{"id":95595,"date":"2025-02-18T13:49:40","date_gmt":"2025-02-18T13:49:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/alabama\/a-new-skyline-for-birmingham\/"},"modified":"2025-02-18T13:49:40","modified_gmt":"2025-02-18T13:49:40","slug":"a-new-skyline-for-birmingham","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=95595","title":{"rendered":"A new skyline for Birmingham"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n
\"Mobile<\/a>
Mobile skyline with RSA Battle House Tower, the tallest building in the State of Alabama<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Today\u2019s guest columnist is Jay Taylor.<\/em><\/p>\n

In recent years, there\u2019s been a lot of talk about which Alabama city is the largest in our state.<\/p>\n

Population wise, that debate\u2019s laughable. The truth is, more than 21 percent of Alabama\u2019s 5.1 million residents live in metro Birmingham.<\/p>\n

But if you judge a city\u2019s size by its skyline \u2013 and people often do \u2013 then you have to ask the question: are we slipping a bit in this category?<\/p>\n

In the past couple of decades, we\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n

There was already momentum. City Stages<\/a><\/strong><\/span>, sadly now a festival in our past, helped kickstart downtown\u2019s revitalization.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve also added a baseball stadium and football stadium, spruced up the BJCC and Legacy Arena, added nightlife, built countless residential buildings, increased greenspace \u2013 it\u2019s a long list.<\/p>\n

But we haven\u2019t grown vertically in a long time. A really long time.<\/p>\n

That wasn\u2019t 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).<\/p>\n

Since then, Mobile has added two buildings, including the largest in the state by a long shot. You can explore diagrams of Birmingham buildings<\/a><\/strong><\/span> and compare them with others in our state<\/a><\/strong><\/span> online.<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t 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\u2019s brilliant spectrum of colors glowing beneath the interstate downtown and magnificent Protective Stadium towering over Uptown, it hasn\u2019t changed a whole lot.<\/p>\n

In other words, we need an addition. A big addition. And we need it sooner rather than later.<\/p>\n

Sure, in this new post-Covid economy, is there demand for a shiny, new office tower? I don\u2019t know. And, of course, I\u2019ve heard about FAA-imposed height restrictions. I can\u2019t speak with authority on those, but I do know that the developers behind the proposed 68-story Shepherd Centre<\/a><\/strong><\/span> were confident that the restriction did not apply to the entire downtown area.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Think about how the Eiffel Tower sparkles in Paris.<\/p>\n

Am I comparing Birmingham to Paris? No. I\u2019m just saying, it might be nice to see a beautifully-designed architectural presence rubbing shoulders with our current skyscrapers.<\/p>\n

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\u2019m comparing Birmingham to some of these cities.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

A skyline can define a city as much as anything else. We\u2019ve 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 \u2013 or at least Birmingham.<\/p>\n

We have some talented architects here. I\u2019d like to see what they can come up with. As the majestic Washington Monument in our nation\u2019s capital proves, the design can be quite simple. But the possibilities are endless.<\/p>\n

Do you like the idea, too? Let\u2019s not kick it around for another decade. Instead, let\u2019s start brainstorming now.<\/p>\n

What addition would you like to see to the Birmingham skyline?<\/p>\n

\"DNA<\/a>
DNA Helix Tower (Vance Wesson)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Editor\u2019s note: You might consider reading about Vance Wesson\u2019s totally unique idea\u2013the Birmingham DNA Helix Tower<\/strong><\/span><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Jay<\/a>
Jay Taylor<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Jay Taylor is a freelance writer based in Birmingham, Alabama. He has more than\u00a030\u00a0years of experience working in advertising, journalism, marketing, and business. He renovated Kessler Lofts with his family and cofounded the startup\u00a0<\/span><\/i>TabX<\/a><\/u><\/i><\/strong><\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span>in Birmingham. Taylor previously served as president of the Central City Neighborhood Association. Today, he lives in Homewood with his wife and two children.<\/i><\/p>\n

David Sher is the founder and publisher of\u00a0ComebackTown<\/strong><\/a><\/span>.\u00a0 He\u2019s past Chairman of the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce (BBA), Operation New Birmingham (REV Birmingham), and the City Action Partnership (CAP).<\/em><\/p>\n

Click here to sign up for our newsletter.<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Invite David to speak for free to your group about how we can have a more prosperous metro Birmingham. dsher@comebacktown..com.<\/em><\/p>\n

(Visited 49 times, 49 visits today)<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mobile skyline with RSA Battle House Tower, the tallest building in the State of Alabama Today\u2019s guest columnist is Jay Taylor. In recent years, there\u2019s been a lot of talk about which Alabama city is the largest in our state. Population wise, that debate\u2019s laughable. The truth is, more than 21 percent of Alabama\u2019s 5.1 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":95596,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11763],"tags":[13518,13583],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-95595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alabama","tag-birmingham","tag-skyline"],"yoast_head":"\nA new skyline for Birmingham - Som2ny Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=95595\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"A new skyline for Birmingham - Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Mobile skyline with RSA Battle House Tower, the tallest building in the State of Alabama Today\u2019s guest columnist is Jay Taylor. 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