Crawford's Auto Shop Building

Located on the prominent corner of 1st Avenue North and 25th Street in downtown Birmingham, the former Crawford’s Auto Shop is right next to the heavily traveled Red Mountain Expressway. Built in 1928, the building was originally a Ford dealership until the late 1970’s. It then became Rogers Army Navy Store until 2001. Golden & Associates renovated the 40,000 sq. ft. historic building into new office space for a high tech advertising firm.

To keep the building's historical exterior appearance, Golden differentiated the southwest corner of the building that was originally a tire repair shop where cars could pull under the canopy for repairs. In the 1950’s, the bays were filled in with aluminum storefront framing and glass. To maximize office space, the historical commission allowed this area to remain enclosed with glass, but required the appearance of open bays. To achieve this, Golden & Associates installed a butt-glazed curtain wall system so the aluminum framing was not visible from the exterior. Tinted glass provided a contrast to the conventional clear glass storefront system used on the rest of the building. The project also included installing underground electrical service, a new roof, and restoring the original steel framed windows. Landscaping and a 32,000 sq. ft. parking lot were also part of the job.

The tight schedule was a huge challenge to this project. Drawings had to be submitted to the historical commission for approval during the process. After demolition, construction had to be completed in six months. The approval for the storefront was approximately six months. To keep the schedule on pace, Golden installed temporary enclosures that enclosed the building to allow the interior work to be completed. Weekly progress meetings were held to ensure everyone stayed informed. Golden also held bi-weekly meetings to discuss quality control and ensure the historical commission's guidelines were being met.

Interior highlights include exposed concrete floors, exposed plaster ceilings and spiral duct work, and industrial-type light fixtures. Citrus hues of orange and green were used throughout the decor as a part of the modern interior design.

Details

Owner:
Intermark Group, Inc.

Architect:
The Garrison Barrett Group

Completion:
December 2006

Locations:
Birmingham, Alabama

Budget:
$3.6 Million

Awards:
2007 Excellence in Construction Award
Category: Historical Restoration $2 to $10 Million