assistance by John Davis and Eugene
Knight (later partners in Warren Knight & Davis), will
have its terra-cotta exterior and ornate lobby fully restored.
Architects Cohen Camaggio Reynolds of Birmingham say
residential units will be classic-modern, more in character
with the original architecture than the popular loft aesthetic
of bare walls and exposed utilities. Atlanta-based Synergy
Realty Services is the developer. The tower stands on 2nd
Avenue North on the western edge of the 14-block downtown
Loft District Long-term lease parking for owners has been
secured in the adjoining Birmingham Parking Authority deck.
....
Crawford McWilliams Hatcher's design of the Gorrie
Building Science Center at Auburn University is demonstrat­ing
concepts such as sustainability and construction means
and methods to the students as it is being built The building's
south-facing orientation maximizes use of daylighting - cap­turing
natural light to illuminate interior space. Other energy
efficient features of the 35,000-square-foot building include
aluminum fins for sun shading, light shelves to provide addi­tional
natural light and large overhangs to provide cooling
shade in the summer. The students will pursue their subject in
: Anchoring the UAB campus green's northwest corner
opposite the recreation center (see Landscape Architecture,
p.5) will be a new academic building by KPS Group of
Birmingham. Each fa~ade is varied to respond to a specific
; exposure, and the east elevation shows a two-story glass
: wall faCing the green. The Academic Building will be five
: stories tall and contain approximately 90,000 gross square
: feet It will provide classrooms, lecture halls, instructional
. labs and faculty offices to service the core curriculum. The
: instructional spaces will feature multi-media instructional
: technology and provide special purpose centers to sup-
. port interdisciplinary activities, tutoring and administration.
: Construction will begin spring 2006 with completion slated
; for January 2008. Goody Clancy and Associates of
Birmingham is associate architect on the project
a building created as a teaching tool. Mechanical systems will
be left exposed to reveal the workings of those systems. Some :
structural support elements will be visible, illustrating elements :
of structural engineering The three-story building includes a
glass-enclosed stair emphasizing inside and outside visibility
to encourage stairway usage as an alternative to the elevator.
Mike Tillman is the project manager.
Gerrie 8u!!ding Science Center at Auburn University
Easiern Shore Art Center Exterior (top) and Interior (boitom)
UAB Academic Building North (top) and East Elevations (bottom)
andscape rchitecture II
Increasing residence capacity has
been a goal for the University of
Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Now
plans for a UAB campus green sur­rounded
by a campus recreation
center, dining hall, dorms and aca­demic
buildings will create a true
undel·graduate campus environment.
On the west side of the 80-plus square block urban
, campus, two blocks of 15th Street South have been per-manently
vacated as part of the new open space. UAB
: commissioned HKW architects and Nimrod Long &
: Associates, both of Birmingham, to develop a plan fOI·
: the traditional quadrangle and guidelines for surrounding
, buildings for the four-block ensemble.
: A relatively gentle 25-foot grade change from UniversiDJ
Boulevard up to 10th Street South was an advantaoe
: The landscape architects divided the space into a I~wer
· lawn with an oval north end echoing the adjacent curve
: of the UAB Campus Recreation Center completed about
: two years ago. A 4-foot-high overlook that doubles as a
: stage separates this area from the main lawn, which has
: enough slope to work as an amphitheatre. A bell tower
, will command this space with the ridge of Red Mountain
· in view to the south. On the northwest corner opposite
: the recreation center will be a new academic !Juilding by
KPS Group (see Architecture, pAl.
: A new freshman dormitory and freestanding dining 11all
now under construction will front the new green with
: outdoor terraces. Due to steeper slopes here, the building
· guidelines required these buildings to open to the upper
streets on one level and to the green on the lower level to
· make the space accessible.
UA8 Campus Green Pian
: In October 2005 officials of the Huntsville Botanical
: Garden broke ground on a Nature Center and Children's
· Garden that will contain the nation's largest open-air
: butterfly house and a 'Classroom Under the Sky' amphi-
: theatre to seat 250 people. The Nature Center soars over
: 30 feet with a 9,000-square-foot footprint and contains
· thousands of native American butterflies plus frogs,
: turtles, streams and waterfalls. The Children's Garden
is comprised of eight separate gardens in a 2-acre area
· with the following features:
.:. Space Garden: a real space station node, aquaponic
display and water rocket
.:. Dinosaur Garden: dry creek bed with dinosaur foot­prints
and dino graveyard where 'bones' are buried in
the sand
.:. RainDow Garden. a child-size, hand-cranked prism
windmill makes I·ainbows when the handle is turned
and sunlight shines through
.:. Half-Acre Wood· a worm world, growing shed for
hands-on planting, faerie bridge and bee's-eye view (a
mask children look through to see the world as a bee does)
.:. BamDoo Garden: bamboo plantings and instru­ments
including a xylophone, drum and chimes
.:. Maze Garden: three different mazes including a
buiid-your-own maze with moveable panels and a tree
house overlook
• :. SloryDook Garden.' toadstool seating, a pergola, hid­den
garden gate and wishing well
.:. International Garden: annual exhibits, plantings
and flags.
: The complex, designed by Fuqua Osborn (now Fuqua
: & Partners Architects) of Huntsvilie, is scheduled to
· open June " 2006. Tim Packard and Les Tillery are
• the project designers. The botanical garden recently
received a challenge grant from the Kresge Foundation
: to help complete the project. For more information
: check out www.hsvbg.org.
Tile StarUte Vvireiess Residential Ught Contreller
The Huntsviile Botanical Garden Nature Center Rendering (bottom) and Nature Center and Ch[ior8:1's Garden Pi;;.!' (3C,0'/8)
Inergi DeSign Services of Huntsville,
which offei·s creative and technical
expertise in marketing, product and
exhibit design, took a product once
the domain of the rich and famous
and helped bring it to the masses.
The new wireless StarLite system,
: an automated system of home lighting, was developed by
: CentraLite in partnership with the appliance automation
: experts at Synapse. Inergi provided the industrial design,
: mechanical engineering and rapid quantity prototyping to
: get the product to market quickly. The design firm took
• the market-targets provided by CentraLite for this innova­:
tive product and developed a range of industrial desion
, concepts witll the broad appeal of consumer-oriented
: home audiO equipment and the look of a higher-end soe­:
cialty product. The mechanical design team develooed
: the enclosure systems to house the eiectronics in ~ way
: that met FCC criteria and made the enclosure simoie to
: assemble and simple to use. Inergi's quantity Prot~typing .
• then got the product to market while its 'market buzz' was:
· at peak. The project team included industrial desianers
: Keith Savas and Terry Johnson and product m;chani­:
cal engineer James Bullington .
•
.. ~
~,
._. .:
••
Hartsfield Consulting of
Montgomery was chosen to market
Lockwood, a new gated residen­tial
community in the capital city.
Hartsfield was responsible for
Lockwood's positioning theme,
••••••���••••••. graphic identity, signage, sales
· literature and advertising. The prop-erty
was named for architect Frank Lockwood, who
· flourished in the first third of the last century, famously
· designing residences in Montgomery's historic Old
Cloverdale and Garden districts. Lockwood ·,S patterned
, after these successful early neigllborhoods. Its site is the
, old Standard Club golf course with a Lockwood-desioned
, clubhouse, which will be retained and added to the "
National Register of Historic Places. Lockwood will be a
pedestrian-friendly community of low-density, single-fami- .
Iy homes with cUI·ving streets, rear alleyways, underground·
utilities. brick sidewalks, old-fasllioned street iamps,
, three stocked ponds and a large centrally located park.
ReSidents are encouraged to build in diverse arcilitectural
styles, to be approved by a review board. A section of the
property has been reserved for a town home phase.
: John Hartsfield was strategist, copywriter and art
director. it was decided early-on that a cameo of Frank
Lockwood would be incorporated into every graphic piece
where practical for strong, instant, historical identifica-
: tion. Holli Hawsey was responsible for the graphics. She
cll0se a traditional Roman typeface for the logo to reflect
: the influence of history, with interlocking Os and Cs as a
play on "Lock." A!I sales literature was printed in cream
: and mahogany with a yeliow-goid border to give the look
: of an old album.
KPS Group of Birmingham is
involved in an ambitious plan to redo
the Crestwood/Eastwood mall area as
a mixed-use development - probably
the first 'greyfield' project in Alabama.
The term, coined by new urbanists,
refers to repositioning obsolete shopping malls in this
manner. KPS has prepared a redevelopment plan for the
Crestwood/Oporto District, a 476-acre area in Birmingham
that includes the Old Eastwood Mall site along with Cen­tury
Plaza and many more commercial shopping areas. At
the time of the study, the City and Wal-Mart were already
in negotiations regarding a proposed Wal-Mart Super
Center at the Eastwood Mall site.
The purpose of the study was to consider the potential for
the redevelopment of the entire district, assuming that the
new Wal-Mart was in place. Market analysis and consum­er
surveys revealed a demand for residential, office and
hospitality uses to support what is currently and exclusive­ly
retail district. And there are projections for more retail
to be spun from the proposed Wal-Mart. The diversity will
generate symbiotic relationships and bring new life to the
area. The plan recommends that these new uses, carefully
integrated and linked with an internal circulation systern,
can help to revitalize the district. The redeveloprnent plan
includes a conceptual rnaster plan and design guidelines
to guide future reinvestment.
Recornmendations in an access rnanagement plan de­veloped
by Gresham Smith & Partners of Birrningharn
for a 23-mile stretch of U.S. 280 in Shelby County (see
DA, FalllWinter 2005) have been accepted by officials in
Hoover, Harpersville, Chelsea and Westover. They will work
on a joint agreement with other state and local agencies
to allow access only at 1-mile intervals along what will
eventually becorne a six-lane highway. Developers will be
required to pay for access roads included in the design
as part of their development, like streets are in residential
subdivisions. Shelby County and the Regional Planning
Commission of Greater Birmingham funded the
$200,000 report
Redevelopment Plan jor the Crestwood Oporto Dislfici (top) and Rendering
of a Possible Scenario for the Area (bottom)
DesignAlabama 6
ngineering •
Paul B. Krebs & Associates Inc.
of Birmingham recently completed a
major improvement project for the
Jordan-Hare basin storm sewer on
the campus of Auburn University.
Insufficient capacity of the storm
sewers caused flooding at several
locations, and the age of corrugated metal storm sewers
led to collapse creating not only decrease in capacity, but
a threat to public safety.
The Jordan-Hare storm basin runs through the middle of
the university'S main campus, so the solution to the problem
presented many challenges. Numerous options were evalu­ated.
from tunneling to open-cut installation of new storm
sewers, before a design was accepted. Budget constraints
and other concurrent construction projects within the
basin played a significant role in the solution chosen. The
resulting project included installation of two underground,
off-line storm-water detention basins at a location where
Auburn University's storm sewer connects to the City of
Auburn's; installation of parallel storm sewers at locations
of insufficient capacity; replacement of collapsing storm
sewers; and modifications to the open drainage channel.
Gary Huffman was project manager. Nina Williams
was senior project engineer and Scott lee and Clif
Osborne were project engineers.
The project, which was on time and within budget, recently
received Honorable Mention at the 2006 Engineering
Excellence Awards Competition from the American Council
of Engineering Companies of Alabama, which recognizes
engineering achievement that demonstrates the highest
degree of innovative design, engineering merit and ingenuity.
Location 01 Jordan-Hare Storm Sewer Project on the AU Campus (iop) and
installation 01 Detention Basin 2 (bottom)
_ mnUI'I'!"",--="
The Montgomery Convention
Center Hotel & Spa being built by
the Retirement Systems of Alabama
(RSA) in partnership with the City
of Montgomery will architecturally
have a feel similar to The Plaza in
New York according to Dr. David G.
