Author: Gina Clifford

Turning vacant hotels and motels into apartments is gaining momentum nationwide, with good reason. Neighborhoods are revived, local economies get a boost, and most importantly the inventory of much-needed affordable living space increases. It’s a match made in heaven, so to speak, as the two building types share a common footprint.

In downtown Dothan, the former Town Terrace Inn Motel is being converted into a 26-unit apartment complex, mostly one-bedrooms with a few two-bedrooms. The project is expected to be completed by December, says Stephen McNair whose consulting firm, Mobile-based McNair Historic Preservation, is helping to maximize the historic integrity and economic incentives of the property.

“The existing layout of the units, parking, and access makes this an ideal adaptive reuse project,” adds McNair about Town Terrace, which was the first motel constructed in Dothan.

“Most of the new apartment units will consist of two former motel rooms that have been combined into one single unit through a new interior opening. The site is also ideal and provides ample parking, room for the new pool, and walkability within the downtown. Located a block from Foster Street and other restaurants and amenities, residents of Town Terrace will be able to walk to bars, restaurants, and entertainment just a few blocks away and using sidewalks.”

Town Terrace Motel consists of two, two-story stand-alone structures flanking a central, surface-level parking lot, McNair explains. Both buildings were constructed of exposed brick and CMU blocks. The first phase of construction began in 1958 and the second phase in 1962, which added a two-story, flat-roof brick and CMU block building similar to the original building.

Exterior architectural features remain intact, McNair says. The property operated as a 52-unit motel until 2021.

“The project is being renovated under historical guidelines and will maintain many original and unique features: exterior balcony railings, open storefront glazing, and wood jalousie doors and windows,” says Andrew Gosselin of Gosselin Architecture in Dothan, the architect on the project.

A Dothan Eagle newspaper article from 1957 describes the design as “ultra-modern,” and that the motel was constructed at the cost of $200,000.

The project is part of the overall vision of adding new housing options within downtown Dothan. Other buildings are being renovated downtown to provide more residential options, including the former Malone Ford building on South Saint Andrews Street. But as McNair points out, “our project is larger and offers more housing options with off-street parking and more amenities, like the pool.”

Not only are hotels and motels being repurposed into apartments, but these underutilized buildings provide shelter for the unhoused.

This year, Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) introduced the Hotels to Housing Conversion Act. This legislation would authorize $750 million in funding for state governments and housing authorities to work with local governments and community organizations to convert hotels, motels, and unused residential properties into emergency shelters, and transitional and permanent housing for people experiencing homelessness or housing insecurity.

 

*Article Written by Jessica Armstrong and Images Courtesy of McNair Historic Preservation

 

 

A few years back, the Brookings Institution’s Metropolitan Policy Program issued a report “Turning Around Downtown: Twelve Steps to Revitalization.” Step No. 7 is to create urban entertainment venues, which “gives all sorts of people a reason to come downtown…providing an excitement and spectacle that draws people to the area.”

Plenty of Alabama communities have followed that advice, and one of the latest is Prattville where $3.4 million has been earmarked by the city to create a new outdoor recreation and entertainment venue on Main Street. The location is an underutilized space between the former Hancock Whitney bank, recently acquired by the city, and the City Hall Annex.

As part of continuing efforts to revitalize downtown Prattville, the venue will contain a large multiuse pavilion, a covered stage for live performances, a canopy-covered seating area, a movie screen for shows and sporting events, multiuse space for recreational games, lighting, and a sound system.

The plan also calls for a pedestrian canopy-covered corridor along the bank building side and a one-way vehicle corridor next to the City Hall Annex, along with on-street parking and space for food trucks. The bank’s drive-through will be removed, along with a nearby vacant former grocery store building. A new entryway will be created leading into the area, as well as developing green space and a vegetative buffer for the stage. In addition, a new walking path with trees and seating.

