Author: gina2

For a coastal community, public beachfront is among its most valuable assets in terms of community identity and economic activity. That’s true for Gulf Shores, whose public beachfront area at the end of Highway 59 and Beach Boulevard is being revitalized.

Gulf Shores has developed a master plan for redevelopment of the beachfront area known as Gulf Place. Gulf Place Revitalization calls for developing the public beach area into a safe, accessible and family-friendly destination that serves various activities and acts as the vehicle for economic development.

The time to revitalize this important section of Gulf Shores has certainly come.

“This is the only comprehensive beachfront revitalization project to take place in Gulf Shores over the last 50 plus years,” says Andy Bauer, director of planning and zoning for Gulf Shores.

Atlanta-based TSW Planners Architects Landscape Architects is designing the revitalization project. Phase I was completed in June of 2017. This portion of the project totals at $4.5 million and includes enhanced and expanded parking, a 20- foot wide beach boardwalk, and new seating and shade structures. Additionally, this first phase includes renovated public restrooms, extensive coastal landscaping and a new beach safety headquarters.

Phase 2 construction is now underway and is slated for completion in April. This portion of the project totals at $4.67 million and includes another 20-foot wide beach boardwalk, children’s playground, more seating and shade structures and a large green space for public events. This phase also includes improved pedestrian access, improved traffic flow, drop-off locations and environmentally friendly lighting.

The $4 million Highway 182 Roadway (Beach Boulevard) improvements are also part of the project and should be completed by fall 2018.

This public beachfront area is about a half mile, but only part of it is accessible. The revitalization project will expand the entire half-mile beachfront that is separated by Highway 182. Sidewalks, bike lanes, and pedestrian walkways and crosswalks and handicapped accessibility are also part of the Gulf Place Revitalization.

Improving connectivity between the beachfront and the downtown area is another important part of the plan. Bryan Bays, director of landscape architecture with TSW, said the master plan is designed to “bring more of the beach to the downtown.”

Sustainable and low-impact development strategies are also a major component of the project, including storm-water management and reuse. Beach dune restoration will be incorporated into the design to provide habitat and protection from storm surge.

Image 1: Public access and pedestrian safety are critical to the economic success of the Gulf Shores area. In an effort to activate, revitalize and efficiently manage this important community resource, the City has developed a master plan for the redevelopment of the beachfront known as “Gulf Place.”

Image 2: For the first time in more than 50 years, the city of Gulf Shores is implementing a revitalization of its beachfront that is designed to transform the beach into a more welcoming environment for locals and tourists.

Image 3: Phase 1 of the Gulf Shores revitalization project is completed, which includes the west side. Phase 2, the middle section, is expected to be finished in April, and Phase 3, the east side, is scheduled to be completed in April 2019.

Image 4: An important part of the Gulf Place Revitalization project is to create a better connection between the downtown and beachfront. Improvements include a public boardwalk, public green space, walking paths, shade structures, restrooms and attractive landscaping.

Image 5: The beachfront property under renovation offers a variety of activities and is home to festivals and sports events. In addition, this area provides access to dining, shopping and other tourism-supported businesses.

*Article Written By Jessica Armstrong and Images Courtesy of The City of Gulf Shores and  TSW Planners Architects Landscape Architects

 

The City of Dothan unwittingly chose Jan. 16 for its first meeting to get input from residents about improving the Highway 84 East Corridor. A winter storm swept through Dothan that night, yet remarkably nearly 100 citizens showed up eager to start brainstorming a master plan for the corridor.

Lead project consultant, Houston, Texas-based Design Workshop Inc., conducted a “values” workshop to garner the likes and dislikes that participants expressed for the Highway 84 East Corridor. This busy corridor connects three major activity points – the downtown and two major medical campuses. Improving the aesthetics of the area and providing better connectivity among these major activity nodes topped the citizens’ list of concerns.

“No. 1 was improving visual appearance, with citizens saying that the corridor is not pretty,” says Dothan’s long-range planner Bob Wilkerson. “There was also a very high response for mixed-use development, and for more restaurants and retail downtown.”

