Category Archives: Architecture

Annual Gathering, Architecture, Birmingham Historical Society, Birmingham pioneers, family history, Heritage Society, Historic Preservation, Membership, Red Mountain, Research

Sunset on Red Mountain

The highly anticipated annual event for the 2025 Heritage Society Gathering was at the residence built for Herbert Clark and Virginia Stockham in 1924 by Miller & Martin Architects. Atop Red Mountain on Argyle Road, the Tudor-styled home was called ‘Cragmoor’ in reference to the stone cottages and mists of the English Lake Country.

Historical photograph of the residence of Herbert and Virginia Stockham, located at 2930 Argyle Road, viewed from the south across the Sunken Garden, taken in 1938.

Herbert’s father, William Stockham, purchased the ‘Cragmoor’-lot 24 of Milner Heights-in 1919 and gave it to his oldest son Herbert Clark several years later. Herbert then immediately married Virginia Cannon, and began construction on the home (2930 Argyle Road) where he raised his children, Virginia Lee and Herbert Cannon, for the next 30 years.

A greatly-respected business industrialist, Herbert Clark Stockham proceeded to lead Stockham Pipe founded by his father in 1903 to national and international success. Herbert Clark Stockham died in 1958, and his wife Virginia in 1964, and the home was purchased by Martha & Marion Brodnax.

A portrait of Herbert Clark Stockham, featuring a middle-aged man with glasses, short hair, and wearing a suit. The background includes text about his contributions and character.

Improvements to the front entrance, kitchen, porch area, and garage were added in 1984 by new homeowners Virginia & Richard Scruggs, who sold it to Doug Click and Gregg MCormick in 2023, our generous hosts for this event. They recently added a pool/activity area and are landscaping the forested ridge.

Our Heritage Society Hosts: Doug Click, Gregg McCormick, and Virginia Scruggs
Party Planners; Virginia Markstein, Jay Draper, Mark Thompson
Interior view of a sunlit room with stone walls, featuring a large potted plant, a ceiling fan, and windows that provide natural light.
A gathering of people in a well-lit, cozy living room featuring comfortable seating and large windows, with some individuals engaging in conversation and others interacting with children.
A group of people gathered by a swimming pool in a lush garden setting during a sunny day, surrounded by trees and residential architecture.
Outdoor gathering at a historic stone house with a lawn, featuring two women conversing by a green table and several guests seated around tables.
View of a stone pathway leading to a gathering at the historic Cragmoor residence, with several people mingling near tables adorned with green tablecloths, surrounded by greenery and landscaping.
Guests mingling and enjoying food at the 2025 Heritage Society Gathering in a beautifully decorated room of the historic Cragmoor residence.
A gathering of people enjoying an outdoor event near a swimming pool at sunset, with chairs set up on a lawn overlooking a scenic view.
View from a window showing a pool area and a gathering of people outside, with greenery and hills in the background.
An outdoor gathering with people seated at tables near a pool, in front of a large Tudor-style house during sunset.

In the meantime, Herbert Clark’s father, William, had purchased another 200 acres on Red Mountain’s crest and southern slope in 1922 for $250,000, the city’s largest real estate transaction at the time. William Stockham subdivided 50 acres at the crest for his 10-acre personal residence at 2950 Argyle Road, and set aside lots for his two younger sons, Douglass and Richard. His two younger sons never built on their property and sold it in the mid-1950’s.

Herbert Clark’s son, Herbert Cannon Stockham, married Peggy Roundtree in 1954 and built a home on portions of Lot 24 adjacent to his parent’s home at 2940 Argyle Road This home remained in the Stockham family until 2021. Read the complete history here.

Missed this event but want to join? Thank you for your support!

Annual Gathering, Annual meeting, Architecture, Birmingham Civil Rights, Birmingham Historical Society, Birmingham Landmarks, Birmingham pioneers, civil rights, Historic Preservation, Parks & Recreation, Planning, Engineering, and Permits, Rickwood Field

Rickwood Field – Did You Know?

Birmingham Historical Society co-sponsored the 1993 documentation known as HABS AL-897 to establish Rickwood Field as America’s oldest ballpark.

