It’s often after the fact that the public regrets the demolition of an historic building. At this last lecture of Birmingham’s Historic Preservation Month, David Fleming discusses easements and how they can protect historic buildings.
The Alabama Historical Commission has prepared a worksheet for property owners HERE who are interested in safeguarding their private property and/or receiving appropriate tax incentives.
Generally, a building or site must possess historical, architectural, archaeological, or cultural significance to the state or its locale in order to qualify. However, if it’s contributing to an existing historic district, it may also qualify. Detailed maps HERE show historic districts in Birmingham.
The National Park Service provides more information about tax incentives HERE. But for more information or with questions for David Fleming, the lecture is at NOON at Sloss Furnace, West Room on Thursday, May 29th.
May is Historic Preservation Month, and Birmingham has a lot of events planned throughout the month to celebrate! Mark your calendars NOW so you won’t miss a thing!
Join a Walking Tour of Collegeville: Ground Zero for Civil Rights-Saturday, May 10th at 10:00AM
Meet at the Four Spirits Statue, Kelly Ingram Park to honor nonviolent protestors-Friday, May 23, at noon
Attend a talk on Birmingham’s Historic Preservation Program-Thursday, May 1st, at noon in City Council Chambers, 3rd Floor, City Hall
Attend a talk on Best Practices for preservation projects by Chloe Mercer, Federal Tax Credits and Alabama AdValorem Coordinator, Alabama Historical Commission-Tuesday, May 6th, at noon
Attend a talk on neighborhood preservation by Paula Stanton of Titusville Historical Marker Committee and Walladean Streeter of Bush Hills Neighborhood Association at Sloss Furnaces Visitor Center-Tuesday, May 13th, at noon
Making Iron at Sloss Furnace-Thursday, May 22nd at noon
Learn about Birmingham’s Modern Architecture by Dr. Caroline Swope, Historic Preservation Specialist, City of Decatur at Sloss Furnaces Visitor Center-Tuesday, May 20th, at noon
When is a property considered ‘historic’ and what this means for the seller and buyer by Birmingham Association of Realtors at 3501 Independence Drive, Homewood-Tuesday, May 27th, at noon
What are historic easements and what are the pros and cons by David Fleming, President and CEO of REV Birmingham at Sloss Furnaces Visitor Center-Thursday, May 29th, at noon
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.
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.
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
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.
Friend of Rickwood left to right: Mike Newton, Coke Mathews, Sam Fisher, Ben Cook, Lamar Smith, and Gerald Watkins. Not pictured but in attendance, Tom Cosby
But before that 1993 certification, Tom Cosby, Terry Slaughter, and Coke Mathews recognized the importance of the ballpark, and led fundraising efforts which ultimately led to Birmingham Historical Society’s involvement in the HABS documentation. It’s a preservation success story that put Birmingham on the map, bringing its first Major League Baseball game to Rickwood in 2024. (View all the drawings and documentation at the Library of Congress HERE at HABS AL-897)
Gerald Watkins shared not only his enthusiasm for the sport, and the struggles in maintaining the park, but also the ongoing support that will be necessary to sustain it. Want to help? Attend an event! Or contribute to its support HERE
photos by Louise McPhillips
Friends of RickwoodHABS AL-897 posterBooks available about Rickwood FieldCarolanne Roberts, with winners of Chocolate Cake contestGerald Watkins, Director of Friends of RickwoodTom Cosby, early supporter of fundraising to preserve Rickwoood fieldWayne Hester, President Birmingham Historical SocietyMarjorie White, Director Birmingham Historical SocietyTrustees Carol Slaughter and Kaydee Erdreich
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
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!
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.
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
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!
Thanks to The National Trust for Historic Preservation for bringing this holiday movie to our attention. (But note that although a listing on the National Register brings attention to the historical significance of a site, it does not prevent a building from being demolished.) Happy Holidays to all the historians and preservationists out there!
“A Vintage Christmas (Great American Family) revolves around Tessa, a historian and preservationist who seeks to protect the historic post office building in her hometown by getting it listed on the National Register of Historic Places. However, her plans are complicated when Noah, a business developer, arrives in town. Noah wants to tear down the historic post office and replace it with a modern office building. As Christmas approaches, the two attempt to work together to reach a compromise.“
We’re having an OPEN HOUSE Sunday, October 13th 3-5, celebrating our new/old reprint from the Birmingham News 1963 publication, “It’s Nice to Live in Birmingham”. Come join us, see an extensive exhibit of historic Highland Park homes in our offices, and visit our new neighbor, Alabama Audubon. Step inside the historic grand lobby and courtyard of The Greenbriar at Altamont, visit with neighbors on the front porches of several historic homes, and end the afternoon at Rojo with live music. 1920’s attire is welcomed!