Bronner, head of the RSA. Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood
of Montgomery is the architect and Design Directions
Inc. of Marietta, Ga., the interior design firm. Buddy
McDowell of DeSign Directions is heading the design
team for the interiors.
A dramatic entrance with porte-cochere. fountain and
flags in the motor court will greet visitors. The hotel will
house 346 guest rooms. a 14,000-square-foot ballroom
on the main level, a performing arts theatre with seating
for 1,800 and an upscale restaurant with seating for more
than 140 guests. Metal and masonry will define and accent
the Veranda. the wrap-around porch of the restaurant and
lobby bar. The Cigar Lounge, located just beyond. will fea­ture
plush upholstered seating and rich wood paneling
The interior design plan for the hotel will utilize a color
palette of verdant green, jonquil gold. wisteria and brick
red. Luxury guestrooms and suites will feature 9-foot
ceilings, and dramatic headboards will be designed to
impress The clean lines of fine wood cabinetry and
granite countertops in the four-fixture bathrooms will be
contemporary in style
Atop the six-level parking deck will sit a spacious
European-styie spa, fitness center and signature pool
with zero entry and fountains surrounded by a large deck.
A salon. small cafe and large running track around the
perimeter of the deck will complete the amenities. The
hotel is scheduled for completion in September 2007. '"
Montgomery Convention Center Hoiel Guest Room (top), Motar Court
(center) and Hotel Exter:or with Parking Deck Behind and Convention
Center on the right (bottom)
/i c//
Loa hapo
by the students in Jessica Armstrong's fall 2005 feature writing class in
the Department of Communication &Journalism at Atlburn L:niyersit:'
Photography by Shcrri Bumpers
a
Along two-lane Highway 14 - less than 10 miles due west of Auburn - is a cluster
of historic bUildings shaded by ancient hardwoods. These early bUildings are the
heart of Loachapoka, recalling the days when tbis tin.y community was a bustling
trade center and stagecoach stop. Located within this historic district is a local history
museum, art gallel]!, a 1 OO-year-old school that s now a community center and
a feed store that would look at bome on tbe set of an old Western movie.
Loachapoka's population was much larger than Auburn's and
Opelika's during the 19th century. Today the town is so small­a
population of about 135 in a 2-sqllare-mile area - that city
hall opens only on \londa\' mornings. But every October on SHUP
Sopping Day. Loachapoka swells to about 1 ).000 people who attend
this popular festival celebrating the tOIVn's earl\' hevday and the
making of local syrup from sorghum and ribbon cane.
First settled by Creek Indians, Loachapoka gets its name from t\\'o
Creek Indian words, "Iocha" meaning turtle or terrapin and "polga"
meaning either killing place or gathering place. Combined, the word
Loachapoka means land where the turtles live or are killed.
Se\,enteen of Loachapoka's bUildings are listed on tile \ational I~e~ister
of Historic Places. Built in the 1840s and 1850s. these structures are
fine examples of pre-Ci\'il War Greek re\'i\'al and \'ictorian influences.
Jefferson Davis ate dinner in the circa 1850 wood-frame Havis Hotel,
which features Doric columns and a deep. wrap-around porch. les now
a pri\'ate residence rented by two Auburn Lni\,ersity students.
Lee County Historical Society Museum
Although the former hotel is no longer open to the public. se\'eral o[
Loachapoka's early buildings welcome \'isitors to step back in time.
When the Lee Count\·
Historical Society
was founded in 1968.
members purchased
what was once the
town's trade center and tumed it into a local history museum. The two-story. 6.000-square-foot fieldstone build­ing
was constructed in 1845 and is recognized as the oldest remaining commercial structure in Lee County.
On displa\, are artifacts depicting the history of Lee County [rom the time it was under the sea. through the
Creek Indian period and into the 20th century. Several early structures have been moved to the site. including
a blacksmith shop used by local blacksmiths and b\' demonstrators during Syrup Sopping Day. In addition an
early local jail was moved to the site. along with a 100-\'ear-old dog-trot log cabin that was dismantled and
reconstructed on the museum grounds, where it is now used to teach pioneering \\'ays of living.
Top Right: Rest area in downtown Loachapoka left: Oid hardware store and machine shop Bottom: Lee County Historical Society Museum
7 Volume XVi. No. I
DesignA!abama 8
During its trade center days a rariety of goods were sold inside its 17-inch walis - from farm
tools, housewares, cloth and clothes to buggies, lobsters, ol'sters and whiskey' in barrels, The
merchant's famill' lived on the second floor, and it is furnished today as it would hav'e been
when the famill' resided there, During the Civil War the trade center served as a Confederate
armory and survived two raids by federal troops, On displav is a portion of a rali heated and
twisted bv Gen, Lovell Rousseau's men ill Is64 in an attempt to disable the railroad,
Fred's Feed and Seed
With its old-fashioned signage painted on its false-front, Fred's Feed and Seed is typical of the commercial bUildings that developed along
America's ,lain Streets during the 19th and earlY 20th centuries, The fa,ade is built directlv on the property line, creating a zero-front setback, As
thev walk through the old wooden door, customers are greeted by' ollner Fred Lord, who opened the feed store in 1996 and was careful to retain the
building's original character.
Orer the years the building has been Llsed as a general mercantile store, a dress shop. and \vhen Lord
purchased it, a furniture restoration business, "I had to put in a new floor because the smell from the chemi­cal
spills was so bad," sal's Lord, who looks the part of a feed store proprietor with his long beard
and overalls, "But thaI's the onlv' thing thaI's new in here - the floor,"
Rattling Gourd Gallery
Fell' towns with a population barelv in the three digits have a thriving art gallen', :\ext door to Fred's Feed and
Seed is the Rattiing Gourd Gallen', a spacious 3,800-square-foot exhibit space hOllsed inside a restored 1907
Victorian home, While much of the architectural character of the hOllse remains, owner Gina Touchton didn't
lI'ant the house to look like it did in 1907, So she chose an exterior color palette of velloll', coral and green
inspired by the \-ictorian
homes of ,ionterev,
Calif The gallerv \las
named after the nearby
Saugahatchee River,
which means 'rattling
gourd' in Creek Indian.
Exhibited are about 100
local \\'arks bl' about 30
artists in variolls media.
"\,\-'e wanted to open a
place for local artists
to displav and sell their
work, but rental proper-ties
in Auburn were too
prohibitive," explains
Touchton, who opened
the gallen' with her
husband, Joe, in 200 L
"The house lias in prettI' bad shape Ivhen Ill' started, but it
had fine bones underneath, It had to be practicallY' gutted,
including a complete rewiring and plumbing system."
Past meets future in a proposed industrial park
Loachapoka's greatest attraction is its historic district, and local civic leaders are looking at \vays to increase tax dollars. while keeping its small­town
charm intact, An industrial park has been proposed on a 140-acre parcel about a mile east of the historic district,
Loachapoka \1ayor Larry Justice and the five-member city council went before the Lee County Commission requesting funds for the construction of an
access road to the propertY', The estimated cost for the ,9-mile road is $258,000, SaY's \eai HalL Lee Countv"s planning engineer, The road construction
project wilt be a joint venture funded by the county. the City of Loachapoka and private contributions. Among the three businesses that have expressed
The Lee County Historical Society Museum
is located at 6500 Stage Road (Highway
14), The museum is open by apPointment
year-round and from 10 a,m, to 4 pm
Saturdays April 1 through mid-November,
For more information, call (334) 502-8313,
interest in locating to the industrial park is Groome Transportation in Auburn, A portion of the
site \vill be developed for recreational use as a city park and playground, Hall says.
Revenue from the park lliiI be used to improY'e Loachapoka's roadways, "Loachapoka is so
small that taxation is limited," Hall explains, "There are dirt roads within the citl' limits
that they want to pare." A 140-acre industrial park is relatirely large for a town the size of
LoachapOKa, he notes. Even if the proposed industrial park develops to capacit); Justice is
determined that Loachapoka will retain the bygone character that draws thousands of people
every October "\\'e Y'alue the historical part of Loachapoka," he sal'S, "and we'll preserv'c the
historic area and as much green space as possible.".
Top Right: Jake Cook. 13. working ai tr.8 Syrup Sopping Left: Fred's Feed & Seed
Genter: Raitiing Gourd Ga!lery Bottom left: 100-year-old log cabin and displays
- Cbristirw Brashel: Cbristi Ellbcmhs .. Haft fJischingel: J1egCfll Smith.
JC/(_'~"''rl Hal!, Kristell Burns. Lilld·;!.!)' Gierer. Katie Brllmbe/oe, Sfco/e DuPuis.
,)"li%llc/a Jloore, Jleredith j()lcle. JIOllicCf Ilter!? 1(atie inL'ill. Sherri Bumpers
alld J1CfIl()!~1' f)oL'iclsOJl.
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS
AT WORK
bJI
Philip Morris
The impact of the landscape architecture profession on Alabama continues
to grow. More and more towns and cities, schools and other publ ic or private cl ients are
learning what many developers have long since discovered - landscape architects work
wonders with settings. Our survey of recent projects where landscape architects played
a key role makes that point again and again:
The before/after views of the main quad at show a hum-drum space transformed into an
inviting new place and a great tool for recruiting students. A landscape architect did the job
To establish an inviting new main entry for the Hospital campus in Birmingham. a landscape
architect worked with a fountain specialist to create a lively new mUlti-fountain !J!aza. It's become a new land- e! _,
mark for the city
went from bedraggled to beautiful at the hands of an architect and land-scape
architect working as a team.
Two different landscape architecture firms and a golf-course designer crafted an environmentally sensitive
pian for Lec(ges. a new golf community in a spectacular setting atop Green Mountain in Huntsville.
For the new :)' ZOO, landscape architects and architects teamed to create
a model sustainable environment that displays plants and animals from the state's five physiographic regions. It's a place
to play and learn.
For a in Andalusia, a landscape architect and archi-tect
created a monumental tribute to personal sacrifice. Its classical grace is compelling.
Planners and landscape architects worked together with residents on a plan to turn a part of Center
Point near Birmingham from a moribund commercial strip into a real town. Implementation has begun
In Shelby County the same planner/landscape architect team developed a vision for fast-growing CbeLma
to have a distinctive town center within view of U.S 280. It would be a far cry from typical sprawl.
Each of these projects makes clear that it pays to engage landscape architects early on to take full benefit of
their special skills in dealing with natural setting, storm-water runOff, circulation and a host of other site issues And, as a
whole, the survey illustrates just how many different ways you will find landscape architects at work. And every time
they do, Alabama looks a little better.
Phi/iI, .lforril' bas l!Iorc Iilal! 30 .F'tfi:" (~\f!e}'j(!iice ill IIltlg(r::i1!c {rori.! illcluding !i:1/ll/,rs as e.remlire editor {lild ediioN/(-!m;!.!.(' ai Southern Liri I1g. Coastal
Living ({i/d Southern :\CCClltS. AI/hongb be fe/ired iii 2000 . .llon'!:\' !'e/1laill.'· ({cfire as ajir'('/{{}!((! {ailer {/nd H!S/wc/er! /ec/lfrer 011 r!CI'ij.;il. (IS ltd! as {!
i!/({jor c(iJl/rifwlol' to Des!gnAhlbam;L
9 VOlume XVI. No. I
DesignAlabama 10
Cuder a pkm delle/oped ~r Dale Fritz & Associates, lal/dscape architects fIlIc/ plallners, the main quad at li'o), Unil'ers!l), lLtlS opened lfP [ritb a major rista past the
nell'jOlllltaill jJlaza to Bibb Gmres Hall, Tbe brollze sculpture ofa Trojan [{'((rrior is ~r [Arr}' Strickland of Flomla,
Troy Unive~ity
Tbe open vistas aJUt formal
crosswalks of the new Bibb Gra~'es Quadrangle
plan u'ere inspired by the late 1920s Olmsted Brothers plan
for the campus. The neu'iountafn and S(Nllplure plaza Ut{S
placed on line with building entrances to either side and
within [;jew of Un ivers it)! AL'f11UJe (bottom).
