During this morning’s Design Review Committee meeting, committee member Cheryl Morgan read a statement into the record of the minutes voicing her regret and concerns about the vote that allows for the demolition of the Birmingham News building. Morgan serves as the director of the Auburn University’s Urban Studio in Birmingham.

The statement asks for all to take part in protecting the assets of the city and suggests that there is some irony with regard to the News’ reporting and its actions with regard to the 1917 structure.

Click through to view a copy of Morgan’s statement in its entirety:

Design Review Committee
April 25, 2007

Statement read into the record of the Committee:

I regret my vote to allow the destruction of the historic Birmingham News building. My statement reflected my convictions; my vote did not. I did not exhibit the leadership that this position expects; more importantly I did not exhibit the leadership I expect of myself.

It is ironic that in the same issue that the Birmingham News reported this vote their columnist John Archibald railed about our inability to move forward with our plans as a city and he called – as many of our outside consultants have – for a Redevelopment Authority.

It is ironic that within a week – a Birmingham News reporter – Brett J. Blackledge – was awarded the high honor of a Pulitzer Prize for his investigation and reporting on the two-year colleges’ breach of trust with leaders’ exhibiting poor judgment and making bad decisions that seemed to be driven by money.

It is wonderful to live in a city with a newspaper that has quality reporters and reporting of Pulitzer caliber. These are the kinds of indicators that attract business, leaders and make it a city I want to live in. I want to be part of a city and a process that supports that kind of city. I want to be in a city that, like Archibald called for: gets things done. Tearing down our historic legacy is not a harbinger of that same kind of city. Great cities are not known for their great parking lots.

It is part of the responsibility of this committee to help insure we have a great city. But WE ALL have a responsibility to protect the assets of our city. It takes leadership not just from this committee, its members and the city but also from our business and institutional leaders. It should not take a stick to convince folks to do the right thing for our city and the cost to renovate or save a building can often be the least of the costs in the long term potential of Birmingham.