Today’s guest columnist is Jay Taylor.
In recent years, there’s been a lot of talk about which Alabama city is the largest in our state.
Population wise, that debate’s laughable. The truth is, more than 21 percent of Alabama’s 5.1 million residents live in metro Birmingham.
But if you judge a city’s size by its skyline – and people often do – then you have to ask the question: are we slipping a bit in this category?
In the past couple of decades, we’ve made some great strides. In 2004 Operation New Birmingham (now known as REV Birmingham after a merger with Main Street Birmingham) identified its 12 most wanted buildings for renovation. These were mostly 12 giant eyesores at the time. The last one is expected to be complete soon.
There was already momentum. City Stages, sadly now a festival in our past, helped kickstart downtown’s revitalization.
We’ve also added a baseball stadium and football stadium, spruced up the BJCC and Legacy Arena, added nightlife, built countless residential buildings, increased greenspace – it’s a long list.
But we haven’t grown vertically in a long time. A really long time.
That wasn’t the case between 1982 and 1990. In less than 10 years we welcomed the Financial Center (17 stories), new Alabama Power headquarters (18 stories), Harbert Plaza (32 stories), and Shipt Tower (34 stories).
Since then, Mobile has added two buildings, including the largest in the state by a long shot. You can explore diagrams of Birmingham buildings and compare them with others in our state online.
Don’t get me wrong, I think our skyline is beautiful. But the thing is, when you approach Birmingham from the airport, how different is the view than it was 35 years ago? Until you near City Walk’s brilliant spectrum of colors glowing beneath the interstate downtown and magnificent Protective Stadium towering over Uptown, it hasn’t changed a whole lot.
In other words, we need an addition. A big addition. And we need it sooner rather than later.
Sure, in this new post-Covid economy, is there demand for a shiny, new office tower? I don’t know. And, of course, I’ve heard about FAA-imposed height restrictions. I can’t speak with authority on those, but I do know that the developers behind the proposed 68-story Shepherd Centre were confident that the restriction did not apply to the entire downtown area.
What I ask the powers that be in our city to ponder is the idea of creating an addition to our skyline that might not necessarily be office, residential, or hotel.
Think about how the Eiffel Tower sparkles in Paris.
Am I comparing Birmingham to Paris? No. I’m just saying, it might be nice to see a beautifully-designed architectural presence rubbing shoulders with our current skyscrapers.
Seattle has the Space Needle. St. Louis has the Arch. Toronto has the CN Tower. I know, I know. The naysayers must be salivating as they prepare to torpedo this idea by claiming I’m comparing Birmingham to some of these cities.
But ask yourself what kind of impact a simple structure can make when it stretches high above the horizon. Before you answer, remember how important the replica Saturn rocket is to the I-65 Huntsville Welcome Center.
Or, visit Florence, Alabama, for a meal at the newly-renovated 360 Grille. This rotating restaurant will offer you breathtaking views of the area. Imagine if we had that in downtown Birmingham, particularly considering the chefs we have in this city.
A skyline can define a city as much as anything else. We’ve gazed at ours with great pride the last few decades. But with all apologies to Vulcan, we need an addition right downtown that competes for tallest structure in the state – or at least Birmingham.
We have some talented architects here. I’d like to see what they can come up with. As the majestic Washington Monument in our nation’s capital proves, the design can be quite simple. But the possibilities are endless.
Do you like the idea, too? Let’s not kick it around for another decade. Instead, let’s start brainstorming now.
What addition would you like to see to the Birmingham skyline?
Editor’s note: You might consider reading about Vance Wesson’s totally unique idea–the Birmingham DNA Helix Tower.
Jay Taylor is a freelance writer based in Birmingham, Alabama. He has more than 30 years of experience working in advertising, journalism, marketing, and business. He renovated Kessler Lofts with his family and cofounded the startup TabX in Birmingham. Taylor previously served as president of the Central City Neighborhood Association. Today, he lives in Homewood with his wife and two children.
David Sher is the founder and publisher of ComebackTown. He’s past Chairman of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce (BBA), Operation New Birmingham (REV Birmingham), and the City Action Partnership (CAP).
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Invite David to speak for free to your group about how we can have a more prosperous metro Birmingham. dsher@comebacktown..com.
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