In April 2004 Troy University proudly dedicated its revitalized
Bibb Graves Quadrangle, the most prominent open space at the
core of its campus fronting cupola-topped Bibb Graves Hall. For
landscape architect Dale Fritz the project involved working
with the artist who created the bronze sculpture of a Trojan warrior
that commands the quad, but it was also a collaboration with the
original campus plan created in the late 1920s by the celebrated
Olmsted Brothers firm from Boston.
"As we developed a series of concept plans on how to reconfigure the quad, we
looked at the original Olmsted plan," says Birmingham-based Fritz. "There was no written
commentary available, but what we saw when we looked closely at their plan was a formal
cross-axis paitern of sidewalks and a wider walk circling the outer edge. The core was kept
open so there would be views of the buildings, while trees ringed the perimeter. That's
essentially what we proposed."
All existing loojJ road and related jJarking areas ill/he before photo
above u'ere remoz:ed /0 gire tbe quad {{fidl pedestrian cba}'({ctel: lYle
12foot-ltide mainltalk is iilled ll'flb ItiIIOll' oaks, u41ich. as they
grolr, uRI provide shade and spatial definition.
Nell' crosswalks and plazas tbat Font building ell/rances are
sw(rrced wi//) brick pm:eJ:\{1mned ill COllcrete. New light standards.
bencIJes, trash receptacles alId sigJlage were coordinated ~J' tbe
landscape architects.
/'be broad mailllrai/..1 on tbe quad perimeter gets archflectural
definition and human scale through tbe use oJthe classical column
light standards.
Massive brick co/umnsfi'ame /..?ey entl:!, paints all the CJlh'en;ity
At'elllte end of/be revitalized quad
Over the years a loop road around the quad had both parallel and
angled parking, so the foreground of most buildings was paving and cars
(see before photo). At some point a pecan grove had been planted. Several
The wide loop walk is concrete, while the 7-foot-wide
crosswalks and the plazas created in front of the three building
entrances and at the center point of the University Avenue frontage
years ago a hurricane had destroyed or damaged many of the trees. "It wasn't are red brick pavers banded with concrete. Willow oaks line both
apparent to many people how bad the trees' condition was, and removing the
grove was controversial," Fritz says. "But we needed to regrade the whole
site to introduce drainage for the lawn areas, and we also felt the Olmsted
idea of an open center shaped by buildings and shade trees along the edge
was the thing to do."
The quad was cleared, and the loop road with parking was removed.
In its place a generous 12-foot-wide sidewalk was built making a grand
promenade that serves major buildings and connects to other parts of the
campus The Dale Fritz & Associates plan placed a 35-foot diameter plaza on
the long axis from University Avenue to Graves Hall. Centered on a fountain
and the monumental statue, this focal feature lies on a cross-axis that aligns
with the main entrances to the two large buildings on either side of the quad.
sides of the perimeter walk on a 45-foot spacing, close enough so
they will grow into a continuous canopy for shade and spatial defi­nition.
Traditional lampposts found elsewhere on campus are used
for both illumination and architectural effect. Free-standing brick
columns with nicely notched corners and cast-stone caps flank the
major walk where it meets the avenue.
When it came to the most prominent feature, Fritz worked
with sculptor Larry Strickland (based in Florala) to be sure the
piece would be of a size to 'hold' the space and be visible from
University Avenue. They settled on a 9-foot tall bronze statue with
a substantial mass mounted on a massive black granite base that
together reach 22 feet above the fountain basin. The enhanced
A system of seven walks radiates from the plaza along pedestrian desire lines, quad, fountain and sculpture create a powertul sense of place for
but the lawn leading to Graves Hall is uninterrupted. the campus_
11 Voiume XVI. No. i
DesignAlabama 12
Fn~ St Vmcent's
11;i$ jJanorama view ShOlfS the grand fountain plaza
Sill/rod Long & Associates designed for all area belll'eell ,)1
Vincent's Ho:.pttal's l/ell' main en/mllce dJ'il'e on ell/rersiI),
Sou/emrd (lild its new North TO/eel: tbe larger basin {titb
its dramatic fl'ater action holds the cornel: {{'hile {( cun'ed.
stepped waleI' channel e,y/ends iJlltard (flld dOlell a slope to
the smaller basin aligned (tUh the .\'orth TOlfer elltrance. Fountain Plaza III the backgrollnd are c.s. 280 (Elton /3- Stephens E\l)ress~
Ifa):) and dOlt'lltOll'llBirmillgham.
Over the past decade St. Vincent's Hospital, once "st. Vinceni's CEO Curtis James really wanted some-thing
alive and energetic to welcome people and also be a place isolated on its hillside, has developed an expanded
they could walk out and enjoy," says Nim Long, His Birmingham-presence
on busy University Boulevard, With a
dramatic new fountain plaza designed by Nimrod
Long & Associates, the hospital now welcomes
visitors with an animated symbol of life,
based firm designed the %-acre space that extends from the new
North Tower east to meet the new main entrance drive, Both the
tower and the dominant fountain element are placed close to
University Boulevard, the main east-west connector between UAB,
U,S, 280 (Elton 8, Stephens Expressway) and neighborhoods to
the east like Highland Park and Forest Park, so they together con­stitute
a major new landmark along this corridor.
Though the seven-story tower set atop a multi-level parking deck was sited
and designed by Nashville-based architects Earl Swensson Associates, the landscape
architects indirectly collaborated: They eliminated an extensive system ot retaining
walls planned for the base of the tower. "By using a graded slope we were able to have
the building rise out ot the landscape, We saved about $200,000 to put back into the
landscape," Long says,
The design team traveled with Curtis James to Orlando, where Delta Fountains
mocked up various fountain components to let the landscape architects and the client
see different combinations, James wanted a big, powerful fountain, and he also wanted
one that would entertain through changing cycles Thus, in the larger of two circular basins
(10 feet in diameter) there is a ring of jets that spray as high as 40 feet. A 4-inch-diameter
water cannon at the center erupts on 15-minute intervals with a geyser as high as 80 feet.
A curved runnel of water steps down a gentle slope to connect with the smaller 30-foot­diameter
basin with a smaller ring of jets and central geyser Though the fountain
consultant oilen provides both design and engineering, 'In this case N'lmrod Long &
Associates did the design Otherwise, it was handled as a design/build component.
lbe plan illustrales {be lralk{('{(J'
,~rsteJJlIIJ({t makes connectiollS
imcard to jbe hospital camjJlls
(md tbe ci~r sidelralk a[ollg
Cllirersf~)' Bon/eeart!. {tNcb (J!!o/(~~
pedestrians. (IS ltell as dr/reI's, to
eJ{io..r tbe fiJlw/ain.
Tbe size qr/be maill/ollll/a/ll and plaza iserident ill fhisground[er(!!delt'll'flb{/Je.Yorlb Towel' as
backdrop. l1JC fountail1 pla:za desigll jJic/..~s lip OJ! fbc distillctire !lro~sIOlJ. gl{{s~--Il'{{/!ed rotunda 011
the corner fir/be buildillg. Botb the /mge and ,'1'mall/o/mla/lls go through (( cOlls/tllli ()'ele of c/;allge
pUllctuated l~)' (iIl8(j~foot-tallgeJse/' tbat (ji'llpts erC'!), 15 milllrtes/I'om tbe cC'llfrat ring qfiets.
"Norma"Y we would have placed the larger element to the inside toward
the building, but because of the inward slope, we placed the larger fountain in
the foreground,' Long explains Both shapes playoff the glass rotunda on the
corner of the tower, and the smaller basin is on axis with the entrance." A new
underwater quartz fixture that illuminates the central jets with a whiter, brighter
light provides extra nighttime drama.
As is often the case, the client is the major collaborator on a design,
and that was the situation here. The St Vincent's CEO wanted a grand fountain
and found the extra money to build it. At his insistence, the design also pushes
the limit on the usual ratio of pool diameter to fountain height - a basin would
normally have a fountain reaching no higher than half the 10-foot diameter - 35
feet vs. the 80 feet here. A wind gauge/computer system that controls the spray
heights also wound up cutting off the fountain for periods of time due to gusts
so it was programmed to maintain a minimum 10-foot height
A prominent site, an enthusiastic client - a joyous gift to the city III
13 Volume XVi. No. I
OesignAJabama 14
In its before condition Homewood Central Park was
much-used but not much to look at. A concrete channel
carrying Griffin Creek was a straight shot through the
middle, while pedestrian and vehicular traffic had des­troyed
the lawn and so compacted tree roots that many
had died. A comprehensive redesign and reconstruction
turned the park into a Cinderella-like after.
lbe major des/Poll mow for !lomell'Oac/ Centra! Park lcas rejJ/acing all ug{J' concrele c!Jmlllel
through /be middle of/he jJark with ({ more }fa/ural-fooking Griffin Creek. JlodJlg it to tbe U'esle1'll
e((fte freed lIjJ sjJace/or tbe nell' lalt'll (see piau). The curred a/ignmenl. tteil'S to sImI' dOll'll runoff,
gelltle-slope banks {(lid (f lOll' dam to impound l['{llel'joJ' irrigatioll fumed it from {/ problem into
till enrirol1men/a/ plus.
Homewood
Central Park
The master plan illustrates the clear dijJerentiatiollltmdscape
architect jane Reed Ross created betll'een the open, sunny Iml'n and
the u'ooded perimeter 'where mulchingj{u:ors tree roots. The new
stage pla),s either to the small amphitheatre tucked ill to the trees or
to larger CtOltdS on the l({lell.
u",, _ ',"'" ~"""''''''''''''''''= """''''"''_''''''",,,,,<0<'> ~'=''''''''j''''''''''',,,,,,,"->,
~,,,.;"'$~~'~'" '0<- '~'" '"<>"""
r...,'.,~.·,tr..-<'"''''£"''''.''''' "S"*""",.''."., .0~,,-''''l''",","," "C'o' ' .< '«"'~J ....." """ ·~ • ..,.,co,""""
M~s!"r PIM V:,::: .. :::­Homewood
Centra! Park
A master plan developed for the City of Homewood by Birchfield
Penuel & Associates architects and Ross Land DeSign landscape archi­tects
sorted out all the conflicts
*The creek was relocated to one side and given a curved, natural­looking
alignment stabilized by concrete edges and a stone bottom. Concrete
weirs and stepped spillways slow down and aerate the water, while gently
sloping banks are allowed to flood during heavy rains. A retention pool is
used to irrigate the park.
"With the creek moved, a new central lawn was created that is sunny
enough for good turf management and large enough to diffuse wear-and-tear
Existing and newly planted trees around the perimeter are protected by mulch.
Access for maintenance and special events is limited to the wide sidewalk
that separates lawn from tree zones.
* A new stage can play on one side to a small amphitheatre and on
the opposite side to the central lawn for larger events like the "Friday Flicks"
l-Iomel1'ood-based (l}'cbftec!s Bircbfield Penuel & Associates collaborated with Ross land Design.
71le ({/'cbitects des(f.!,lIed alf structures including Ibe lIelt main elJ/ml1Ce aJld (! lIw(tbcl'illg-sfeel
jJedestriall iJric(f!.e ore!' Griffin Creek. lbe desigll team used natire salld~tolle Idlb a diy-stacked
ajJjJe({!,{lIlce 10 lie jJark elements loge/bel:
{Abore] 1Ms rieu' sbows {be Iride walk tbal finks/ea/ures oJfbe /Jark. Tbe jJerlestritm bl'it(r.:e
sjJ{{}IS !be pool;; I/)al SIOll' Im/er alld retain some rtflloff for irrigation.