Citizens also want Highway 84 more pedestrian and bike friendly with additional pedestrian crossings. They also voiced a desire for downtown residential housing and more natural elements – a “greening” of the corridor.

Another workshop is tentatively scheduled for March 6 called “Corridor Visioning.” This next workshop will build on the ideas and concerns expressed by the citizens at the January meeting. Additional workshops will be held as the development of the master plan progresses.

The pros and cons of the Highway 84 corridor were also identified last year at DesignAlabama’s 11th annual Mayor’s Design Summit. Steve Stone of dakinstreet architects in Mobile was the design professional paired with Dothan.

“The Highway 84 corridor serves as a great artery to shuttle people to the medical campus, but it also cuts the downtown in two,” Stone observes. “One thought was to use traffic-calming methods to slow traffic down intentionally, but that sometimes proves difficult on state or federal roads.”

Stone says revitalizing its downtown was Dothan’s primary focus at the 2017 Mayor’s Design Summit.

“There is a need to provide more public-private partnerships to inject both businesses and residents back to the core, which has been decimated over the past decades. This includes wayfinding and promotion to try to steer passers-through to actually come into the core instead of driving around it on the ring road.”

Another issue brought up at the Mayor’s Design Summit was how to connect Dothan’s extensive recreation network. “They have a large Forever Wild area nearby,” adds Stone, “along with a burgeoning youth sports industry.”

Image 1: Residents braved a winter storm Jan. 16 to attend the first meeting held by the City of Dothan to get input about making improvements to Dothan’s Highway East Corridor. Despite the weather, nearly 100 citizens showed up eager to brainstorm a master plan for the corridor.

Image 2: Lead project consultant, Design Workshop Inc., conducted a “values” workshop to determine what residents like and dislike about the Highway 84 East Corridor, which connects three major activity points – the downtown and two major medical campuses.

Image 3: At this first meeting, citizens expressed the desire for improving the visual appearance of the Highway 84 Corridor. They also want mixed-use development and a master plan that calls for making the corridor more pedestrian and bike friendly.

Article Written By Jessica Armstrong and Images Courtesy of the City of Dothan (please note that images may appear different in different browsers or on different devices)

Alabama is known for many things – from college football to the birthplace of the civil rights movement. Its abundance of architecturally diverse historic buildings may be less known, but becoming more apparent with the work of Montgomery architectural portraitist Melissa B. Tubbs, who uses pen and ink to capture the beauty and rich detail of Alabama buildings.

An exhibit called “Celebration & Preservation: Drawing Alabama’s Architectural History” contains 25 of her pen and ink drawings of architecturally significant buildings throughout the state. The exhibit, which coincides with Alabama’s bicentennial, is in Gadsden until Feb. 23 and will travel to several more Alabama communities.

The exhibit has two objectives: expose viewers to Alabama’s diverse architecture and make them aware of the arduous process of pen and ink drawing.

Tubbs recalls that she thought, “It’s no fun to draw these if I can’t show them.”

With that in mind, she set out to raise money for the exhibit which got easier once she was backed by the Alabama Bicentennial Commission. She divided the state in five sections and then selected five buildings from each section.

The exhibit is organized chronologically starting with Ivy Green, Helen Keller’s birthplace built in 1820 and ends with the Goat House, a 1997 project by Auburn University’s Rural Studio.

Some are well known like the Monroe County Courthouse immortalized in “To Kill a Mockingbird” and others known only in their immediate vicinity. The buildings represent many styles from Georgian and Victorian Gothic to Art Deco and Mid-Century Modern.

Because Alabama has so many worthy older buildings, limiting her selection to 25 was difficult and she managed not to duplicate building types.

“I’d see a great church and think ‘you already have a church’ or ‘you already have a courthouse.’”
Tubbs uses a Nikon D50 with an extra long zoom lens. She takes several photographs of the overall subject, along with detailed photographs at different exposures to record areas of sunlight and shadow.
Snapping pictures for more than 20 years, people have suggested that she show her photos as well as her drawings. But Tubbs says her photos are “a tool and not the end product.”

Once she is ready to draw, a basic design is sketched on paper with a graphite pencil. Concentrating on one small section at a time, she builds up layers of ink and depth through a combination of hatched and crosshatched marks until the subject is defined. She then reinforces overall shadow patterns to pull the individual areas together into a unified drawing.