Creating a rooftop venue in the former bank building is a concept being explored, however, at this point is an idea only, says Lisa Byrd, executive assistant to Prattville Mayor Bill Gillespie Jr. She added that “we have not verified the stability of the roof to accommodate a roof top experience.”

Though the project is a budgeted expense in the 2023-2024 City of Prattville Budget Capital Projects Fund, it will still require council action for construction. Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood created the project’s conceptional design.

“This project is about continuing the revitalization of downtown Prattville while providing a quality of place to offer diversified quality of life opportunities,” says Byrd. “Providing this type of family entertainment and recreational area, will encourage further urbanized living, business sustainability, easier walkability, and growth opportunities for all who choose to live, work, and play in historic downtown Prattville.”

*Article Written by Jessica Armstrong and Images Courtesy of Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood

The mission of DesignAlabama is to improve a community’s quality of life, but making that happen is easier said than done. It’s a complex process that requires extensive planning and citizen involvement, while bringing together policymakers, planners and design professionals to guide goals to fruition.

In other words, it’s a busy organization with a lot of irons in the fire. So, it makes sense to use multiple forms of communication to convey its many services. With that in mind, a new video is now available to fully share what DesignAlabama is all about.

Video vs text, which is more effective? While each has its place, video offers an added dimension by providing body language, verbal tone and other visual cues. More engaging and memorable than the use of text or images alone.

In the new DesignAlabama video, we see first-hand the dynamic interaction with those involved in its various programs. We meet them in downtown settings, in workshops and gathered around tables where design professionals bring ideas to life. In addition, we hear from several key players one-on-one who sit before the camera – officials whose communities have benefited and the design professionals who make their services available to those communities. We also get a look at the some of the architectural drawings they produce at these events.

The video was produced by Montgomery-based Copperwing, a creative team offering services in branding, marketing, and motion design. It’s a little over five minutes, which appears to be the sweet spot. Too short and the narrative wouldn’t be fully told. Too long and you risk losing the audience’s attention and weaken their retention.

Over the course of the last few years, DesignAlabama as an organization has evolved tremendously. This evolution has come about as a result of the organization recognizing a number of needs communities had across the state that were not being met regarding equitable and affordable planning and design, explains DesignAlabama Executive Director Gina Clifford.

“The Board of Directors, along with myself, started working with elected officials, community leaders and design professionals about ways in which these needs could be met,” she continues. The result was the creation of new programs such as DesignVision, DesignPlace and DesignDash and additional collaborations with other statewide groups to help meet these needs and create positive change in Alabama.

“While our website tells a lot about each of these programs, our Board of Directors really believed that the best way to tell the story of these programs and the impact they are making is by hearing from those who have benefited from them. Nothing we believed would convey this story more than a video telling firsthand accounts of those individuals and communities we had worked with through these programs.”

See the new DesignAlabama video here

*Article Written by Jessica Armstrong

A New York Times article called Fairhope “a small southern town that’s been holding on to its charm for more than a century.”

Fairhope is about to get a bit more charming – if that’s at all possible – with the development of a plaza where the city’s clock is located at the corner of Section Street and Fairhope Avenue.

Fairhope-based Christian Preus Landscape Architecture developed the plan for the new plaza which is expected to be completed by the end of year. In the coming months, an official name will be designated for the property, which is approximately 77.5 feet by 26 feet, or 2,015 square feet.

Mayor Sherry Sullivan said the Council will approve an official name in the coming months and have talked of naming it for someone with historical significance to Fairhope. Sullivan said the work is scheduled to be completed by November, and she envisions the plaza becoming a popular gathering spot for locals and visitors.

The project will include a gathering space with raised seating, planters and shade trees throughout, said Paige Crawford, Fairhope’s Director of Community Affairs.

“If visitors are looking for a quick spot to stop and take a break from site seeing and shopping this will be a great area right in the center of town,” Crawford observes. “We will be incorporating a lot of the landscaping that you already see throughout town including seasonal flowers and shade trees. These selections will be made by our horticulture supervisor in the Public Works Department.”

