Downtown Revitalization: Birmingham

Five Points South



Situated in the Southside, near the slopes of Red Mountain, Five Points South is arguably the urban core's most popular entertainment district. This historic district combines tradition with modern diversity and is home to a number of restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues.












Sloss Furnances National Historic Landmark



A major industrial district lies just east of downtown Birmingham and the Southside.  For many years, this area was anchored by Sloss Furnances.  Constructed in 1882, it operated as a pig iron-producing blast furnance until 1971 when the U.S. Clean Air Act encouraged the closure of older and out-of-date smelting works. After its closure, the site was donated to the Alabama State Fair Authority with the intention of it becoming a museum of industry. In 1977, Birmingham voters approved a $3.3 million bond issue to preserve the site, create a visitor's center and establish a metal arts program. The only blast furnance in the country to be preserved for public use, this National Historic Landmark and a major cultural asset for the City of Birmingham.











Lakeview Entertainment District



Lakeview is located just south of Sloss Furnances. Once anchored by the Dr. Pepper Syrup Plant and Martin Biscuit Company in the mid-20th century, this warehouse district is becoming a vibrant mixed use district itself. Still home to a number of light manufacturing and warehousing operations, Lakeview also features galleries, retail, entertainment and dining venues, as well as infill mixed-use housing developments.













Learning From Birmingham



For those who marvel at what downtown Jacksonville used to look like, Birmingham provides us with a visual depiction of what such an environment would have looked like if all the buildings were not torn down.  While the downtowns of both cities have declined over the last half century, Birmingham is blessed with enough building stock to allow the natural revitalization process, of filling cheap empty spaces with urban pioneers, to take place.



Today, with every infill project that comes online, Birmingham's Southside and Downtown are quickly morphing into one massive urban district. If Jacksonville can apply anything from the Birmingham experience, it would be to attempt to preserve as much of its remaining downtown building stock as possible. If there is any city in America that would do well without seeing another surface parking lot anytime soon, it's Jacksonville.

Tour by Ennis Davis, AICP. Contact Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com