The project’s 28 photos, 22 drawings, and a 58-page historical report, at the Library of Congress, are now available worldwide.

To commemorate their involvement, the Birmingham Historical Society created a poster (illustrated below) documenting the Society’s role in helping launch the Rickwood Revival of the 1990s.

The Society brought Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), a federal program that documents historic architecture in the United States, to Birmingham to conduct the field work necessary to establish the national significance of the ball park, not only architecturally but also as the home of the Black Barons launching baseball stars including Mules Suttles, Satchel Paige, and Willie Mays.

Up until then, the newly formed Friends of Rickwood assumed that they were the oldest park without documentation, despite other contenders, because Comiskey Park in Chicago had just been demolished.

The Friends took the HABS drawings and made them into promotional renderings to kick off their long-term campaign to preserve and enliven the park. It’s a remarkable success story…about which we will hear more at the Annual Meeting February 24th at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. It’s FREE and open to the public. Please join us!

What is HABS?

Purpose: 

  • To create a public archive of American architecture
  • To establish standard practices for surveying and listing historic sites
  • To help restore and rehabilitate historic properties
  • To inform new designs based on historical precedents

History: 

  • Established in 1933 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt
  • Originally a make-work program for unemployed architects, draftsmen, and photographers
  • Became a permanent program of the National Park Service in 1934
  • Formally authorized by Congress in 1935
  • Documentation: Measured drawings, Large-format black and white photographs, Written histories, and Supplemental materials. 

Significance:

  • HABS documentation is part of the Prints and Photographs Division of the Library of Congress.
  • HABS is the nation’s oldest federal preservation program
  • HABS documentation is often a key part of preservation efforts  
Architecture, Birmingham Historical Society, Birmingham Landmarks, Historic Preservation, Red Mountain

Discover the History of Birmingham’s Redmont Hotel for Valentine’s

Want to celebrate Birmingham’s history for Valentine’s Day this year? Take a look at the Redmont Hotel, the oldest hotel in Birmingham still in use. Opened in 1925 on the corner of 5th Avenue North and 21st Street, it was designed by renowned architect G. Lloyd Preacher from Atlanta, Georgia, as an example of the Chicago School of Architecture which was popular at that time.

Named after Birmingham’s iconic Red Mountain, the hotel featured some remarkable amenities for its time, including private baths and ceiling fans in every room—a rarity in the 1920s. The Redmont catered to influential travelers and locals alike including a group of men who frequented the Rainbow Room Lounge and became known as the “Knothole Gang”.

Over the decades, the hotel experienced various ownership changes and periods of decline, reflecting the city’s own economic fluctuations. However, its historical significance was recognized when it received Alabama State Historic Tax Credits in October 2013, alongside $400,000 in tax incentives from the City of Birmingham aimed at revitalizing it. Local contractor Stewart Perry undertook extensive renovations, with assistance from interior designer Natalie Toy, to restore the hotel to its former glory while incorporating modern amenities for the contemporary traveler.

After significant renovations, the Redmont Hotel reopened in 2016 as part of the Hilton Curio Collection, combining its storied past with modern hospitality. Its reopening marked a new chapter for the historical landmark that once again serves both locals and visitors.

The hotel’s importance was underscored by its addition to the National Register of Historic Places on January 27, 1983. This recognition not only highlights its architectural and historical significance but also reinforces its status as a cherished landmark within the community.

Whether you’re planning a romantic getaway for Valentine’s Day or simply exploring the history of Birmingham, the Redmont Hotel stands as a perfect gateway. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Architecture, Birmingham Historical Society, Birmingham Landmarks, Historic Preservation

What makes a building worth saving?

As Birmingham deals with the demolition of historic homes and structures including Quinlan Castle, Birmingham Terminal Station, the Art Deco Regions Bank in Five Points South, a Glen Iris home, etc. it’s important to consider what really makes a building worth saving as well as remembering those we’ve lost.

Click image above for story.

A building is considered worth saving when its inherent value, including historical significance, architectural merit, potential for adaptive reuse, community connection, and long-term cost-effectiveness outweighs the cost of restoration or preservation, making it more beneficial to maintain and renovate rather than demolish and rebuild. 

