
Today’s guest columnist is Mac Moorer.
I recently attended an evening event in the City Center and was amazed by what I saw and heard driving down 2nd Ave North – crowded sidewalks, music, bars, restaurants, dogs being walked, and bustling activity.
The scene was a stark contrast from 1981, the year I started my 35+ years working in the City Center, when they “rolled up the sidewalks” downtown every night at 5:30.
As I reflected on this transformation, I realized I had observed “in action” more than several of the individuals primarily responsible for this remarkable metamorphosis.
In 1995 our growing law firm needed more space. As the new managing partner I was working with John Lauriello, a seasoned commercial real estate broker who had a passion for restoring old buildings.

John and his longtime colleague Bob Moody persuaded me and a partner to go with them to see the Clark Building, prominently located at the corner of 20th Street and 4th Avenue North. The eyesore had been abandoned for years and was on the verge of being condemned and razed.
After we carefully ascended the decaying stairs to the 2nd floor, I saw plaster peeling off walls, ceilings falling in, pigeons fluttering about, and empty whiskey bottles left by the homeless. John and Bob, however, were effusive with their praise – “Look at these great skylights, look at that beautiful brick, it’s in a lot better shape than I expected”. I finally grabbed John by the arm and said, “John, what building are you talking about because it’s not the same one I’m in!”
John and Bob had the vision to see beyond what I saw, to see the potential of a formerly grand structure and realize what it could be. Our firm was made up of predominantly small-town natives – Luverne, Brewton, Eufaula, Fayette, Cartersville, GA., Shelbyville, TN. – who appreciated historic buildings and were willing to gamble, with cash and personal guaranties, on a massive restoration.
Nineteen months later we moved into a showpiece and 25 years later the Clark Building is still home to the law firm. And the Clark Building was added to what is now a long list of City Center renovation success stories for John and Bob.
My work with the Clark Building led to my involvement with Operation New Birmingham (“ONB”), a unique public-private partnership focused on restoring the City Center. I recall monthly Board meetings in a cramped, overcrowded conference room at the ONB office next to the Bon Ton on 20th Street.
While small in staff, ONB had a major league board: Russell Cunningham – longtime CEO of Birmingham Realty; Mike Warren – Energen CEO; Carol Garrison – UAB President; Dudley Reynolds – Alagasco CEO; Neal Berte – Birmingham-Southern President, and others. Extended, pointed discussions occurred regarding a stalemated project called Railroad Park.
Michael Calvert, longtime ONB CEO, ultimately convinced all stakeholders of the need for a nationally renowned urban park architect, who in turn persuaded City Hall (when locals could not) of the game-changing potential of Railroad Park. The rest, as they say, is history.
Michael’s fingerprints are all over another game-changer as well. While I was ONB Chair, Michael presented me with a report he had prepared describing multiple success stories of minor league baseball teams across the country relocating back to city centers. Michael wanted to provide the report to the Don Logan family, the Birmingham Barons owner. I was dubious (Michael might say I scoffed) but I ended up saying, “Sure, why not.” The Logans were intrigued and, again, the rest is history.
A lot of different people over the years have taken bows for Railroad Park and Regions Field but rarely was Michael Calvert ever on stage with them. He probably should have been.
One early challenge faced by those wanting to restore the City Center was the misperception of crime in the City Center. This misconception was exacerbated, subliminally, because local TV news programs had the Birmingham skyline as the studio backdrop while reporting on serious crimes occurring far away from the City Center.
Fox DeFuniak, longtime City Center C-suite banker, and a City Center businessman, David Sher, creatively established a uniformed, unarmed security force called CAPS to patrol the City Center on bicycles and fix flat tires, remove graffiti, retrieve car keys accidentally locked in cars (back then you could do that), and in general assist City Center workers and residents.
To further fight the crime perception problem, CAPS proactively publicized annual FBI statistics showing it was safer to go to the City Center than to the Galleria or Mountain Brook. Many say the City Center resurgence would not have happened without the reassuring presence of CAPS, and CAPS would not exist if not for Fox and David.
Dr. Neal Berte has been rightfully recognized for his outstanding leadership at Birmingham-Southern and in numerous civic endeavors including ONB Chair, Kiwanis Club President, Region 2020 Chair, Leadership Birmingham founder, etc.
But some of Dr. Berte’s best work was quietly done behind-the-scenes and under-the-radar. Through several different City Hall regimes, Dr. Berte organized and moderated periodic meetings between the mayor and a small group of City Center/UAB leaders for off-the-record, candid discussions of issues of concern to the group.
No minutes were made of those meetings and no roll was taken but much needed trust and communication between the public and private sectors was established, enhanced and nurtured. Only someone with Dr. Berte’s cachet and “community cred” could have navigated those tricky waters.
My list goes on, space does not.
Many thanks to these individuals, and many more like them, who made Birmingham’s City Center better by making the things they could do become the things they did.
Mac Moorer is a retired attorney and past ONB Chair, Kiwanis Club President, and graduate of Leadership Alabama and Leadership Birmingham.
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
THIS very clearly defines the basis of the successful restoration advancement of Birmingham’s center. Thank you.
Later if I see other responses that inspire me to know more, I might add more.