Flower beds and carefully designed landscaping abounds in downtown Fairhope, and the new plaza will harmonize with its surroundings. Flowers beds and other plantings are a hallmark of Fairhope, so much so that the city was one of the first in the Southeast to hire a horticulturist.

The plaza’s focal point is the pole clock that has stood on this corner since 1989, the year the family of a Fairhope man donated it to the city in his memory. The clock will be set off with a brick base surrounded by a flower bed. The plaza’s cement pavers will create a circular pattern.

“The radial nature of the site design is reflective of the circular forms of the intersections throughout downtown Fairhope,” notes Crawford, “and pays homage to the Fairhope clock.”

A street clock, or post clock, was once used as the town clock, and was typically installed by jewelers who also used it as signage. These distinctive clocks were often a beloved landmark, as Fairhope’s has become.

 

 

 

 

 

*Article Written by Jessica Armstrong and Images Courtesy of the City of Fairhope

Located in the southern section of Baldwin County just north of Gulf Shores, the town of Foley has a lot going for it. Bays, rivers and the Gulf of Mexico. A near 500-acre nature preserve, a heritage rose trail that ambles through a downtown, museums, parks and other amenities.

When it comes to livability, however, any community has room to grow. With that in mind, Foley recently participated in DesignPlace, a DesignAlabama initiative that assists communities with design, planning and community identity. Design experts demonstrate how to enhance quality of life and community development through the design arts, and design professionals provide input to citizens and city leaders.

The design experts recently presented their DesignPlace report to the city. The report recommends increasing public space and residential development, along with improving connectivity to reduce circuitous travel, shorten travel time, and offer alternative modes such as biking and walking.

The concept shown in the Foley report includes trail, park and creek connections along with a variety of housing development options, says Foley DesignPlace Lead Facilitator Ben Wieseman of Place Associates, his multi-disciplinary firm specializing in planning, landscape architecture and real estate development. As lead facilitator, Wieseman’s responsibilities included helping to build the design team and putting together the final report delivered to the city.

Wieseman says he would like to see the city engage a developer to help plan and phase in an area adjacent to the downtown and rose trail where the historic Hamburg Building is located. This early board and batten building is in need of rehabilitation and was constructed by the local farmers’ cooperative and served as a processer, warehouse, and feed and seed store.

Foley’s biggest assets, Wieseman says, is its quality of place. Therefore, a top priority is to build on that asset with amities and capital improvements that serve its residents.

Wayne Dyess, Foley’s Executive Director of Infrastructure and Development, says the DesignAlabama report will serve as an inspiration and thought-provoking analysis of the city.

“It is always great to bring a very talented team to your community with multiple professional design disciplines to take a fresh look at your community, its opportunities, its assets, and ways to maximize and capitalize on those assets,” Dyess continues.

“We will further evaluate the topics and projects the team developed, analyze their findings and suggestions and then develop a more granular approach to implementation of the topics in the report.”

This will be accomplished, he says, through long range planning documents, specialized plans or in operational and capital aspects of the city. The report will also assist the city in its commitment to maintaining and improving quality of life.

“We are very thankful for DesignAlabama’s interest and assistance to our community.  We value their expertise and look forward to implementation of the report.”

 

 

 

* Article Written by Jessica Armstrong and Images Courtesy of DesignAlabama

Designing and constructing buildings to better society is fundamental to many projects, no matter the sector or size. And few projects generate greater social value than a place for young adults who have “aged out” of the foster care system.

Birmingham-based Nequette Architecture & Design has created a facility in Birmingham for 18 to 22-year-olds who have aged out of foster care but still need shelter and resources to transition into adulthood and prepare for an independent life. All work is pro bono and Nequette partnered with Signature Homes, also in Birmingham, to design and build for the client.