I~ftj f)~f.!.bi liell' rustic parj/folls ll'Iib cedar-sbake roqfs ({nd rougb-sawn cedal' limber supports
Itere sjJaced Il'ide{r enougb to awid conflicts durillg use. III direct Izr;btillg witbill lets tbe jJavil­ions
{tad' as great km/ems fo spill sop light 01110 the kul'1l alld frees.
The architect/landscape architect collaboration was real. "We spent
a lot of time deSigning the park together," says architect Chuck Penuel. "There is
a new sense of arrival with the main entry pedestrian bridge, and a formal axis
extends from there across the pond and lawn to the amphitheatre."
Landscape architect Jane Reed Ross pOints to the new balance between
man and nature. "They had tried to have both trees and grass throughout and
the whole park was mowed so people could walk anywhere. There were large
soft-drink trailers towed in for events," she says. "We had to cut 70 trees, many
in sad shape, but we planted 250 trees in the new wooded perimeter, and others
will be allowed to sprout."
Native sandstone, weathered steel and rustic wood were agreed upon
to make sure structures blend into the setting. Park users told the team that two
existing large picnic pavilions were too close together, which caused conflicts,
so eight new pavilions with wood-shingle roofs were spaced well apart in the
shady, mulched tree zone but within view of the lawn.
warm-season movie series. New tennis courts are tucked to one side, while a Along with the greatly enhanced appearance, Jane Ross is proud
spacious playground with a loose-stone surface and an artful fence of undu- how well the park has performed as a model of environmental remediation.
latlflg weathered-steel posts lies near the lawn and the main entrance. Replacement of the concrete channel with a new man-made stream that emulates
nature has worked within the park and all but eliminated flooding in the neigh­borhood
downstream. II
15 Volume XVI. No. I
OesignAlabama 16
4Sile[nc" HunlsVllle
L"",""""" ,,'
LaQuatra Bonei, PfllsbuJ'gb, Pu.
(;01/ Course ill'dJilect Ifunlzau/h)', CoillmiJIIs, Ohio
7bougb the Green JioUIl/ail! site rises s/Jmp(J' to 1.000 jee! ({bore the mile)" {and is genl{J' rolling {llId wooded 01/ tOjJ I{'here lbe Ledges golf course
(lnd residential streets were laid Oil! /0 fit existing COlltoU}'S.
f~~ The Ledges, Hl!ll~ •
~e
For a spectacular site atop Green Mountain in Huntsville,
developer John Blue wanted a new golf course and resi-dential
area to be as fine as anything in the region, The
right team, with landscape architects in the lead, was
essential to achieving that with The Ledges,
"John had assembled approximately 750 acres and wanted to create
a legacy project for Huntsville," says landscape architect Drew Wharton of
Huntsville-based 4Site Inc, 'Of that, about 225 acres of rolling, wooded land
at the top - virtually a plateau - would actually be developed" Critical deci­sions
were made that produced an uncommon result: a golf course open like
a park, not hidden behind houses, much like those done in the 1920s,
'We started with the idea of just building a private golf club, and we
had Dr. Michael Hurdzan of Ohio, well-known for his environmentally friendly
course design, take a look to see how it would fit,' says Blue, 'But it was evident
that the golf facility wouldn't work economically as a stand-alone, We needed
residential too," That's when Wharton became involved, and he assembled the
balance of the team: fellow landscape architect Jack LaOuatra of LaOuatra
Bonci in Pittsburgh, as well as UDA, also of Pittsburgh, to develop one of the
residential pattern books they are known for.
Working with the existing landscape got the most attention during
both the golf course and residential neighborhood design, Once on top of the
mountain and its rock escarpments, 1,000 feet above the city and valley, the
property was gently rolling so the new uses could be finessed with minimum
disturbance, "The course was laid out like a continuous perimeter park, so
from below you see trees rather than houses," Wharton says "The residential
streets are ribbons that follow the natural contour as much as possible"
TlI'O laJld;;eajJe archilee/ure firms. 4Site file.
a/Hull/stille alld LaQua/ra Bond qfPittsblllgb.
tORe/bel' derelojJed /be maslerplall ill cOJyiillc·
lion {cith the Obio-based goff couno:e design
firm ojJJurzdanlf/y. lbe course is laid OU! like
a contillUous perimeter jJark.
A pattern book dewloped ~r {lJA o/Piftsbwgb was {{sed to creale correc/(r proportiolled alld detailed
classical bouses/or lbe Le{{r:es. lbe open jJark ('gee! (?ftbe go(ffrlil'{l"(U's is el."ideni bere. Mosl bouses
bawalle)' access. so s{reels bare all illIiJllt/le.feelillg.
lbe Ilarrou'streets witb sa/l edges lcere insjJired by tbe Jlear!~J' {OlL"ll o/:11ooresr:ifle and tbe classical
szrle a/bouses ill Hllllfsville:~' lil"ickel1bam bis/oric district.
Two nearby, much-loved places set the tone for The Ledges From
Mooresville, the quaint early 19th-century village west of Huntsville, came the
idea of a 'very soft look' with narrow asphalt streets (22-feet-wide) edged with
grass, not curb-and-gutter, melded into private gardens. From Huntsville's
Twickenham historic residential district near downtown came the classical
style of houses spelled out in the pattern book that builders of the 225 houses
were required to follow. The golf clubhouse is a deliberate exception, a Tudor­inspired
stone building with slate roof intended to look like an old manor
house that had pre-dated the rest.
Some 90 percent of the houses at The Ledges have rear alley access,
which reinforces the soft, garden-like character of the streets. A typical scene
has rows of handsomely proportioned and detailed houses looking over narrow
streets onto fairways Picket fences set a gentle boundary between private and
shared space. "We wanted the course and the houses to look like they've been
there a hundred years," says developer John Blue. And they really do. II
17 Voiume XVi. No. I
Ozmler l1Je Birmingham Zoo
Arcbitect Giattina FisherA)'cock,. Birmingham
Landscape Architect Ross Land Design, Birmingbam
lhe lJl{lsterp!an ShOll'S the Commons Building with its dogtrot opening parallel
to the arbor tbat prN'ides shade and ties mriOllS :zones togetbel: To tbe lejl are a
jJar()' !JjJace, the bam and a permanent tent.
Landscape architect Ross land Design collaborated l!'it/) architedsji'OtJ! Giatt/l/a FisherA),cock 011 the nell' Children'S
Zew, {{ 5-{{cre portioJ! of/he BirlllinghaJJl Zoo. Variollsjea!/lres Oll!,mzh:ed along a 240-joot-!OJig. concrete-aJld-stee!
arbor are We{{n/ to be both jim and educationa! u'ilh kmd jimns. Ilatire jJ!allts {{nd both domestic alld wild (m ill/a!s
ji-om Alabama'8 }ife jJ/~)'siograpbic regions. The jJk~)' fountain area is ill !he Coastal Plain. lbe buildi IIg with a cupola
in the bacA:,groltlld is a bam ldth pmn auimals that doubles as a petting zoo.
A created lfet/rmd zcfth indigenous grasses
and pklllts siDles aud cleal/ses zwter before
it reaches tbe pond
Phase II, the AlabaJlla Wilds, features all Otter Poolll'ith {/
nJ{f}Hlltfde rock jarllla/ioJl and lcateljCd!.
gham's
_. .-.....-.-..dren' s Zoo
• .- ..... ...... . " ......
. ... ~ ....
Sustainable environment plays out both for real and for fun at the Junior League of
Birmingham-Hugh Kaul Children's Zoo, Ross Land Design assisted Giattina Fisher Aycock The barn, which serves as a farm animal petting zoo, was built using traditional rnortise-and-
Architects in a master plan that exemplifies collaboration across a range of site, building
and pedagogical issues,
tenon frame clad in southern yellow pine,
Ross Land Design specified native plants to represent natural regions Storm water is
Incorporating 5 acres within the 100-acre Birmingham Zoo, the Children's Zoo site collected from roofs and stored in cisterns for irrigation Rock formations emUlate those found
is divided into five regions reflecting the physiographic regions of the state Highland Rim, in the Valley and Ridge region, The Alabama Wilds (Phase II, completed in 2003) was carefully
Cumberland Plateau, Valley and Ridge, Piedmont and Coastal Plain, Plant materials, animal planned and executed to assure minimal damage to existing forest cover The major exhibit here
life, exhibits and play components -like a giant spider web, climbing rocks and interactive is the Otter Pond with a rock-formation waterfall and adjacent wetlands, An existing storm flume
water features - both teach and entertain, Locales range from urban to rural to wiid, and spring were redirected to naturally feed this zone, the spring running through a constructed
wetland planted with indigenous grasses and perennials,
The architects organized the diverse range of features in Phase I around a 240-
foot-long, concrete-and-steel arbor covered with vines and fitted with tans to temper the
climate, The adjOining Commons BUilding with restaurant, changing rooms, restrooms,
teaching rooms and a gift shop breaks in the middle with a breezy dogtrot. The building
The multi-layered elements of the Children'S Zoo can be used to teach visitors, both
children and adults, about nature and man's relation to it on numerous levels, An intricate inter­play
between architects and landscape architects, the push on green sustainable design from
uses deep overhangs and an exposed concrete fioor to mediate indoor temperature swings, both professions is part of the lesson, •
DesignAlabama 18
Located near ci~r ha//, the Coring/all COllJ1~1' Ve/erallS Jlemorial Park ill Andalusia/ea/utes a 36-foo/~tall
monument to residents uho lost tbeir lires ill tIIZ)' oJtbe 20tb-cen/lIIJ I{'ars. Landscape arciJitect lJale fritz (­Associates
desigJled the park anti local arcb/fect ffoltlell.llcClIl'JJ the classical obelisk.
VETERANSPARK
7
With a loop 1((Ilk/{'(~)' airea{{r ill place. Ibe Itmd\'cape arc/Jilectsplacetl /be monumellt
plaza Ileal' Ibe ceil/(!l' {{ud cO/lIlec/ed it to the loop Itifb three slighl{l' curred Imlks.
Ibe ShIil/less steel obelisk required a Imge
base. so tbe polisbed bI{{ck grallite sbeets {(sed
to clad the concrete jJrol/ided room fo can:)"
ll{fIlws/rom each 1m}: J/Je s{al'-shajJed plaza is
surjrlced ill red brick /larers. !Jlmzr c{(}'~l'illg the
names qfdollors./iIJllib· or.friellds.
Tbe memorial dreuIrom {! !ride base qflocal
support. SbOll'll bere a/ the dedication Oil
Fe/elY/lls /){~J' i112004 are (r(f.!,bt /0 leftj Sell.
/imJJzr W Holley Earl V/O!JIISOII (former )}l((ror
o/Andalusia). ,~J'lriaJobllsoll (£arl:" /l'tre).
Ch(lllCellorjack [Jmckllls (li'oJ Cnfrersit.r) ({lId
101m Scbmitll Ul'O.,v CJlh·el~"iZl).
11'''~I~ ",v l eterans Me mon·a l P.a rk
.', :, ~
Turn a corner near Andalusia City Hall, and there is quite a surprise - a 36-fooHall
classical monument in a quiet little park, Come closer and, surprise again. The
obelisk set atop the black granite base is made of finely honed stainless steet This
is the Covington County Veterans Memorial Park, a unique collaboration between a
Birmingham-based landscape architect, a local architect, a masterful welder and a
host of dedicated citizens.
"There had been talk about a memorial to veterans for about 30 years," says
landscape architect Dale Fritz, who was introduced to Andalusia several years ago
when he designed the re-created courthouse square at the center of town. 'Things just
came together, and I am stili amazed at what this town managed to pull off."