For now, just two thinks: 1. As a graduating student at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, I became connected to ONB. That was in 1967. In summer I worked for Lawrence Whitten, first in the Brown Marx Building, and then the Bank For Savings building that his firm designed. It is wonderful to read all of this later history of which I have been well aware. 2. I also think an important eventual contribution that should be mentioned, was the earlier contribution of Senator Sparking and his successful support of the Medical Center, that became UAB.
Railroad park is absolutely fantastic! So has been the restoration of the older iconic buildings.
Thank you Mr. Moorer for this and all you have contributed yourself!
Many thanks, Roy, for reading and commenting. I spent a summer working in the Brown-Marx Building and am so glad to see it getting a much needed facelift. And I recall the old Relay House atop Bank for Savings as well.
UAB has been the economic engine keeping the City Center alive during this transformation and its criticality cannot be overstated.
My great pleasure, Mac. I did not mention my architecture thesis, a multimodal transportation center. One finally was built and I do think it is a very handsome one.
My ultimate hope is for commuter rail service including express train to the airport which should be re-located, but not too far away. Also we should plan for longer distance high speed rail service. The entire AMTRAC system is absurdly timed, and should be for multiple times and shorter distances. That is a national issue.
I gave a short TV presentation of my design on behalf of ONB! What a delight for young me! Much later I assigned the same project to my Florida A&M University architecture students, working in pairs, with very good results.
I have heard that Brown Marx, the last of the historic “Heaviest Corner on Earth” buildings is being restored and repurposed.” That is very good too.
I enjoyed reading the story about your office building at the corner of 20th and 4th.
And just by the way, besides architecture, my additional specialty is urban design.
Again thank you so much for you efforts. Roy Knight
Roy and Mr. Moorer, thanks for all the wonderful work you’ve done! I’m guessing you meant Senator Sparkman when you said Sparking.
Ted, Thank you for that expression of gratitude. Yes it was Senator Sparkman, a truly great Senator.
I join the applause of Mac’s recognition and gratitude for all those strong voices who spoke up and led the rebirth of Downtown ! I, also, fondly remember those earlier Civic Patriots who surely inspired Mac’s generation. So, I pray the next generation – our young men and women – will continue this legacy to assure a safe and prosperous Downtown and Metro!
You, Jerome are one of the most important ones, yourself. Thank you.
Great to see all these wonderful people recognized.
Ted, Jerome and Michael: Thanks so much for reading and commenting.
As I have told David, and it applies to all those in the article as well, what David is doing with ComebackTown is the perfect example of lighting a candle rather than cursing the darkness.
Apparently, you have not ventured out to other cities such as Nashville, Chattanooga, Huntsville, Alabama. Charlotte, NC. and even Savannah, GA.
But, it is pleasant to read positive notes about B’ham, as opposed to David Shers constant references to old, racially divided (still is) but has anyone counted the number of skycranes on the cities skyline? I counted 21 just driving through Nashville. If not for UAB, what would B’ham look like. A burned out steel town ? Probably..
Crime… none of the cities referenced above have crime statistics even close to B’ham. This is a major deturent for new development and relocation for significant growth of a city. By the way how many fortune 500 companies have relocated in
B’ham vs how many have left B’ham in the last 20 years.
Crime and racism indeed are serious negatives. No one wants that. I understanding that the City is now trying to organize an anti-crime partnership among law enforcement agencies to correct that. It is remarkable how control of crime in the center helped the return of a safe downtown and so many people have moved there since.
The “Cranes’ do not necessarily represent a more livable city, just bigger and messier. Do you like driving in the cities, with hardly any alternation transportation? Not I! A bit of an exception is Atlanta, but driving there is really a bad time consumer. Try driving through Vancouver with its truly remarkable multi-public transit system. Some many times you can barely drive through. It is so expensive that people who work in the city can’t afford to live there. You have to buy your next home before you sell the one you are in. Who wants that? Uniformed, people who see the outside but miss the reality. That who moves to Florida. About me? I was offered a great job with much better pay than the Tennessee that I left about 35 years ago.
Thank you, Roy!
What an excellent article. I bought the Redmont in 1991 and gave it a go as part of the revival of Downtown and the ‘local boy comes home to give back’ enticement. This was after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Ralph Sampson made a short go of it and left this old gal in pristine condition for me to reflag as a Holiday Inn ….. Many, many stories over the next seven years. I digress. I wanted to give huge credit to Mike Calvert and Fox Defuniak for enticing me back home for a while. They were inspiring and modeled what community leaders look and feel like. Their selflessness and pride in Birmingham have stayed with me for all these years.
Is the Redmont a Holiday Inn today?
The Redmont is part of the Hilton family of brands as a Curio and thriving
When i was there McDonalds downtown closed on the weekends!
Timing.
Thanks. Interesting. It’s great to see how much more vibrant downtown Birmingham is today.
Oh did I notice that happen and the great results! Thank you Julian! I very first real job was with AAA as trip planner, right around the corner on 21st St. I had to get special permission to start that summer job at the young age of 15! Did I ever love that job, especially the day President Eisenhower’s brother and his wife stepped up to my place and requested a trip plan with ‘trip-tik!’ You don’t forget an experience like that. BTW. Serious people do come to Birmingham, at least to visit, often leaving suprised and impressed. Of course there are those others!
Thanks again Julian!