Showing It Off

Alabama Construction News

Fall 2007

By Hugh J. Rushing

The year was 1928, and America, in the aftermath of the "War to end all wars" was in the midst of an automobile-buying boom. On the corner of 24th Street and 1st Ave. North in Birmingham arose the Crawford Ford Dealership. The building featured large display windows, so riders on the streetcars, which traveled 1st Ave. North, could see the shiny alternatives to public transportation. In keeping with the delicateness of auto tires in those days, a drive in flat repair portal made up a portion of the building's front, according to Jefferson County Historical Commission's Linda Nelson.

"Leslie Wilton was the original architect on the project," Nelson says. "It was a really striking building with its repair bays located on the second floor with the sales area down below. There was a ramp used to access the second floor with cars."

Fast forward 53 years. No longer an auto dealership, the building was converted to an army-navy surplus and clothing store - Roger's - which outfitted generations of Birmingham's Boy Scouts, campers, runners and hikers. The exterior brick was covered with a camo paint job, made even more obvious by the heavily traveled Red Mountain Expressway. Thousands of motorists got a full few of what many called "the ugliest store in town." Rogers even capitalized on the look with coupons known as "ugly bucks."

But Rogers joined the exodus south, over the mountain to the suburbs, and the building sat derelict for several years - only the paint job seeming impervious to the elements. (Before the building was sold, the camo was covered by a dark green paint job.)

Intermark Holdings, a major advertising agency, saw something in the old structure and formed a partnership to purchase and renovate the building for use as an office space and a studio for video productions. The Garrison Barrett Group Inc. was the architect for the renovation. Golden & Associates Construction, LLC was the contractor.

Golden moved in at the end of 2005 and did six weeks worth of demolition just so project architect David Peacher of The Garrison Barrett Group could get a good look at what there was to work with. "Since the building is in an historic district, we worked closely with the city's Design Review Committee to make sure everything met with their approval. They were quite supportive and helpful," Peacher says. "Until we could get to the raw structure itself, we really couldn't do the proper measurements to design the new space for the owners."

By middle of last year, Golden & Associates was ready to begin the renovation. William Tynes was the project manager on the site.

Large portions of leaky glazing were replaced by insulated glass, but with specially fabricated members to keep the façade of the building true to its original look. Original windows, which had been filled with masonry, were restored. The uninsulated roof was re-done with insulation and coping copied to match the original. "The roof was a special challenge since at one time it had supported a rather large sign, the foundations of which penetrated the roof itself," Tynes says.

The ramp leading to the second floor was left in place. Where interior partitions meet the glazing, glass-to-glass joints were made.

The result was a strikingly handsome building, restored to its former glory and still serving the automotive industry. The $3.4 million restoration job encompasses some 40,000 square feet of office and video production space.