Tag Archives: Greenbriar at the Altamont

A Guide to Architectural Styles, Annual Gathering, Architecture, Audubon Society, Birmingham Historical Society, BOOK, Exhibition, Highland Avenue, Historic Preservation, Music, Neighborhoods, Open house, The Altamont

Porch Crawl through Highland Park

A vintage illustration of Highland Park showcasing wide pathways, greenery, and houses, accompanied by event details for 'It's Nice to Have You in Highland Park 2025' scheduled for October 19th.

Meet our Birmingham Historical Society Highland Park neighbors! Live music, refreshments, historical scavenger hunt! See you Sunday afternoon, October 19th, 3-5pm with after party at ROJO. Click image above for detailed information.

Start at Birmingham Historical Society offices (H on the map below) to pick up a Highland Heritage Hunt, a scavenger hunt in which you’ll search for hidden artifacts while visiting the participating homes. Turn your completed hunt back into BHS for the chance to win a prize!

BHS will also have a new exhibit on display of house types that parallels their book Birmingham Homes: A Guide to Architectural Styles. Tour this non-profit responsible for researching, publishing, and promoting the history and heritage of HP. You can also learn how to research a home’s or apartment’s history and how to get a Jefferson County marker or purchase one of their books on Birmingham, including It’s Nice to Live in Birmingham, a reprint of the 1963 classic that launched our city’s motto.

Map showing a route with highlighted points labeled A to L through Highland Park and surrounding areas.
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!