The project is part of faith-based Big Oak Ranch that provides a home to foster children at several sites in Alabama. Other Big Oak Ranch facilities are in rural settings, but this one is  located on the edge of Vestavia on Cahaba River Road behind Grandview Medical Center. Big Oak Boys’ Ranch is located on 474 acres of farmland outside of Gadsden. Big Oak Girls’ Ranch is situated on 325 acres just outside of Springville.

Concerning the design approach, project manager Arden Gillchrest says, “There are ranch details, but because it’s in an urban setting, it’s a little more refined with clean lines. This is their first facility in an urban environment, but the design harks back to the organization’s ranch roots.”

Vertical board and batten siding found on old houses and barns is used to give the buildings a rustic feel, as does its metal roofing.

Phase 1 to expected to be completed this fall in time for the school year. The five buildings in phase 1 include a clubhouse, which is also the main building that contains a classroom. Phase I also includes the director’s home, duplexes and a multi-family building. Phase 2 will consist of an additional three buildings that will accommodate about 50 young adults.

National studies have shown that within two to four years of leaving foster care at age 18, 40 percent were homeless, 51 percent were unemployed, and 40 percent experienced drug or alcohol abuse. This is indeed a project with great social significance.

 

 

*Article Written by Jessica Armstrong and Images Courtesy of Nequette Architecture & Design

Reviving lost space below elevated freeways is becoming increasingly common as cities discover ways to use these structures for public leisure activities, not just massive transportation systems.

So, it’s no surprise that Birmingham – a city known for resourcefulness and ingenuity – would transform such neglected space into a multi-functional linear urban park. City Walk BHAM offers fun for everyone on 31 acres beneath Birmingham’s I-59/20 bridges that stretches 10 city blocks from 15^th Street North to 25^th Street North.

City Walk’s master plan was designed by Barge Design Solutions, a Nashville- based engineering and architecture firm with offices in Alabama. Barge recently won the Grand Award for the project from the American Council of Engineering Companies of Alabama at its annual Engineering Excellence Awards. The competition recognizes engineering firms whose projects demonstrate a high degree of originality, value and engineering innovation. The project was completed in July 2022 and was constructed by Brasfield and Gorrie.

The nearly mile long City Walk BHAM is home to amenities such as a 60,000-square-foot skate park, roller skating rink, playgrounds, pickleball court, a dog park cleverly called “The Barkery,” amphitheater, places to eat and plenty of areas to relax and socialize. City Walk also contains signage that tells the story of the civil rights era, giving visitors an introduction to Birmingham’s Civil Rights District located just a few blocks away.

City Walk is not merely a concrete expanse. In addition to the hard surface there’s a variety of carefully chosen plantings, and materials used in the landscape design represent the city’s steel industry. Predominant types of landforms found in each region of the state are represented in ADA-accessible Destination Playground – Coastal Plain, Piedmont, Alabama Ridge and Valley, Cumberland Plateau, and Highland Rim. Color-changing LED lighting throughout the space adds to the festive ambiance. The height of the bridge from the ground, which is illuminated at night, ranges from approximately 18 to 40 feet.

Barge’s master plan reconnects neighborhoods from both sides of the I-59/I-20 bridges, making many of the city’s landmarks and venues more accessible. In addition, the project has revived the surrounding areas and once vacant tenant spaces are now occupied.

The City Walk concept took root in 2014 when REV Birmingham conducted a study to see how to make this space useable. Alabama Department of Transportation led the ambitious, community-driven project. Barge’s master plan was the result of five years of collective, community-focused efforts. This included gathering local feedback through public outreach meetings, involvement opportunities, and online surveys.

“This is an exciting time for the Birmingham community,” said Barge President and CEO Bob Higgins. “Barge couldn’t be prouder to be part of the community’s collaborative effort to bring neighbors together through City Walk BHAM’s innovative design. This project is a true reflection of what community is all about, delivering a vision for positive growth in an extraordinary way that benefits everyone.”