Key factors that contribute to whether a building is worth saving:

  • Historical Significance:Buildings with a rich historical past or association with important events often hold significant cultural value and are worth preserving.
  • Architectural Merit:Buildings with unique design elements, innovative construction techniques, or aesthetically pleasing features are considered architecturally valuable.
  • Community Connection:Buildings that serve as a central gathering place or hold sentimental value for the community are often worth preserving.
  • Adaptive Reuse Potential:Buildings that can be repurposed for new uses, like converting an old warehouse into apartments, can be cost-effective to maintain and provide valuable community space.
  • Structural Integrity:A building with a strong structural foundation and good overall condition is more likely to be worth saving as renovation costs will be lower.
  • Environmental Impact:Demolition and new construction often generate significant waste and carbon emissions, making preservation a more sustainable option. 

But perhaps the most important factor is how a building connects with the community. If a place is loved by the locals—maybe because it looks great or holds some shared memories—it’s likely to get more support for preservation. These buildings become part of the neighborhood’s identity, and people take pride in them. Developers and city councils alike respond to community support for a building. Note the “Little Villa” story in Birmingham’s Southside below.

Click image above for story.

Birmingham Historical Society can help with providing zoning regulations, historic preservation ordinances, property values, historical and architectural significance, current building standards, etc. but cannot stop the demolition of a building without strong community involvement.

Ultimately, deciding whether to keep or demolish a building isn’t straightforward. It involves considering history, architecture, community sentiment, and even economic factors. Many of Birmingham’s historic downtown buildings have been saved, as documented by Rev Birmingham HERE and in BHS’s Cinderella Stories. But as Birmingham continues to weigh which buildings to save, it’s important to hear what everyone thinks and take a close look at how these choices shape the city’s future and maintain its unique character.

Birmingham’s Terminal Station was demolished in 1969.
from AL.com
“The great shame is that Birmingham lost one of its most glorious landmarks to an ill-conceived proposition. It’s certainly the most unpopular razing of any structure in the city’s history, and although it probably took another ten or fifteen years after we lost the Terminal Station, we now seem to put a great deal more thought into what a particular building or landmark means to the fabric of the community.  There’s no more just knocking things down,” former Mayor Seibels concluded. (Click image above for story.)
Updated: Feb. 19, 2020, 7:15 p.m.
Published: Oct. 17, 2018, 5:00 a.m.
By Jeremy Gray | jgray@al.com
Architecture, Birmingham Historical Society, Highland Avenue, Historic Preservation, Neighborhoods, Research, Southside, The Altamont

New Year’s Eve Party December 31, 1930

Birmingham Historical Society’s offices are in the historic Altamont Apartments and ninety-four years ago, there was a New Year’s Party in the ‘ballroom’. Some of the columns in our offices evoke an elegance that suggest a ballroom might have been in our location.

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Perhaps it was a party to create interest in the recently constructed 1924 building. Or since it was sold around this time, maybe the new owner had grandiose plans prior to the Great Depression. Rumor has it that portions of a ballroom are still there but not in use off the main lobby to the south. Our curiosity is piqued! If anyone has any additional information about the location of the ballroom, we’d love to know and will update! Happy New Year!

A Guide to Architectural Styles, Altamont, Architecture, Birmingham Historical Society, BOOK, Book Sale, Exhibition, Highland Avenue, Neighborhoods, Publications, The Altamont

Thanks for coming!

Lots of interest in our Highland Park neighborhood, at an event in which Birmingham Historical Society displayed photographs of nearly all the original homes constructed along Highland Avenue (many courtesy of historian and neighbor Randy Merritt). Our Open House included not only our extensive exhibit, but also tours of the offices of our new neighbor, Alabama Audubon, The Greenbriar lobby in the historic Altamont building, and the front porches of several neighboring historic homes. The tour ended with music at Rojo.