“In black and white you are working strictly with values,” explains Tubbs, who stays busy with continual commissions. “Because we see in color, we have to work at looking at black and white.”

After earning a bachelor’s degree in visual design from Auburn University, Tubbs began a career in commercial design. She has won awards and her drawings have appeared in many publications and exhibitions from Montgomery to New York.

A 32-page catalog accompanying the exhibition includes images of the drawings and information about each building. The catalog is for sale at the exhibits and online at her Etsy shop. The drawings in the exhibit are also for sale and several have sold so far. Buyers just have to wait to take possession until the traveling exhibition is over.

“Celebration & Preservation: Drawing Alabama’s Architectural History” schedule:

• Through Feb. 23, 2018: Gadsden Museum of Art , Gadsden
• May 4 – 25, 2018: Cultural Arts Center, Arts and Humanities Council of Tuscaloosa County, Tuscaloosa
• June 4 – 29, 2018: Danielle Juzan Gallery, Mobile Arts Council, Mobile
• October – November 2018: Johnson Center for the Arts, Troy
• January – March 2019: The Georgine Clarke Alabama Artists Gallery, Alabama State Council on the Arts, Montgomery
• June 2019: Tennessee Valley Museum of Art, Tennessee Valley Art Association, Tuscumbia

*Dates are not yet finalized at later locations.

Image 1: This is one of 25 pen and ink drawings by Melissa Tubbs that is part of the exhibition, the circa 1904 Eufaula Carnegie Public Library, Eufaula, Barbour County, Alabama. Style: Italianate. Dimension: 6 5/8″ x 9 5/8″.

Image 2: Pen and ink by Melissa Tubbs of the circa 1930 Golden Eagle Syrup Co., Inc., Fayette, Fayette County, Alabama. Style: Early Twentieth Century Commercial. Dimension: 6″ x 11″. This drawing is also in the exhibition.

Image 3: Tubbs’ pen and ink of the courthouse immortalized in “To Kill a Mockingbird” is in the exhibition – the 1903 Old Monroe County Courthouse, in Monroeville, Monroe County, Alabama. Style: Eclecticism. Dimensions: 10″ x 6 15/16″.

Image 4: Also included in the exhibition is this pen and ink by Melissa Tubbs of the circa 1935 Ritz Theater, Greenville, Butler County, Alabama. Style: Art Deco. Dimensions: 9″ x 6″.

 

 

Article Written By Jessica Armstrong & Images Courtesy of Melissa Tubbs (please note that images may appear different in different browsers or on different devices)

 

Advancement in the design arts requires not only creativity, skill and determination but also money. So, the Alabama State Council on the Arts awards $5,000 through its Design Fellowship. Giving financial assistance to artists who work in architecture, fashion design, graphic design, industrial design, interior design, landscape architecture, as well as urban design and planning.

Applicants specify how the cash award will be used and provide samples of work completed within the last five years. Applications are submitted electronically. Work samples, resume and supporting materials are mailed and must be received within three days after the March 1 online application deadline. Applicants must be legal residents of Alabama for at least two years before the application deadline.

The ASCA Design Fellowship is meant to advance the artist’s career and that’s what happened for past recipient Jerry Johnson, a professor of design at Troy University. Johnson is also principal and art director of Sienna Cloud Solutions, which provides art and design consultation and services for print and web.

“With my eclectic and busy schedule, this grant allowed me to reduce my extraneous, paid client work for a season,” explains Johnson, who, thanks to the fellowship was able to focus on completing digital design pieces and exhibit them at various venues.

The work will ultimately appear in his upcoming book, The Joyous Exchange: The Art of Collaboration. These design pieces are illuminations that will illustrate the book’s meditations, written by Diane Orlofsky, professor of music and director of choirs at Troy University.

“About half of the grant funds were used on materials, printing and equipment for immediate presentation of this expanding body in exhibit form,” Johnson continues. “The other half is being used to assist with production costs for the first-run of the book which I am still designing—but very close to completing.”