With local architect Holden McCurry on the team, the designers worked
out the details for a classical obelisk set on a concrete base clad in granite The
base was big enough (4 Y, feet square) that it provided room to engrave the names
of Andalusia residents who lost their lives in any of the 20th-century wars, keeping
the site uncluttered. The circular plaza takes on the shape of a star surrounded by a
field of red brick pavers. many sponsored by donors to the project Circular bronze
plaques set into the five points represent each branch of military service.
Fritz marvels at all the local contributions of funding and talent, including
the city's public works department's work on the plaza and walks. He especially
admired the craft of Vietnam veteran William Merrill of Wilco Welding, who over­came
technical challenges in constructing the obelisk from stainless steel sheets
While some wanted the memorial in the square, Fritz and others thought it (32-foot-long seams at each comer) over a steel armature. He even devised a way
would be better located in a place that would support quiet contemplation, as well as to grind the stainless steel in 4-inch-deep horizontal bands he calls a 'ribbon matte
community-wide remembrance days. When the City of Andalusia turned a former school finish: so from a distance it appears to be made of granite.
three blocks from the square into city hall, the former playground became a passive
park Dale Fritz & Associates had already designed an informal loop walkway with an
open center, so it made sense to locate the memorial there. Existing parking for city
hall could also serve special occasions.
"We developed several concepts that we brought to a meeting with local
veterans, some modest and some pretty grand," says Fritz. "It shocked me that they
embraced the biggest, boldest idea immediately."
'Every time I have v'lsited, usually on a Saturday, there are always people
there looking at the names engraved in the base or at the memorial pavers in the
plaza," says Fritz. "It has been very moving. I encountered a women crying after
she came to find the name of a family member, a sailor buried at sea. It seems to
me small towns have had a higher percentage of residents serve in the military, so
maybe the scope of this is just right' _
19 Volume XVI. No. I
(LeJ!] It) get a tOlrll cellter u'iJere nOlle existed. the pkm jor Center Point, dewfopedjoinN), l~)' RPC anrl
4Site Illc. oj'fIullf,\'!'ille, calls Jar sel'el'(lt block!:>' oImoribulld ,\117/) to be ,,,'lIbtfiride(1 ill/a tra(lftionalurba}}
streets alld blocRs. Sell' buildings (darker grey) Ifould include nen' retail (llld mixed-lise struelures
brol(;;bt to fbe sidewalk to sbape Imlllan scale and interest. A bat/block-lcide e,\'tellsioll oj/be existil/g
j){tl'/! on tbe /olterjJarl oJtbe jJitlllll'ould extend tbrough tbe neu' tOWll cell tel' lI'itb tOll'Jlho{(ses borderiJlg
tbe east (rigbt) side.
IAbore] Tbis jJageji'oll/ tbe Center Point plall document sboll's tbe tbree­(
timensiolla/ desigll brought to {be processjiomtbe lalldscajJe arebiteels at
4,'>'ite file. fbe pkll! Oil /be Ie}! sboll's rejil/emenls alld lfell' cil'ic bUildillp,s
illC0l1)()}'(Ited into a1/ existing park borderillg tbe j)(trkm{J'. fbe sectiOIl
dralting s!)()/n; tbe jHlrRljJar/ul'tl)' il/teI1)1r~J' and tbe persjJectice rellden'llgs
({an en/;{fJlced historic stOlle schoo! 1l0ll' cOJll'er/ed to ci~)' b{fll.
J'lJis bejiJre/ajlerp({ir SbOll'S boll' /be
existillg clutter o/Cell!er Point PaI'Jul'{(J'
(fej(j can be /l'tIwifol'med wit/) cit'ic
landscape to be all a/tmclire !:>1Jine jor
the/OIl'Jl,
Owner Ci~J' a/Center Paillt
PlaJlners RPC, Birmingham
4.">'ite Inc.,lJuntsrille
Center Point
.~ Master Plan
You can't really blame the Sirip commercial mess along Center Point Parkway northeast of
Birmingham on cily planners It was the lack of proper land-use plans that produced so
many ugly commercial strips across Alabama and elsewhere, But for some decades atter
World War II, city planning departments typically did not have the staff to help communities
create distinctive place character In the two plans presented here, the Regional Planning
Commission of Greater Birmingham (RPC) staff teamed witr, landscape architects/plan­ners
4Site Inc, of Huntsville to create dimensioned plans with real impact
Though there are traces of the earty days when Center Point was a separate place,
most of its growth came as an undifferentiated part of Jeiferson County as suburban devel­opment
spread northeast from Birmingham after the 1950s, The decision to incorporate
as a municipality (2003, pop 15,000) was driven by the desire to become more than just
a suburban strip, so soon after that was accomplished the city engaged RPC to develop a
5: Creating a Street. Sidewalk and Traiiway Network
6: Creating a Sense of Community through Center Point Parkway Re-creation
r Maintaining Center Point Neighborhood Quality oj Lile,
The illustrations shown here, a sampling from the report, underline the collaboration
between planners dealing witr, land use, transportation and open space as expected and the
landsGape architeGts from 4Site tnc, a firm that has concentrated on fleshed-out town center
plans shaped by the principles at new urbanism This is evident on page 12 of the report where
the historiC Center Point Elementary School, now Center Point City Hall, becomes the focal point
of a new civic center and open space, Along with turning Center Point Parkway into an attractive
boulevard, this will provide a distinctive presence on its major spine, A belore/after pair shows
how Center Point Parkway could be transformed into an appealing thoroughfare,
plan And with 4Site Inc, brought onto the team, in 2004 the project focused on trying to On the large plan (top left) the recommended improvements to the existing park with
reshape the existing suburban sprawl pattern into something more like a town, city hall, a library expansion, new fire station and other civic lunctions can be seen at the bottom,
The bulk of the plan above shows how a stretch of moribund retail strip (called 'greyfields' by new
After a three-day charrette (brainstorming with wide community participation) the urbanists) would be divided into traditional urban blocks with new retair and other uses brought
planning team settled on seven policy goals listed under 'Key PrinCiples' and fully fleshed to the sidewalk to shape a viable, mixed-use town center. The existing park would be extended as
out in the just-published report a haif-block-deep open space between the retail and new higher-density reSidential.
DesignAlabama 20
1: Center Point as a Transit and Pedestrian-Oriented Town Center
2: Promotion of Commercia! Redevelopment
3.' Ecological Conneciivrly ihraugh Sustainable Deve/opment
4: Community Gem, Reed Harvey Park
This vision for the newly established Center Point to become a town in more than the
legal sense will take time to realize, but RPC's Toby Bennington says, "They are now in the pro­cess
of implementation and have taken big steps toward that end,," III
f-l/Jorejlbe proposed Chelsea fOWIl cellfer {('ould 1?!I[.!.ap,e ifs I/a/uml Sl?fliii/-!. frilb a park aud lagoo}f a/
/be base (~r a steep, wooded bfll,'!de, lile circle OJ)(!IlS onlo tbis opell sjJace {{s mat/e deal' ill boil; fiN pkm
({!ld birth-eye jJenjJecfire,
/Rigbi J Tolul(r realize SIlC/; a pial!, fbe Ci~)' RfCbehea {(ollld Jleed 10 derelop a public street find open­,
Il)((ce pkm and adojJtform-based codes to guide primle del'e/oj}Jll(!nf. tbe circle is similar to (hal created
ill _lfOlllllain Brook ~ l//a,f.te u1lder a 1926 !!faster plan com mi-<siolled I~F derelojJer Rober! jem iSOll j/:
Chelsea, until the last few decades a hamlet off US 280 in Shelby County, now
incorporated as a town and growing rapidly, has the opportunity to avoid the kind
of generic suburban sprawl that washed over Center Point The same team - the
Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham (RPC) and 4Site Inc, - took
on the task ot preparing a comprehensive plan for 9,6 square miles with a bold
vision for a new town center included,
"For us at RPC, the study offered the opportunity to engage the larger
vision put forth in Shelby Countys overal! master plan, which strongly recom­mends
reinforcement of existing town centers and the creation of new ones," says
planner Toby Bennington,
The major strategic move with establishing a mixed-use oenter is to pull
it away from the US 280 frontage This dovetails with the access management plan
developed for the whole stretch of the highway east and south of Double Oak Mountain
(DA, Fali/VVinter '05, pp, 16-18) That serves two main purposes one, a center with
its own local circulation takes the pressure off ourb cuts and slowing traffic off the
main highway, and, two, it allows local residents to take care of shopping and other
activities without having to get into traffic congestion
. /:
LEGEND
Plallners RPC, Birming/;alll
4Site lllc .. Ilulllsl'ille
The RPCI4Site Inc. concejJt pkm/hr ({ neu' Chelsea JJlI:red­lise
form center uses a Jlefu'Ork ojlocal blocks alld sfreels
to create all accessible, jJedestrit(ll:/hend(r arM illstead of
tbe OjJica/ commercia! sfr!j). Key routes connecting to [",S.
280 prodde severa! 1("{(),S /0 access both Ihe bigbU"(!J' alld
tbe t01l'1l cenlel: Nee/flillear block:s are closer to fbe bighl/'{~r
lrilb {/ dislillclire circle (ft the poi III u"i)(!i'e fi)ffr tbmugh
streets cOlll'eq!,e.
view of the highway but far enough away to do something" That something is
a system of traditional streets that is rectilinear for several blocks back from the
highway but then turns into a radial layout centered on a major intersection,
Instead of all local traffic loaded onto one typical over-wide thor­oughfare,
there would be several ways to get on and off US 280 using the
local street grid and two or more highway crossovers, As new urbanist studies
have demonstrated, a network of local streets and blocks provides many choioes
of movement and results in a more pedestrian-friendly development
The hand of the landscape architect at work comes to the fore
with a oloser look at the plan, bird's-eye perspective and section drawing, for
the circle opens onto a proposed public park and lake dramatically situated
at the base of a steep, wooded hil!side. If built as proposed, the Chelsea town
center would embody that most satisfying of urban conditions: a dense, walk­able
town juxtaposed with its natural setting
The rich interplay of planning and landscape architecture once seen
in work like the 1926 master plan for Mountain Brook (landscape architect
Warren Manning Jr, developer Robert Jemison Jr) is in revival at RPC and
"The whole impetus of the plan was to get away from the mindset that elsewhere, That is stunning good news for anyone who cares about making
everything has to face 280" says Drew Wharton of 4Site Inc. 'As we started looking livable, memorable piaces III
for opportunity sites, the logical place became a large piece of undeveloped land within
21 VOlume XVI. No. i
DesignAlabamatU pdate
\
~-~-~-'
OesignAlabama 22
Mayors Design Summit
Design".
Mayors Summit
by Gina Glaze Clifford
First announced at the 2005 A!abama League of Municipalities
Conference in Huntsville, the summit garnered the early support
of Mayor Jim Byard of Prattville, the League of Municipalities and
the Alabama Development Office, DesignAlabama received a num­ber
of applications from mayors across the state, From these can­didates
five mayors were selected to attend: Cecil P Williamson
of Demopolis, Tim Kant of Fairhope, William Bush of Satsuma,
Steve Means of Gadsden and Doug Brewer of Graysville All the
mayors presented information about their city and a specific
design issue facing their community. The issues brought forth
ranged from big-box and commercial development to pedestrian
walkways leading to a riverfront development.