Photos by Katie Tipton

Note that the BHS book, A Guide to Architectural Styles, provides context and recognition tips as to the style of many of the homes in Southside. And our latest book, a reprint of the 1962 book published by The Birmingham News, It’s Nice to Live in Birmingham, is now available for $20 via link above and will not be sold on Amazon.

Thank you to all who attended and we hope to see you again soon!

Photos by Louise McPhillips
Architecture, Birmingham Historical Society, Birmingham Landmarks, Birmingham pioneers, City of Birmingham, Highland Avenue, Historic Preservation, Housing, Neighborhoods, Research, Southside

Our Highland Avenue Neighborhood

The Birmingham Historical Society relocated their offices in November of 2022 to a 1924 apartment building in the historic Southside neighborhood, following 37 years at Sloss Quarters. Extensive research into the history of the new location has been a delight and has acquainted the Society with Highland Avenue’s dedicated historian, Randy Merritt. He has amassed a wealth of information and postcards of the area over the years and is situated nearby in the impressive Mortimer Jordan house. It is thanks to his efforts that the Society’s offices are adorned with images and histories of every home ever constructed on Highland Avenue, along with documentation of the original homes that still stand today.

“Historic Highland Avenue: Exploring an Iconic Street” is a featured article in Birmingham Lifestyle’s July 2024 issue, which includes these images and postcards, as well as the addresses of the remaining homes. Strolling along the street offers a journey through Birmingham’s architectural history and serves as a poignant reminder of those who made significant contributions to the city’s beginnings. For further reading on Highland Avenue, its parks, and the Southside area, additional posts can be found here.

(Note: Clicking on cover image will open entire digital magazine issue, best opened on large screen. Other images can be enlarged “as is” on smaller screens.)

See Page 40 for article on Highland Avenue
Architecture, Birmingham Historical Society, Birmingham pioneers, family history, Publications, Research

Promoting Birmingham – in 1910!

Early inspiration for residential developments, parks, urban streetscapes, and innovation are captured in these fascinating promotional pieces by developer Robert Jemison, Jr. More than 200 period photographs and drawings are included in each of these entertaining histories of Birmingham’s growth. There was so much vision, much of which came to pass! “Build it and they will come!”

“This book is all about the optimism of the time,” says Marjorie White, Director of the Birmingham Historical Society. “They believed that they were creating a world-class industrial region. There was so much building, so much progress. It’s the Golden Era in many ways–and what they created paved the way for the Birmingham we know today.”

Who were some of the original merchants? Where was the all-electric house? What was the 1909 plan for Fairfield? These and lots of other questions are answered in these captivating volumes! Birmingham Historical Society meticulously gathered all the information from the original Jemison & Company magazine articles at the Birmingham Public Library archives, then digitized and  reprinted them to form these easy to read publications. They are available for purchase via the links below.

The Jemison Magazine 1910-1914

The Jemison Magazine 1926-1930

Architecture, Birmingham Historical Society, Birmingham Landmarks, family history, Highland Avenue, Historic Preservation, Housing, Neighborhoods, Research, Southside

Why is the “Little Villa” worth saving?

UPDATE! Design Review tables decision to demolish the “Little Villa”

WBRC video with comments by BHS Director Marjorie White

A little history about the “Little Villa” scheduled for demolition on Highland Avenue. The demolition request comes before Birmingham City Council on February 28th. Please also see the petition and @BhamNow article.

Click to read more!

Architecture, Birmingham Historical Society, Birmingham Landmarks, BOOK, Churches, City of Birmingham, Historic Preservation, Publications, Trustees

Birmingham’s Philip A Morris Fund supports preservation projects

Local Birmingham leader, preservationist, architectural historian, editor, and design enthusiast, Philip A. Morris, established a fund via the Community Foundation to perpetuate the good design for which he continually advocated during his lifetime. The first grants were only recently funded and included such notable preservation projects as Main Street Alabama, Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, Railroad Park, and Freshwater Land Trust.

Click image above to visit Community Foundation website

Morris was a strong supporter of the efforts to restore Vulcan, as well as a contributor to BHS publications below:

A long time member and supporter of the Birmingham Historical Society, his life long contribution will now live on through his Design Arts legacy fund. Thank you Philip!