Johnson and Orlofsky are producing a prototype, first-edition of the book before they pitch it to publishing sources. The book, he says, will not only be an example of their co-creation process, but serve as a primer for others interested in the co-designing process.

At the onset of the grant project, Johnson completed about 13 illuminations. As a result of the grant and the grant period, he has the completed 27 primary illuminations that correspond with Orlofsky’s meditations. About 24 to 27 illuminations will be included in the book.

“This ASCA fellowship did nothing but propel me into a greater exploration and understanding of collaboration in design,” says Johnson. “No doubt, without this fellowship my progress in bringing this body of work into fruition would either not materialized or would have been greatly delayed. Focus—that is what this fellowship offered me and I took advantage of it.”

Image 1: Johnson with a copy of The Joyous Exchange: The Art of Collaboration, which has one of his illuminations on the cover.

Image 2: “Grief Expressed,” a triptych-illumination created by Jerry Johnson, professor of design and Troy University and a past recipient of the ASCA Design Fellowship.

Image 3: A single “illumination” created by Johnson, who, along with teaching at Troy University, is principal and art director of Sienna Cloud Solutions, which provides art and design consultation and services for print and web.

Image 4: Johnson’s triptych-illuminations that will appear in his upcoming book, The Joyous Exchange: The Art of Collaboration. His illuminations will illustrate the book – a collaborative effort with a Troy University colleague.

Image 5: A detail in one of Johnson’s triptychs that are designed to complement the meditations in The Joyous Exchange: The Art of Collaboration. The design fellowship allowed Johnson to focus on this book project.

Article By Jessica Armstrong and Images Courtesy of Jerry Johnson (please note that images may appear different in different browsers or on different devices)

A mixed-use development named after its address – 127 Holmes – is being planned in one of downtown Huntsville’s premier locations.

The new development is within walking distance of the Madison County Courthouse, the Von Braun Civic Center, the Regions Building and a concentration of restaurants and retail businesses. Directly across is The Avenue, which consists of 197 loft apartments and 21,000 square feet of ground floor retail space.

Scheduled to open summer 2018, the total building area is 25,578 square feet and will consist of three restaurants on the ground floor, two floors of office space above one of the restaurants, and outdoor terraces and bars above the other two.

Two of the restaurants bring new food concepts to the area – Retaggio, an Italian restaurant and the other yet to be named. The third is a Moe’s BBQ franchise, the first of its type downtown.

“The design of the new building will be more in keeping with the urban context of the surrounding area,” explains Design Director Robert Mercer of Chapman Sisson Architects in Huntsville, the firm designing 127 Holmes. “The design approach was to create a place where people would want to spend time, either for entertainment or business purposes.”

Mercer notes that currently there are few food/entertainment establishments that provide outdoor seating. “This one fills that need with two bars that open to outdoor entertainment terraces on both the north and south sides of the building.”

City Scapes, a building that occupied the site, has been demolished. Mercer says it had no architectural significance, and was a low, one-story office building with a shingle roof that did not address the downtown street.

“So many positive changes are happening in downtown Huntsville, and this project was designed to contribute to the energy that is growing within the City core,” Mercer adds.

“The design focused on two main issues, creating a building that addressed the street and contributed to the urban fabric of the area, and also to have fun with the architecture and respect the historical look of the downtown area at the same time.”

Image 1- A new mixed-used development called 127 Holmes is set to open in summer 2018 in one of downtown Huntsville’s choicest locations. The new development will consist of three restaurants on the ground floor, two floors of office space above one of the restaurants, and outdoor terraces and bars above the other two.

Image 2- The design of 127 Holmes will be in keeping with the urban context its surrounding area, explains Design Director Robert Mercer of Chapman Sisson Architects in Huntsville, the firm designing the project. The design approach is to create a place where people would want to spend time, either for entertainment or business purposes.

*Article by Jessica Armstrong and Images Courtesy of Chapman Sisson Architects

A new brewery is coming to Birmingham to anchor the Sloss Docks redevelopment project. Back Forty Beer Company will operate in a former warehouse adapted for reuse by principals Matthew Finley and Judson Brown of BILT in Alabama architecture firm, who have designed other Birmingham breweries.