Although the mayors with their design issues were 'drawn' to the
two-day summit expecting renderings and other images, the sum­mit.
in fact. produced very little of these, yet so much more~ Each
community was looked at in a very broad perspective, beyond just
its specific design issue, The key was to work within a mindset
for quality design and quality of life to ultimately make over
their city, beginning with the specific design issue,
With the city of Demopolis, the panel found that outside of devel­oping
the historic Frank Lockwood-designed Demopolis Public
School into an arts and cultural facility, the city needed to exam­ine
how to draw residents and visitors alike to the facility and tie
into what was already happening around the area, It was clear the
city needed to create an open sense of roadways and streets and,
perhaps, create an entire history and arts district with the new arts
and cultural facility as the focal poinL It was eye opening to the
participants, that such a small issue on the surface really encom­passes
so much more, This was the key issue for the sum mil: to
Participan!s of the workshop continue to discuss design issues as they work through lunch.
alert the mayors to the larger need for des'lgn and to show
how every future design issue can build on the one before
and impact the one after. creating a whirlwind of change for
better quality of life.
Quality-oHife issues are paramount for Mayor Doug Brewer
of Graysville. who wants to create a 'Mayberry' atmosphere
for his town. The community is already working towards that
ideal by hosting its annual Mayberry Days in the summer,
featuring personalities like Barney Fife and Floyd the Barber.
Beyond this one-day celebration, however, the mayor wants
Graysville to become more like Mayberry year round, though
he is not sure how to accomplish this. Mayor Brewer brought
the issue of downtown redevelopment to the summit as a
starting pain! Again, the panel of design professionals and
mayors reached beyond the downtown focus to encompass
broader design issues facing Graysville. Fighting pressure to
expand roadways from two to five lanes, creating a strategic
and comprehensive plan and even organizing community
clean-up days are the initial issues Graysville must address in
order to ultimately revitalize its downtown and change this
wide place in the road into a real-life Mayberry.
The other communities of Gadsden, Satsuma and Fa'lrhope, all
cities with waterfront property, face different scenarios as a
result of this fortune of geography. Gadsden's riverfront and
downtown is already thriving, but ofiicials are looking for
ways to expand the pedestrian traffic from downtown to the
riverfront in a safe, affordable and aesthetically pleasing man­ner.
And Satsuma and Fairhope, both near the Alabama Gulf
Coast, are facing issues of commercial development, both
attracting and controlling it to prevent commercial develop­ment
from becoming a form of urban sprawl. Though these
cities are all different, the focus of discussions with each
mayor was on the larger picture of dealing with zoning.
comprehensive planning and working to maintain what
makes each of these three communities special, whether a
baseball hamlet like Satsuma or a village-style community
such as Fairhope
1A1<:e
BVOM, "t·
4V1hj
ti<Ml47
yivw (
Participants include (iei! to right) Mayor Doug Bre'Ner of Graysvilie, Mayor
Winiam Bush oj Satsuma. Mayor Cecil p, Wiiiiamson at Demopol'is. Mayor
Tim Kant of Fairhope and Mayor Steve fVleans of Gadsden
The purpose of the summit was to help Alabama mayors learn
more about design and to embrace the idea that design
really does make a difference. Quality design for each
of these communities will lead to economic development and
a better quality of life. Armed with these new ideas and tools.
the mayors are ready to go out and begin work on the specific
design issue they brought to the summit, but now in the con­text
of the larger picture .•
Note: DesignAlabama is currently planning for the 2007
Mayors Design Summit. Please continue to check our Web
site, www.designalabama.org, for more information.
~~hf bppdwill Hod:.
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23 Volume XVI. No. I
Historic'i'Perspectives
OesignAlabama 24
bv Jessica Armstrong
0- ane
ama's
"Out of the need to service the automobile developed a building type
that would become a ubiquitous cultural landmark - the gasoline sta­tion.
By the mid-20th century, the filling station was the most
visited commercial building in America next to the grocery store."
- Daniel I. Vieyra, "Built in the USA"
A, THE ,\I'TO.VIOIllLE \;\CXnO\ BECAVIE A \XnO\v. i'.\STLVIE.
gas stations became fanciful roadside attractions, Some built in the
form of atlimals, lighthouses, space stations. icebergs. windmills
and pagodas, they cOl1\"eyed natural shapes, cultural themes and
exotic architecture. observes \"ieyra. Others suggested the \·~t!ues of
hearth and home, such as a vacant gas station in Bre\\1on designed
to resemble a cozy English cottage with fireplaces on either side of a
deeply sloping gable roof.
Today's homogenolls 'Anyplace l'SS g~L)-fast. food-convenience
stores replace yesterday's architecturaUy distincti\'e gas stations. de­molished
to make way for bigger stations or becoming obsolete on little-used roads. Some closed when the Ellyironmenta! Protection Agency
(Em) required updating antiquated pumps. Yet a Dumber of ;\labama's early gas stations sU!"yi\·e. Some b,l\'c been adapted for new use. I\'hile
otbers sit vacant awaiting their fate.
Gas Station Appears on the Big Screen
Wetumpka's old Standard Oil gas station looks much like it did
when it W'LI built in 1933, so much so that director Tim Burton
didn't need to change much during the filming of ""Big Fish"
(2003). "")lost everything is original," notes O\mer Sam 1l11nct:
ABOVE: On Alabama's endangered list, this "[The film crew] brought in old pumps and made their own
abandoned station in Brewton typifies the St~H1dard OH sign, ercn though we had the original sign."
small, house-like stations that suggested the The stucco and brick building has its original slate~
values 01 hearth and home and served as a shingle roof and is now used as an art gailery. Its layout and
symbol of familiarity to traveling motorists. location ill the town's commercia! cellter makes it ideal for a
variety of retail businesses, says Turner, whose father operated
TOP; Most of this 1933 stucco and brick
Standard Oil station in downtown Wetumpka
is original.
RIGHT: Birmingham's White Flowers Gallery
was dramatically transformed from a BP gas
station to a one-of-a-kind specialty shop
where everything is white. The white building,
with its distinctive BP cupola, now reminds
many visitors of
a church.
the g,L) station t()r many years.
Gas Stations in Bloom
When customers \'isit the \Vhite Flowers Galle,,· in \lountain
Brook. few realize that the building was originally a gas station.
That's what owner Diana Hansen intended when she made
some creative changes to it 10 years ago. It's now home to her
shop that offers ail white clothing. gifts and flowers. '·1 diMt
want it to look like a gas station," she says. "People ask if it was
once a church.·'
Originally a Gulf station. the brick building later be­came
a BP station and a cupola was added. l-Jansen painted the
green cupola white. giving the building its church-like image.
She painted the entire exterior and interior white, including the
concrete floor, and removed the ceiling to expose wood beams.
\Visteria vines grow on the beams, getting plenty of
natural light from large arched windows that were once the
station 's roll~up service doors. Originally two rooms, Hansen
removed the interior wall to create a more open retail space. She
turned the gns pump area into a garden. creating three arched,
l1li l1li o I e Clons
ar as a Ions
gated entries that lead visitors from the garden to the front door.
"I saw this building as a blank canvas:' Hansen says. "I really
did,it have a plan. but I knew I wanted a gelS station:·
Owners of Out in the Garden. at the corner of 'Ioore·s
,Iill and Society Hill roads near Auburn. discovered that a gas
station's concrete 11001' is ideal for a garden shop. A concrete floor
can get \Yet and dirty and "is belsically indestructible,·· notes
mmer Kitt Conner.
Cracks in the concrete foundation of tile 1949 Phillips
66 station occurred when it was poured during cold weathel~ but
sllch imperfections add to it') rustic character. The wood ceilings
in the front of the bUilding are original. Indoor plumbing and
additional space Well added in the 1950s. "Irs a landmark in this
part of Lee County:· adds Conner. "It Ivas the countlY gas station
and grocery store."
From Gas Station to Restaurant
Sinclai,'s Restaurant adjacent to the Capri Theatre in
~Iontgome,;"s Cloverdale district was once a Sinclair filling
station. There's no mistaking that this neighborhood bistro was
once a gas station. The stucco building has thick walls and a
large arched entry that accommodated a two~car repair area.
Bill Flippo. \I·lvo owns the restaurant witb his wife,
DJ. discovered the date of construction in an unusual wav.
Found inside the wall Well a nelvspaper dated 1934. Tbe station
had been llsed ,~s a framing business before the couple opened
the restaurant in 1992. Early filling station memorabilia is
displayed: including an old oil can and early sign age.
Roanoke's Elephant-Shaped Service Station
Wbat looks like an elephant filling station on ,lain Street
in Roanoke W'll constructed around 1929 ?eS a rock,· cliff witb
a lighthouse on top. The original bUilding. Kitchens Oil Co ..
was a popular tourist attraction. When the lighthouse \las
remored. the remaining structure resembled
an elephant.
Around 1950 the elephant station
became Joe"s Exxon. Although recently
painted, there are no plans lor the privately
owned bUilding. which 1m been vacant
for about si\ years according to an article
in lbe !landolph leader. This example of
fantasy-themed early roadside architecture
is featured in ··,llabama Architecture: Look­ing
at Building and I'lac(· by Alice Bowsher
and Lewis Kennedy.
Another good example of a fan­telsv-
themed station is The Bottle. built in
LEFT: Nowa garden shop outside Auburn. this
1949 former gas station originally contained
two offices and a small grocery store. The pump
island is still intact and is used as a planter with
clay dog statues hiding the pump pipes.
ABOVE: Although it now houses a popular Mont"
gomery restaurant, the stucco bays of this former
Sinclair gas station reveal its original function.
LEFT: Built as a tourist attraction in 1929, the va-cant
service station in Roanoke now resembles an
elephant but was originally built as a rocky cliff
with a lighthouse on top and windows all around
that were illuminated at night.
25 Volume XVI. No. I
II
II
TOP: '·The world's largest bottle" was a combina-tion
service station, grocery and home built five
miles north of Auburn in 1924. Painted bright
orange, the structure - destroyed by a 1933 fire
- was 64 feet tall and 49 leet around its base.
1924 to resemble a \jehi soda bottle. Located fire miles north of
Auburn, the orange-painted, 64-fooHal! gas station and groce!~'
store featured an observation
area in its bottle cap. The
Bottle welS destrored Iw a fire
in 1933.
Gas Station/Cafe
to Become
Children's Museum
A grant from the state Depart­ment
of Transportation will
renorate College Inn, a gas
station and adjacent cafe in tlthens, to be llsed as a children's
museum. The project calls for replacing the original sign and
pumps to aUow children to c\perience a gas station of tbis era.
"[College Inn's] tiled eares skirting the parapet and
the ceramic insets 1110St definitely acknowledge the melange of
\Iediterranean and eren \Iidwestern prairie influences that often
worked their way' into cOIllmercial architecture of the 1920s." ex·
plains Robert Gamble, \labama lIistorical Commission's senior
architectural historian. "The mixing of Illotifs, materials and
impulses from variolls sources to come up with a commercial
architecture - including filting stations - that was fresh and
practical and functional for the new automobile age is what's
intell::stillg here, "
The cafe '''l' a popular hangout in the 1940s for return·
ing World War II soldiers attending Athens State on the GI bill. It
will be lestored to lOOK like it did dllling that period, sa" \likhd
Caudle, Athens State Uni\'ersity retired history professor who
wrote tbe DOT grant Adds Gamble, "This station had an eatery
MIDDLE: A brick and slone former gas station and that was sort of a forerunner orthe m:Ll)sirc service centers One
cafe built in Athens in the 1930s is being renovated finds today at erel~' interstate c\cbange."
by JH Partners Architecture in Huntsville to be used
as a children's museum. Gas Station Now Stylish Home
ABOVE: This 1 ,800-square-foot home in Headland
was originally a small, one·room service station
built by the great·grandmother of the current owner,
who turned it into a stylish home.
