Category Archives: architecture

A look inside The Pizitz Building

Pizitz Building Interior. The Heaviest CornerThe folks over at The Heaviest Corner were able to get inside of The Pizitz Building recently and take a look at how the historic structure currently looks (they aren’t sharing exactly how they got in however). They’d already written about the building earlier this year (February).

They were also able to take some photos of the proposed plans for the building’s renovation.

Plans were for the 1923 building were announced building back in January via The Birmingham News after several attempts to redevelop the building (including this one from 2003).

The developer, Bayer Properties, has created a page for the project, scheduled for completion in 2010, on its official website. Both law firm Baker Donelson and Forest Park grocer V. Richards have announced their intention to move into the building once the project is completed.

Photo: courtesy of The Heaviest Corner post.

UPDATE: These have not been the only photos taken of the Pizitz in recent months. A comment received on the site last night included a link to Naaman Fletcher’s Flickr photoset taken over two years. FYI – the comment was deleted because it violated The Terminal’s terms of use policy.

Council committee to consider Fire Station No. 22 sale

IMG_3168. JCMcdavid/FlickrToday’s Birmingham City Council Budget and Finance committee meeting is possibly going to be a little more crowded than usual.

The committee meeting takes place at 4 p.m. on the 3rd floor Birmingham City Hall in its administrative wing. Among the items on today’s agenda is a contract to sell the former Fire Station No. 22 to a developer who wants to replace the Spanish Revival structure with a Walgreens. The Birmingham News reports that the property is currently being offered by the city for $200,000.

The fact that the contract has not been approved as of yet by the City Council may partially explain why the presentation made to the city’s Design Review Committee was conceptual on April 29.

Citizens upset with the decision have turned to FacebookTwitter and blog posts in hopes that City Councilors would listen to “constructive alternatives” to the current proposal. The committee’s recommendation will be considered by the full council, which must still make a decision on the matter.

Photo: IMG_3168. JCMcdavid/Flickr

What’s the plan for the former Engine No. 22?

Surveying Engine Number 22; Birmingham, ALWorkers were surveying the former location for Birmingham Fire Department Engine No. 22 early this morning, just one day after the city’s Design Review Committee held over for review a conceptual design that would allow a Walgreens pharmacy to replace the structure – along with the car repair business immediately next door and apparently long time fixture breakfast venue Bogue’s Restaurant.

According to a Birmingham Business Journal article from earlier this month, there have been several inquiries made about redevelopment of the busy intersection where the Lakeview, Highland Park and Forest Park neighborhoods meet.

Jeremy Erdreich’s blog, Bhamarchitect, has received a great deal of traffic, and comments, as a result of his post about yesterday morning’s meeting.

Dreaming about across the street from Railroad Park

TRO JB 1st ave pers There seems to be a growing  number of people interested in the suggested development proposals presented at last week’s Operation New Birmingham breakfast briefing.

For those of you who did not see yesterday’s piece in The Birmingham News or the reader’s poll on AL.com, the elevations created by Erdreich ArchitectureThe Garrison Barrett GroupCohen Carnaggio Reynolds, Sims Architectural StudioTRO Jung|Brannen and Williams-Blackstock Architects were presented for a vote – but the elevations only tell part of the story.

Each proposal envisioned the types of businesses that could be included and tried to work in the results of a compact agreed to by property owners and developers months earlier (including ensuring that parking was handled inside of the block. The proposals are just that – ways to visualize what is possible before going to the next step. We invite you to check out all of the proposals submitted and share your thoughts.

Downtown’s former Protective Life building empties

Protective Life BuildingWe’ve heard from several sources that the former home to Protective Life and the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce among others was in the process of being vacated this month. There has been no explanation as to why all of the tenants of the building have been asked to leave. Those of you that have followed The Terminal during the last almost two years know that our first anniversary celebration was held on the top floor of the building on March 14 last year.

We’ll see if we can learn any additional information and update this post accordingly. We’ll also see if we can’t fill you in on where our second anniversary celebration will be taking place next month in the near future.

Photo: bhamterminal.com

Quinlan Castle loses its top – temporarily

Removing turrets from Quinlan Castle (1 of 2), dystopos/Flickr

Photo: Removing turrets from Quinlan Castle (1 of 2). dystopos/Flickr

While many of us were infatuated with the relocation of the 1917 locomotive on Saturday morning (pictures later), work crews were handling another local historic icon on Birmingham’s Southside.

Folks were worried when they noticed cranes lifting the turret roofs from their resting places atop historic Quinlan Castle. You can breathe a sigh of relief though, as they were moved to the flat portion of the roof in order to make it easier for repairs to be made to them as part of a restoration project being conducted by the property’s owners, Southern Research Institute.

A new addition (sort of) to the Birmingham skyline

The skyline's a changing again

Photo: acnatta/Flickr.

If you take a closer look at the photo above (or look up if you’re downtown), you’ll notice that work is going on atop Regions Bank’s Birmingham headquarters. The building has only had signs visible on two sides during its history, dating back to its days as AmSouth Tower. The new signs will allow folks approaching The Magic City from all sides to immediately pick out the building.