“One thing that will set this project apart from the other breweries in town is the inclusion of a full kitchen,” notes Finley. “The interior will be rustic/industrial. The existing concrete floors will remain, steel trusses will be exposed and the concrete roof will be exposed.”

In addition, overhead doors will replace with glass doors to allow in light. Interior features include rustic farm tables to promote group seating and murals that will reflect the brewery’s branding.

“We’re accentuating the existing bones of the building – which is almost all cast-in-place concrete – to maintain its industrial character,” Brown adds.

Macknally Land Design is developing the courtyard and parking. Terraced steps leading from the loading dock outdoor dining area to the lawn will provide a spot for listening to bands, drinking beer and socializing. The courtyard/beer garden is part of the overall master plan being designed and developed for Sloss Docks by Macknally.

“The Back Forty beer garden will have great views of Sloss furnaces and be a great destination for train watching,” observes Callan Childs, director of design and marketing for Sloss Real Estate Company. “It will have both lawn and hardscape surfaces for dining and play, a future outdoor bar and live entertainment venue.”

As the anchor retail development in Sloss Docks, Back Forty Beer Company will help spur economic growth in an area prime for development, she adds.

“We are changing the use of this building from a traditional warehouse to a destination that brings people to it – a destination that gets people excited. Breweries have served as catalysts in several Birmingham neighborhoods already… As Birmingham continues to grow, connecting these developing parts of our city is important, by car, bike and foot.”

Image 1- The Back Forty Beer Company will test new beers only available on site and distributed locally. The renovated warehouse will have an urban feel with its back bar open to the brewery. The kitchen’s wood-fired oven will allow customers to watch the brewers and chefs at work.

Image 2- This warehouse was used by the University of Alabama at Birmingham and sat vacant before plans began to transform it into a brewery and restaurant. The design retains the integrity of the original building.

Image 3- A view of Sloss Docks looking toward the Sloss furnaces, which opened in 1882. The site is designated a National Historic Landmark and opened as a museum in 1983.

*Article by Jessica Armstrong and Images Courtesy of BILT in Alabama and Sloss Real Estate Company

What’s not to love about baseball? The ball parks, the home runs, the cheers and hot dogs that somehow taste best when eaten in the bleachers – and, of course, the uniforms.

The Birmingham Barons, the city’s beloved Minor League team, recently unveiled their new uniform at Regions Field. The design reflects the team’s long history which dates back more than 130 years.

The solid black jersey with a “Magic City” logo in white was designed by Big Communications, a full-service creative agency in Birmingham. The new alternate uniform will be worn during Thursday home games starting in the 2018 season.

“They were looking for a city-centric, alternate jersey,” said Associate Creative Director Matt Lane Harris who supervised the jersey design.

“We cast a wide net at the beginning. We wanted it to have a historical reference to it, so we looked at some old jerseys. We whittled it down and landed on the design we did. They liked the ‘Magic City’ logo, and the hat was an homage to the Birmingham Black Barons.”

The new cap – black with a red bill and a white block “B” – honors the Black Barons who were part of the Negro Leagues that played from 1920 until 1960 when the Major Leagues integrated.
At the height of the nation’s manufacturing era, Birmingham grew so fast that it was nicknamed “Magic City.” The uniform’s “Magic City” logo reflects the city’s growth both in the past and today. The new uniform is designed to respect Birmingham’s past while honoring its future.

“With the resurgence of the downtown, the magic has come to the city and we want to celebrate that,” explains Erin O’Donnell, vice president of marketing for the Birmingham Barons. “The jersey serves a dual image, vintage but with modern elements with the script.”

Harris says he and his design team are “thrilled” with how the uniform turned out: “Simple and old school without a lot of embellishment.

Image 1 -The new uniform for the Birmingham Barons was designed to reflect the team’s long history and its future in the Magic City. The uniform also pays homage to the Birmingham Black Barons, the city’s African-American team before Minor League baseball was integrated.

Image 2- Matt Lane Harris stands proudly beside the new Birmingham Barons uniform that he and his design team created. Harris is associate creative director of Big Communications, the full-service creative agency in Birmingham that was commissioned to come up with a new design.