RIGHT: This vacant 1930 station in Fort Deposit
operated as a gas station until 1995 and had a small
apartment in the rear. In need of repair due to ter·
Inside an unassuming old filling station is a sophisticated.
modern interior that's been featured Oil national television. Jim
McGee grew up across the street from the station built by his
great-grandfather in the 1920s in Headland, Seven miles north
of Dothan. It took \leGee se,'en months to turn the one·roo111
Texaco station into a sleek residence. In October 2004 \lcGee's
home was featured on an HG1Y series called "Building Charac·
ter" which no longer airs.
mites and Hurricane Ivan, the building is on The original brick station \V,LS enlarged in concrete
city.owned industrial park property. block and is now 1,800 square feet. His living room is in the orig­inal
section, where outlines of fan belts and radiator; that hung
on the walls are still risible. ,lcGee enclosed the bays and uses
Running on Empty:
Abandoned Station in Fort Deposit
DeSigned as a 'cottage t)'Ve' in 1930, a service station in Fort
Deposit is on the site of a proposed industrial park. Plans mal'
involve turning it into a welcome ce!1tel~ since motorbts pass
it coming into town off the interstate. The onNoom building.
which features a distinctive octagonal window in the front door,
needs a new roof, which was damaged during HUlTicane Ivan.
The station was built b\' and for a prirate owner rather
than 'lS part of a franchise, notes Gamble. "Nonetheless, the
owner selected a predictable [ormat that could have been 'lS at
home in California or Illinois as here in Alabama."
Raising Awareness
Recognizing that early g~L'l stations arc an important part of the
built el11'ironment, the Alabama Preser\'ation Alliance and the
Alabama Historical Commission listed historic gas stations on
their annual "Places in Peril" for 2005.
",lat1l' old stations in Alabama are now abandoned or
have been demolished, . explains \Ielanie Betz, architectural
historian with the Alabama
Historical Cornmission.
"Sometimes the communi-ties
they serve are gone or the
traffic has moved to another
higbway. ~lost of them just
dOll 't work anymore because
of the way people sell gas
today. But many can find new
uses that retain their essential
appcarance. TIlc kCI' to this is
raising awareness of the way these structures functioned and how
the deSigns evol\'ed" 'i'
one as a den. Concrete slab floors \vere painted and a corrugated jessica Arms/rang is {{ j?'ee/allce writer !icing in Auburn.
DesignAiabama 26
tin ceiling was added along with mahogany crown Inolding. "1
didn't do anything to the exterior, but completel\' upgraded the
inside," explains ,1cGee, who turned the old pump island into a
briCK planter "I love it - it works IV~II for a house."
Designer~Profile
Architect: Evans Fitts
Away or at Home, Ideas Are All Around
by Gita M. Smith Tuscaloosa architect Evans Fitts did not at first decide to join his father's firm when
he graduated from Auburn University's School of Architecture in 1985. In fact, he left
Alabama and went to Atlanta, where he worked lor eight years in the firm of Stang & Newdow, There he focused
on such high-profile projects as the restoration of the historic Healey Building in Atlanta's downtown Fairlie-Poplar district.
This restoration addressed an entire city block and redefined the relationship of the bUilding to the public streets, Important design
elements included the restored rotunda lobby and the addition of the sky-lit galleria and roof garden with a panoramic view of Atlanta's
surrounding landmarks.
But in 1993 wilen his father, jim Fitts, and his former partner split, Evans agreed to come home to design commercial/civic projects
and become the senior Fitts· new partner. No\\' with Jim designing residential projects and Evans' wife. Kelly, designing interiors, they
have trulv created a family atelier at their Bryant Drive studio, Fitts recalls that decision as "one of those opportunities that we felt, if we
didn't take it, we would have missed ont."
There is no doubt that the Tnscaloosa and Mlanta skvliues are radically different. The change between cities was a shift in terms
of design possibilities, "If I had to assess Tuscaloosa," savs Fitts, "I would sav some of the older bnildings are relativelv interesting, The
nniyersity has some nice traditional Georgian architecture, but the majorit\' of buildiugs are 'safe: Iu general tire clients do not want
radical deSigns."
But mo\'ing into a small firm in Tuscaloosa ga\'e Fitts a wider yariety of projects, "I n big cities fi rms tend to specialize:' says Fitts, "They
ma\, do health care complexes or schools exclusi\'el\', Tuscalnosa, you find yourself doing a lot of different things, which is good because the
work is never monotonous. Currently I am designing a bank. a restaurant and even a residential bathroom renovatioll. Although we do a
Yariety of building types,1 think the consistent idea that we like to convev on each project is a high attention to nice architectural design,
We want every building to look nice on the outside and function well ou the interior"
One of Fitts' completed projects is the refurbishing of the Children's Hands-On Museum in Tuscaloosa, In 1986 the museum was gi\'en
a two-stor\' building in downtown Tuscaloosa, The original structure, built in the I950s as a 1V0olworth's retail store, was a tvpical mod­ernist
brick box, "Through the years the museum has made improvements and modifications to the building as funds became a\'ailable,"
explains Fitts, "M\' recent work on the exterior fa~ade \\'as an effort to impro\'e the building's street presence to better invite the youngsters
in. The installation of a bright red storefront system. colorful railing with playful figures and new neon signage makes the building an
inviting place for kids to come learn and play,"
AbOl.'e: The office of Fitts Architects
Right: The Children's HfiUds-OIl Museum
I ~ ! nil
27 Volume XV). No. I
The Northport Public Safety Building The 6'1'8ene Bel'erage Company The McDonald Hllghl'es Community Cel1te1'
Fitts takes his design inspiration from many sources. On a recent I;sit to Seattle he lIas excited building I(lU hale to be a litt!e more inlenti,e to \lork around
by Rem K()olhaas' Seattle Public Library. Although he is not a strict disciple of anyone school, he admires the work of i.e COl'busier and. those conditions."
more recently, of Frank Cellry. "Both have done marrelolls \\"Ork, especially Gehry's stunning Guggenheilll ~luseu!ll in BilbaD, Spain. and In 2006. Fitts says, he looks fOJ'\\"ard to \\"Orking with SDme
bb Participatory \iuSCUnt of ~·l11Sic in Seattle. As Ke!iy and [travel we lore to see tile archltecrure ill other cities. And it doesn't have to be materials that he has not used ber()re. He has been wanting to
a particular building of note: we enjoy just seeing what the \"ernacular style is in a llew city." do something with curtain \\"aU i~)r some time now. It's an alu-
A\my or at home, ideas are ali around. "1 can see compositional relationships while \\'aJking along ill tbe woods. in nature" especiaily. minum-glass wall system k1r exterior use, and he'll use it in a
I see forms and compositional relationsbips start to reveal themselves. I lore to garden and do hardscape installations iIlmy yard and Tllsc:.doosa bank.
around our office. i thillk the architecture and structure of plants is applicable to bUilding design. \X'e bare done some buildings with tall. "'People ask me \\'l1at style! like or what my design philosophy
tree-trunk-like columns holding up a canopy."' is," Fitts says. "j would say I like all kinds of architecture becaUSe
Fitts is currently at work on a multilayered design challenge begun in the summer of2005. It's the reno\'<1tiol1 of a 1912-era, t\\"o-story good design is not limited to one style." .. ,.~ ...
mercantile bUilding in downtown 0iorthport that has been empty tor some years. Fitts' brief \\'a5 to bring it back to its 19U e.\terior look
and redesign and modernize the interior. The client. ~like Chambers. came [0 Fitts after he bought the old mercantile bUilding \\"ith the Gitt! JL SmitiJ is ajl'eeltlJ1Ce [triter lil.'ing in Valley.
idea of putting his office on the second floor and renting out the downstairs to tenants .
.. ! am opening up the original glass storefront that got corered \\"ith brick and ullsightly window systems in the inten'ening years and
wi!] install some lllonumental dOUble-hung Windows," Fitts explains. "We will add some metal balconies to wrap arollnd the front of the
bUilding and restore the existing brick fa~ade." .\ large skylight. h\"o-pallel glass doors and !lew interior \\"oocl floors and nnishes are
among the details that will modernize the building's interior. But as sometlmes happens with historic renOYatiolls, there are surpriSeS,
sa~'s Fitts.
"The whole proiect ended up costing too llluch, so we hare to go back and reduce the scope:' fitts says. "\\'ith rell()\'atioll you nerer
quite kno\\' what the existing conditions are - oid hidden rot or structural anomalies - until you start to rcmorc layers. \X'ith an Did
DesignAlabama 28
AbOl'e: The Frontier Enterprises e,"\'islillg 1912 exterior
Left: Sketch propOSing an historic rellomtiol1 for tbe
Frolltier Enterprises exterior
The Alabama Council of The American Institute of Architects
(AlA) honored seven building projects as outstanding examples
of architecture during the 2005 Design Awards presentation in
October. From a group of 37 statewide entries. a Birmingham-
Top to boHom, left to right
Auburn PLiblic Library
Fort \Vhiting Reserve Cemer
Musslewh'!te i=arm House
SynoVlJs Centre
The Summit
Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa
HlJl1!svilie High School
Temple Emanu-EI Atrium LObby
Crawford McWilliams Hatcher Architects Inc. of
Birmingllam received two Merit Commercial Awards for the
A
Details+of Interest
w A R o s
based jury selected two Honor Awards and five Awards of Merit Synovus Centre and The Summit Birmingham, Phases II & III.
The Synovus Centre, along the banks of the Chattahoochee tion, restoration and addition to the 1930 Fort Whiting Joint
This year an Honor Award, the highest level of recognition, was River, has a 'mill' appearance on the fa<;ade facing the city, Armed Forces Reserve Center is a facility for four units of the
presented to KPS Group Inc. of Birmingham for the Temple respecting the history and architecture of Columbus, and is Alabama Army National Guard and two of the U.S. Marine Corps
Emanu-EI Restoration and Addition. The 1913 sanctuary was more contemporary toward the river, reflecting the high tech Reserve. The solid concrete walls now have moisture control to
restored and the addition designed to complement the historic nature of Synovus and Columbus' future. The Summit is one of keep the original character of the Fort and protect it from the
structure and accommodate growth. The addition is joined to rne first large 'lifestyle' centers in the nation with an overall s'lte of Mob'lie Bay saltwater environment.
the existing sanctuary building via a four-story atrium lobby with 162 acres with 53 acres in multifamily housing. The remainder
grand stair and projecting balconies. An Honor Award was also
presented to Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood Inc. of Birmingham
for the Ross Bridge Renaissance Golf Resort & Spa in Hoover.
The grand estate's Signature is old-world made new with natural
stone and wood from the exterior flowing through to the interior.
Five Awards of Merit were presented this year in three categories:
special, commercial and ·Institutional. The recip'lent of the Merit
Special Award was JH Partners Architecture & Interiors of
Huntsville and HOK Planning of Atlanta for the University of
Alabama in Huntsville Master Plan. For UAH, which is transitioning
to a traditional residential campus, the plan provides comprehen­sive
design guidelines to foster visual consistency on campus and
a framework for future facility needs and creating special places
on campus through focal pOints and key gathering spaces.
features traditional mall-type retailers in an open-air format with The Member Choice Award was presented to Taylor Dawson
abundant landscaping and architectural design creating the & Associates of Birmingham for his Musslewhite Farm House.
ambiance of a Mediterranean hill town. The recreational farmhouse included five bedrooms and five
The Merit Institutional Awards were given to Williams
Blackstock Architects of Birmingham for the Auburn
Public Library in Auburn and to Seay, Seay & Litchfield of
Montgomery for Fort Whiting Joint Armed Forces Reserve
Center in Mobile. The Williams Blackstock-designed Auburn
Public Library maximizes flexibility of layout and patron control,
has a grand public scale and will allow for future expansion. A
long clerestoried spine floods the building with natural light, and
high ceilings and a panoramic view from the reading room draw
users. A centrally located, elongated circulation desk allows
visual control of the facility. Seay, Seay and Litchfield's renova-baths,
a 1 O-horse stable witll a four-bedroom guest dwelling,
a cookhouse and a greenhouse, This award is voted on by the
members of the Alabama Council AlA.