 

 

 

*Article Written by Jessica Armstrong and Images Courtesy of Barge Design Solutions

“They paved paradise and put up a parking lot…”  The line is from the 1970 song “Big Yellow Taxi” by Joni Mitchell. The opposite has occurred in Anniston, where a parking lot made way for a bit of paradise.

A municipal parking lot in the Downtown Anniston Historic District is now Noble Street Park, located at the corner of 11th and Noble streets. The project involved construction of a brick plaza, pavilion, sidewalks, crosswalks, landscaping, furnishings and irrigation.

The idea for transforming the parking lot into a greenspace started with the Anniston Downtown Core Plan in 2015, said Amy Smith, president of Studio A Design in Birmingham who oversaw the project’s planning and design.

“The pocket park serves as an urban oasis along the city’s Main Street corridor, as a refreshing respite within nature,” Smith explains.  “The park design includes places to gather for small events and celebrations, places for seating under shade trees, and places to immerse in nature.”

A new pavilion offers shade and shelter, with cafe tables to meet for coffee or a picnic lunch, and is near Noble Street which allows people to conveniently drop in.

“The architecture matches the historic character of main street, with brick, and light-colored trim that complements adjacent buildings,” Smith continues. “The pavilion’s clerestory gable roof brings in light and serves as a beacon when internally illuminated at night.  The light-colored roofing material reflects light, which minimizes heat and reduces the overall heat island effect.”

A formal lawn is centered between the pavilion and a small bandstand at the opposite end of the park.  The lawn provides space for events and a place to picnic.  The park includes a bandstand area, slightly raised to provide optimal viewing, and fitted with electrical outlets to support a small performance or movies in the park, explains Smith. All these amenities make the park popular for private event rentals.

The lawn is bordered by a walking path that connects all areas of the park, with small brick alcoves along the outer edges for private seating beneath elm trees.   Other features include an AV system. soft ambient lighting, and lush landscaping with native plants such as Sweetbay Magnolia, Sweetspire, hydrangea, Clethra, Dwarf Wax Myrtle, and Pink Muhly Grass.  An annual flowering bed along Noble Street, ornamental planters, and annual baskets on the pavilion and street lights create seasonal interest.

 

 

 

Native plants include sweetbay magnolia, sweetspire, hydrangea, clethra, dwarf wax myrtle and pink muhly grass. In addition, an annual flowering bed                                                                                along Noble Street, ornamental planters, and annual baskets on the pavilion.

Alabama boasts many fine examples of WPA rustic-style stone buildings. One of note is the Sherer Auditorium in downtown Jasper built as a municipal auditorium in 1938 through the U.S. Works Project Administration. The WPA provided funding for architects to create a variety of buildings, including amphitheaters and lodges.

The Works Progress Administration (renamed the Work Projects Administration in 1939) was established in 1935 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. This New Deal agency employed millions of jobseekers, mostly men, to carry out public works projects including the construction of public buildings and roads.

Now Birmingham-based CCR Architecture & Interiors is at work renovating the former Sherer Auditorium, which will once again to be used for a municipal function. This time as the Jasper City Hall.

The overlapping shroud was removed to expose the building’s original native stone. The stucco façade that hid the stonework was added in 1972. Renovating this historic property also includes a complete interior renovation.

“The former auditorium will be repurposed as the City of Jasper Council Chambers for public meetings with city employee offices and spaces for the residents to gather and handle business,” says CCR Architecture & Interiors President Tammy Cohen. “The lower floor has been designed for retail spaces to open on an outdoor plaza overlooking Town Creek.”

December 31, 2023 is the expected completion date. The Sherer Auditorium, named in honor of former City Commissioner of Public Works Harry Sherer, closed in 2009 as a cost-saving measure. Since that time there has been much discussion about turning this WPA Rustic Architecture gem into Jasper’s new City Hall. The project received approval in 2021.