* Article By Jessica Armstrong and Images Courtesy of Big Communications

 

A museum in Florence designed around an ancient Indian mound believed to be 2,000 years old has received the AIA’s highest recognition. Lambert Ezell Durham Architecture, LLC won an Honor Award for the Indian Mound Museum at the 2017 AIA North Alabama Design Awards.

The 3,438-square-foot Indian Mound Museum features an auditorium, gift shop, entry lobby and interactive display area to depict various historical eras of Native Americans who lived near the mound, which is the oldest and largest in the Tennessee Valley.

Because the mound is the museum’s focus, the plan configuration curves slightly, reflecting the mound’s footprint. The design provides spacious views of the mound from within the museum. Its prominence reinforced with views of the mound immediately before entering and after exiting the exhibit area.

“We took great pains from a design effort to see the mound,” explains project architect Calvin Durham. “You see the mound before you enter and after, which is the point of the museum.”

Challenges included working with a very narrow footprint, which was managed by extending the property line. The building was originally used as a radio station that had few windows.

The cross section of the mound’s profile with its steep sloping sides and level top is incorporated into the museum’s entry design, veneer forms and other architectural elements.

The Tennessee River was known to the Indians as “Singing River” and they believed a spirit lived in the nearby waters. The Indian swirl symbol for this spirit is anchored in the entry lobby floor and expands out into adjacent areas.

Cast stone and native cypress wood were selected for the museum’s exterior along with a natural color palette for both the exterior and interior. High ceilings and large skylights produce an open and sunlit entry into the museum. Incorporated prominently into the museum’s cast stone facade is an explorer’s map of the river, mound and surrounding embankment.

Petroglyphs of the original Woodland Indians are carved into the cast stone veneer above the entry element. These elements are part of the overall design and serve as a teaching device.

Image 1-They believed a spirit lived in the adjacent waters. The Indian swirl symbol for this spirit is anchored in the entry lobby floor and expands out into other adjacent areas. Symbols are incorporated into the plan, to both serve as a teaching tool and enhance the design.

Image 2- Cast stone and native cypress wood were selected for the museum’s exterior along with a natural color palette for both the exterior and interior.

Image 3- High ceilings and large skylights produce an open and sunlit entry into the museum. The museum’s focus is a domiciliary mound that is the oldest and largest in the Tennessee Valley, and the museum’s plan configuration curves slightly, reflecting the mound’s footprint.

Image 4 -Incorporated prominently into the museum’s cast stone facade is an explorer’s map of the river, mound and surrounding embankment. Petroglyphs of the original Woodland Indians are carved into the cast stone veneer above the entry element.

*Article By Jessica Armstrong and Images Courtesy of Lambert Ezell Durham Architecture, LLC

 

The former BEBCO (Birmingham Electric Battery Company) building on Second Avenue and 22nd Street South is being redeveloped into a mixed-use office and retail space called The Battery.

Approximately 250 square feet of the project will be new construction with the remaining 19,210 square feet a renovation of existing buildings.

Demolition began early December and The Battery is expected to be completed in April 2018. Architects on the project are Scott Burnett, VP, and Michael Foster, both of CCR Architecture and Interiors.

“These buildings were formerly used for automotive repair and servicing,” says Foster. “They were built to be unassuming, durable, and functional, and you can tell when you look at them. There are no awnings or human-scaled elements – in many ways, these buildings were made with cars in mind more than people. The new design seeks to keep the gritty historic character of the existing structures while creating a fun, attractive place for people to gather.”

And the building will employ the same no-nonsense approach to materiality. New exterior walls are clad in corrugated metal in white, grey, and charcoal. Existing metal sign elements are salvaged for use as screening for rooftop mechanical equipment.

Heavy timber trusses previously hidden within one of the auto mechanic service areas will be exposed as part of the roof structure over the enclosed outdoor courtyard. Original masonry openings bricked shut over the years will be restored, flooding the interiors with natural daylight and enlivening the street by replacing blank stucco walls with glass.

Green elements will be introduced breaking up the currently paved lot. A bamboo hedge will separate the development from the adjacent warehouse and planting strips and low trees will create comfortable outdoor rooms for people to gather. With the diversity of tenants on site, these outdoor spaces will be useful at all hours – day times for office lunches and trips to the gym, nights and weekends for drinking, dining, and shows.