The Alabama Masonry Institute presented the Top Block Award
to JH Partners Architecture & Interiors for its work on
Huntsville High School in Huntsville. Tile school was originally
constructed in 1952. The goal was to integrate flow and space
solutions for future growth with an image rnat reflected the tra­ditional
style that students, alumni and the community request­ed.
The Top Block Award must feature creative masonry deSign
and highlight the use of masonry products.
29 Vo'iume XVI. Nc. I
Sang-Gyeun Ahn, an Auburn University Industrial Design
professor, has been awarded a Best of the Best Concept
Design award during the Red Dot Design
Corn petitions - one of the rnost prestigious
and farnous design cornpetitions in the world,
-@ Ahn's bicycle design, "Freewill," received the
coveted red dot - the international seal of quality for outstanding
design - one of 10 concept designs awarded out of 638 entries
frorn 24 countries, His design was recognized at the Awards cer­ernony
in Singapore and was on display at the Red Dot Museurn
in Gerrnany (wwwJed,dotde),
"Freewill" has visual appeal and a lightweight foldable frarne
that allows a rider to transform the device from a bike to a
kick scooter, The design is based on the
old,fashioned bicycles that featured over,
sized front wheels, To convert from bike
to scooter, the rider rernoves the handle
and snaps it into a hole that connects the
front wheel pivot in front of the seat The simple design has few
components and can be easily folded to transport,
"Freewill" Bike/Scooter ProfOrype
Auburn University graduate students in the College of
Architecture, Design and Construction are helping area com,
munities with storm, water projects, The students in landscape
architecture have worked or are working in Alexander City,
Pike Road, Eufaula and Brewton, In Alexander City the students
in Professor Charlene LeBleu's Landscape Ecology class
designed rain gardens to deter storm,water runoff, The garden
is a saucer'shaped depression that captures the first inch of
rain, allowing it to soak into the soil and can hold 6'9 inches
when full, It takes 24,48 hours to soak up all the water, elimi,
nating concerns of breeding sites for mosquitoes, Bacteria in
the plant roots and the settling out of pollutants clean the runoff,
In Alexander City the students built four rain gardens at two
schools and the sportsplex, costing less than $1 ,000 each, The
student, led process involved listening to the concerns of the
cornmunity, conducting a planning session, preparing concept
and master plans to address the water'quality issues and then
building the solutions,
DesignAlabama 30
Last November at the first annual Blue Hole Art Fest, a juried
exhibit of original "Seats for the Great Outdoors" was held at the
Village at Blount Springs, the Duany/Plater-Zyberk,designed,
rnaster'planned community, Architects and other designers were
invited to create one,of,a,kind original concept seating juried
by Brett Levine, director of the UAB Visual Arts Gallery, The win­ners
are: first place - Matt Blandford and Robert Bruner of
Giattina Fisher Aycock Architects for "Red Oak Armshell
Lounge Chairs," second place - Eric Tasker and Bradley Cordell,
third place - Arnie Rutkis for "Juncture, Arrival,Departing,"
First P!;:ce: Man B!andford & Robert Bruner of Giattina Fis!l8( Aycock Arcilitects
for -'Red OakArmsileil Lour.ge Clla!fs"
Second Piace: Eric Tasker and Bradley CorGe!!
Tnira Place: Anlie RUlkis ior "Jullcwre, Arriva:·Depaning"
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 environment,
stimulate economiC development and enhance
the quality of !ife 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,
For further information:
www.arts.state.al.us
or cal! your local county probate office.
LWT Communications and LWT IKBK New Media of
Montgomery held their fourth annual CreateAThon last
September, Staff rnembers provided pro bono rnarketing and
creative services for nine organizations in a 24,hour creative
session, In choosing these organizations, staff members looked
at the mission of the organization, what was requested and how
LWT could meet their needs, In 2005 tile selected organizations
were: Wellspring for Women, MANE (Montgomery Area Non,
Traditional Equestrians), Prattville Arts CounCil, Junior League
of Montgomery, Girl Scouts of South Central Alabama, Second
Chance Foundation, Partners in Education, Wetumpka Public
Library and The Sarnaritan Counseling Center, Among the ser'
vices provided was a Web Site designed for MANE, a nonprofit
that provides therapeutic horseback riding to area children and
adults with disabilities, The Wetumpka Library has a new donor
brochure designed by LWT, and Partners in Education, which
provides tutoring, rnaterials and services for Montgomery,area
schools, received a new logo, letterhead package, Web site tem,
plate and brochure,
Nonprofits in the Montgomery tri,county area can look for more
details about CreateAThon 2006 starting in June at the Web site
www.createathon.com.
MAlliE Web Site
Partrlers in EducaliOrl Col!ateral Malerial
W""umpl(d Public Libnry
Donor Brochure for the Wetumpka Library
Educators, community members, architects, students and plan­ners
are invited to A City of Neighborhoods workshop to explore
the historic Avondale neighborhood along 41 st Street South in
Birmingham, During the three-day workshop, participants will
create a design curriculum applicable to the K-12 classroom that
will build community awareness and educate about design and
its influence on a community's quality of life and economic devel­opment
Workshop sessions will be held June 15-17,2006, at
Imagine Partners in Art Inc" 210 41 st Street South, The registra­tion/
materials fee is $15, and teachers will receive certificates of
participation from the Alabama Alliance for Arts Education,
Events include walking tours of Avondale; panel discussions
of the neighborhood's history; examination of maps, photos
and narratives; art projects including sensory collage and 3-D
models; and breakout sessions, For more information contact
Gina Glaze Clifford, DesignAlabama, 334-834-4346, e-mail:
designalabama1@bellsouth,net The workshop is sponsored
by Imagine Partners in Art Inc" the American Architectural
Foundation, the Alabama State Council on the Arts, the Beacon
Program of Mainstreet Birmingham Inc" Support the Arts Tag
Advisory Committee, Alabama Alliance for Arts Education,
the Smithsonian Cooper Hewitt National Design museum
and DesignAlabama,
ViGtage Photo of a Community Gaihering at Avandaie Park
Historic View of 4 i st Street South
The Alabama Theatre, the state's grandest movie palace, was
one of Publ',x-Paramount's flagships when it opened its doors in
1927 and is the only one of few still standing and in use, It has
been designated as the Stale Historic Theatre To add appeal and
versatility to this venue, plans call for a new ballroom with street­level
entrance and elevator The new 5,000-square-foot ballroom
with adjoining kitchen will be accessible from the theatre or the
street Emory Kirkwood and Associates of Birmingham is
principal architect The theatre staff and architects are working with
other theatres that have similar rooms to find out how this ballroom
should be built and operated when complete. Interior design-ers
will utilize Spanish Moroccan elements so the ballroom will
appear as if original to the theatre. The Alabama Theatre is on the
National Register of Historic Places and is owned by Birmingham
Landmarks Inc, A fund-raising campaign is underway to raise th,e full amount before construction can begin, Tax-deductible dcnations can
be made by calling 205-252-2262 or mailing contributions to Alabama Theatre, 1817 Third Ave. North, Birmingham, AL 35203.
Birmingham Landmarks Inc. also owns the Lyric Theatre (above) in downtown Birmingham, which is gearing up for a multi-million
dollar fund-raising campaign to renovate the historic Vaudeville-era venue. The city has included a $200,000 pledge in its 2006 budget
to help launch this effort It is hoped the restored theatre will be able to host many of the smaller acts the Alabama currently turns away,
The Lyric is a key component of the Theatre District proposed in Birmingham's City Center Master Plan.
Montgomery may be the only county in the nation to Ilave ail its The Johnston-Curtright House in downtown Tuskegee was
incorporated municipalities pass some version of the smart code, recently purchased by Tuskegee Mainstreet Inc, Plans to rehabil-
Championed by new urbanists, the code allows mixed use, which itate what is considered among Tuskegee's finest Greek revival
promotes pedestrian-friendly communities and more public green antebellum-style homes is being prepared by Renee Ferguson,
space, as houses and businesses may be located in closer prox- a fifth-year thesis student in Tuskegee University's Department
imity, Local historic neighbornoods such as Old Cloverdale, the of Architecture, Constructed around 1850, the building will func-
Garden District and the popular neo-traditional developments The tion as a mUlti-purpose community center Vacant for years, it
Waters and The Hampstead are based on smart code principles, has deteriorated due to weather and neglect
The code provides developers an option to ubiquitous cookie-cut- Ferguson began preparing as-built drawings (floor plans and
ter subdivisions whose residents are more automobile dependent elevations) during the fall 2005 semester and will present her
Allowing businesses such as corner stores to be part of neighbor- work to Mainstreet this spring as part of her graduation require-hoods
and even residences above shops encourages activity, Ken ments, Sile is working with the previous owner to identify the
Groves, director of planning and development for the city, says original portions of the building, which has undergone several
that smart code has well-defined rules and requires a thorough renovations and additions,
plan to be completed upfront He notes that its guiding principle is
to be able to meet your entire daily needs in a five-minute walk Also helping with the adaptive-reuse plan is Amber
Bloomfield, also a fifth-year Tuskegee architecture stu-
The process to educate Montgomerians about smart code was dent, along with Robert Gamble and Tom Kaufmann of the
initiated by Envision in 2004 and reinforced in 2005 when Alabama Historical Commission and Wendy Slaton, a founder of
Jones School of Law and Envison partnered to bring in new Tuskegee Mainstreet Says Donald Armstrong, interim head
urbanism's Andres Duany for a iwo-day workshop, Then busi- of Tuskegee's Department of Architecture, "This building repre-ness
leadership took up the mantle when Lowder New Homes
brought back Duany in August for a charreite,
sents a significant bridge beiween the university and downtown
Tuskegee in preserving the architectural heritage of the town,".
Tuskegee University architecture students joined students at the University of Fort Hare in South Africa to design and build
a low-cost, sustainable public housing prototype for South Africa's Eastern Cape region, The project, under the direction of Tuskegee
assistant professor Roderick Fluker, has been completed, and the ieam is now considering options for additions and modifications
that could be implemented by the occupants, The project was funded by an ALO/uSAID grant to address the urgent need throughout
ihe country for affordable housing, The initial house was completed August 2005, with two other homes in neighboring communities
under construction, It is the goal of the partnership to adapt similar models for construction here in the United States, in response to jOi1nSOC,Cum'gili Hoose
the need for low-cost housing created by recent hurricanes,
Left 1v {Ig\':t Dr. Edson r{I€l'er, director of the institute ofiechl1oiogy. Univers:ty of Fori
Hare. Alice, Eastern Cape. South Africa; Dean Lucas. serticr architecture student
Tuskegee University: Roderick Fluker. assistant professor of architecture. Tuskegee
Un:vers!;y. The iocal brick contractor looks 0;1 as the community brick kiln smolders.
lea to right: Golden Makada, Uni'fersily of Fort Hare graduate student: Dr. Vascar Harris.
head ot aerospace engineering. Tuskegee University: Dr. Edson Meyer. University of Fort
Hare: loyiso Maw€za. university of Fort Hare graduate studei1t. Behind them is one of the
brick :;'fails of the low-cost housing lJrtder conS:fucUOri ii1 Somrnerset East. South Africa.
31 Voiume XlV. No.1
Desi nAlabama
Volume XVI, Issue I
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.
FROM THE GROUND UP: LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS AT WORK
"OPPOItU n itie~,>' {lre US! 11
aWhenyour
{lLV.!,uh;ccl Cl .". - harcl
work speaks
so /Jlost people
for itself
• recog n 1 ~X: j
don't interrupt. "
- Ann Landers
(~ rock pile ceases - Henry J. Kaiser
to be a rock pile
the moment a
single man
contemplates it,
bearing within him
the image of
a cathedral. ))
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery
For addilional informalion aboul DesignAlabama, please call (334) 834-4346.