“The stone was quarried in north Alabama, and we believe the roof structure was rebuilt with steel trusses and wood decking after a fire destroyed the roof,” says CCR Architecture & Interiors Senior Projects Manager Danny Trotter. “The building was modernized, and the stone was covered with a stucco panelized system that has now been removed. The design intent is to recreate the original WPA construction with up-to-date commercial interiors allowing the City of Jasper to accommodate their growing community.”

The building’s thick structural stone walls and steel windows are typical of WPA-era construction, Trotter notes. Its rustic style is part of a long tradition that goes back to the public park movement during the mid-19th century.

Historic buildings add to a city’s character, heritage, and sense of place, and the former Sherer Auditorium is achieving just that for Jasper. Urbanist and activist Jane Jacobs believed in using existing buildings instead of new ones whenever possible, a trend that has long happened with gusto in Alabama.

“Old ideas can sometimes use new buildings,” Jacobs once said. “New ideas must use old buildings.”

 

 

*Article Written by Jessica Armstrong and Images Courtesy of CCR Architecture & Interiors

 

 

 

 

 

 

Think about how graphic design is used, and what likely comes to mind is marketing and advertising, websites and logos, and promotional materials for print and digital. But a whole other world of graphic design is out there in television and film, renowned graphic designer for film Annie Atkins points out.

“It’s all about creating a believable, authentic world. Graphic design is an absolutely essential part of that storytelling process,” she says.

That’s just what graphic design students at Troy University have done. And they’ve won awards for applying design principles to the art of filmmaking.

Troy University students won seven awards in the second annual YellowHammer Film Festival, held virtually and at Troy University in December. The YellowHammer Film Festival is a one-day event offering workshops, lectures, a student film exhibition, and an awards ceremony. The festival is open to everyone, but only high school and college students can compete in the exhibition.

“The significance of the YellowHammer Film Festival and the role it plays in the lives of creative high school and college students are extremely important to me,” says Troy design professor and festival creator Chris Stagl.

Impressively, this is only the festival’s second year yet nearly 250 entries from across the country were received, including “some heavy hitters in the creative college realm,” notes Stagl. Among the seven awards received by Troy students were Best Music Video and Best Documentary.

“The festival’s success is contingent upon three primary factors, the students we engage, the quality of the films we show, and the content our guest speakers deliver,” Stagl says. “I couldn’t be happier with our reach. Receiving nearly 250 submissions, in half the amount of time we marketed the fest, shows outstanding growth. The quality of the films, from storytelling to technical expertise in cinematography, was outstanding.”

The seven awards won by Troy University students: The YellowHammer Award for “Unseen” by Howard Purvee and Nathan Hobbs; Best Music Video for “Killer Queen” by Nathan Hobbs and Howard Purvee; Best Commercial Series for “Dr. Pepper” by Reanna Thompson and Nathan Hobbs; Best Documentary for “Russell and Ruin” by Cole Patterson; Honorable Mention: Cinematography for “Drive” by Nathan Hobbs; Honorable Mention: Motion for “The Moon/Awake by Cole Patterson; and Honorable Mention: Music Video for “Just Sign the Papers” by Cole Patterson.

In the high school division, Vinny Albano and John Stillwaggon of Howell High School in Farmingdale, New Jersey, won the Best Film of the Year Award for their production “Love, Aaron.” Connor Douglass of James Clemens High School in Madison, Alabama, earned the YellowHammer Award for his film titled “Washing Machine Heart.”

“It was a lot of work and seeing it come together was incredibly rewarding,” says Troy design student Cole Patterson. “Seeing my own work in a theater setting is surreal, but in a good way. “I’m especially proud of my boys, Nate and Howie, for winning the Yellow Hammer Award. They worked hard on it, and both definitely deserve it.”

The YellowHammer Film Festival was made possible by partnerships with Alabama State Council on the Arts, the Alabama Film Office, 1st Place Trophies and Sidewalk Film Center + Cinema. The festival will be held again this year.

*Article Written by Jessica Armstrong and Image Courtesy of Troy University