The new design is every bit as pragmatic and unassuming as the current site: basic rectangular volumes simply constructed using affordable, durable materials. Basic improvements will be made to modernize the buildings, including new windows, new plumbing, electrical, and mechanical systems and new interior finishes.

“All the old buildings on site already have good bones, high ceilings, and abundant natural light,” Burnett explains. “Many of the tenants were intentionally seeking out unfinished space that they could move into and make their own. With the added benefit of historic character and a prime downtown location, the site didn’t require much intervention to be perfect for the right tenants.”

The new complex will house The Birmingham District Brewing Company, a micro-brewery, The Syndicate Lounge, a music venue, along with a fitness studio and several restaurants including Gus’s Fried Chicken, Alabama’s first location of Memphis-based fried chicken chain.

Image 1-The former Birmingham Electric Battery Company building on Second Avenue and 22nd Street South is being redeveloped into a mixed-use office and retail space called The Battery. Roughly 250 square feet of the project will be new construction, with the remaining 19,210 square feet a renovation of existing buildings.

Image 2- The new design is as pragmatic and unassuming as the current site with basic rectangular volumes simply constructed using affordable, durable materials. Improvements to modernize the buildings include new windows, new plumbing, electrical, and mechanical systems and new interior finishes.

Image 3- Green elements will be introduced to break up the currently paved lot. A bamboo hedge will separate the development from the adjacent warehouse and planting strips and low trees will create comfortable outdoor rooms for people to gather.

Image 4- All the old buildings on site already have good bones, high ceilings, and abundant natural light, says Scott Burnett, who is project architect along with Michael Foster. These buildings were formerly used for automotive repair and servicing.

*Article By Jessica Armstrong & Images Courtesy of CCR Architecture & Interiors

A majestic Romanesque Revival building that served as Dothan’s main grammar school from the turn of the 20th century to the early 1940s is being converted into affordable housing for seniors.

The long-discussed Historic Howell Senior Apartments is a public/private partnership with the city of Dothan and is underway with the help of state and federal historic tax credits. Construction is scheduled to begin late January or early February.

Project architect Joseph Donofro of Donofro Architecture in Dothan sees the transformation of the Howell School as a way to bring much needed economic development to this area and is a reason why the city was interested in partnering.

The school building will house 23-25 senior apartments. Two additional buildings will bring the total number of units to about 55. The Howell School, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, will be the focal point of the complex.

This was Dothan’s second public school, constructed in 1898 at the cost of $15,000. A fire destroyed the building, which was rebuilt in 1903 and in 1916 named the Howell School in honor of Dr. J.R.G. Howell, a local physician who served as mayor of Dothan in 1898. The building later served several functions, including a pajama factory.

Donofro calls the masonry building “a gorgeous piece of work” and to his knowledge the only building in the region with terracotta trim. Other notable features include pressed tin cornices and overhangs.

The project, he says, is a “win-win; affordable senior housing and the restoration of a national gem.” He praises project developer Rob Coats of The Banyan Foundation in Birmingham for making it happen.

“He took a gamble, jumped in and has spent many hours making sure the project was economically viable.”

The Howell School project is part of resurgence in the core area of Dothan, Donofro adds. The city’s old Coca-Cola bottling plant is to become an entertainment venue and Donofro would like to see residential lofts downtown.

 

Image 1- The Howell School as it appeared in 1926. The school closed in 1942 when another elementary school opened. It was then used as a sewing plant for the Dothan Manufacturing Company and most recently sat long vacant.

Image 2- First floor plan- Instead of classrooms, the masonry old school building is now planned for affordable apartments for seniors. The facility will be for independent, not assisted living.

Image  3: Project architect Joseph Donofro has been part of the effort to make the Howell School project a reality for roughly 10 years. The building was recently added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Image 4: The Howell School and two other buildings set for construction are slated to offer affordable housing for seniors. The project is viewed as a catalyst for improvements to the blocks surrounding the old school building.

 

*Article By Jessica Armstrong and Images Courtesy of Donofro Architects.