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Birmingham Then and Now®
A host of local landmarks as they once looked alongside the same viewpoint photographed today
A late arrival on the Southern landscape, the city of Birmingham was not incorporated until after the Civil War. In fact, from 1820 to 1871, what is now Birmingham was known as the hamlet of Elyton, a small crossroads set in the rolling foothills of the Appalachian Mountains where several Pony Express and stage routes crossed paths. When two railroads eventually intersected at this point—where, significantly, all the ingredients necessary to make iron existed in close proximity—the region’s growth exploded. Birmingham’s history is not a story of the grace and vanished grandeur of an antebellum past, but rather, a dynamic story of modern American industrialization. Sites covered include Hollywood, Alabama State Fairgrounds, Vulcan Park, Mountain Brook Village, The Old Mill, Avondale Park, Highland Park, Woodlawn High, Quinlan Castle, Five Points South, Bottega Favorita, Old Jefferson County Courthouse, Capitol Park, Tutwiler Hotel, Twentieth Street, Louise Wooster Brothel, Alabama Theatre, Kress Department Store, Joy Young Restaurant, Terminal Station, Molton Hotel, Lovemans, Massey Building, Bright Star, Temple of Sibyl, Sloss Furnaces, Red Mountain, and Legion Field.
A late arrival on the Southern landscape, the city of Birmingham was not incorporated until after the Civil War. In fact, from 1820 to 1871, what is now Birmingham was known as the hamlet of Elyton, a small crossroads set in the rolling foothills of the Appalachian Mountains where several Pony Express and stage routes crossed paths. When two railroads eventually intersected at this point—where, significantly, all the ingredients necessary to make iron existed in close proximity—the region’s growth exploded. Birmingham’s history is not a story of the grace and vanished grandeur of an antebellum past, but rather, a dynamic story of modern American industrialization. Sites covered include Hollywood, Alabama State Fairgrounds, Vulcan Park, Mountain Brook Village, The Old Mill, Avondale Park, Highland Park, Woodlawn High, Quinlan Castle, Five Points South, Bottega Favorita, Old Jefferson County Courthouse, Capitol Park, Tutwiler Hotel, Twentieth Street, Louise Wooster Brothel, Alabama Theatre, Kress Department Store, Joy Young Restaurant, Terminal Station, Molton Hotel, Lovemans, Massey Building, Bright Star, Temple of Sibyl, Sloss Furnaces, Red Mountain, and Legion Field.
- GenresHistory
144 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 22, 2014
This had the potential of being so good. Historic photos of Birmingham on one side - then a current photo of what the building, or the site of the building, looks like today. The text on the page describes the scene in each photo. Sounds simple enough. However, either the photos were cropped without regard to the text - or the photos were not reproduced clearly enough. In many cases what is described in the photo is just not there!
In some cases there were things that seemed the most important thing in the photo (the steps of the 16th Street Baptist Church where the bomb in was placed in 1963) was not even mentioned. Neither was the fact that the Statue of Liberty which used to be located in a downtown park is now off in the far suburbs of Vestavia at Liberty Park (bring her home!).
If you are going to do a beautiful book like this - do your homework and be involved with the printing process.
In some cases there were things that seemed the most important thing in the photo (the steps of the 16th Street Baptist Church where the bomb in was placed in 1963) was not even mentioned. Neither was the fact that the Statue of Liberty which used to be located in a downtown park is now off in the far suburbs of Vestavia at Liberty Park (bring her home!).
If you are going to do a beautiful book like this - do your homework and be involved with the printing process.
December 8, 2022
I appreciate the format - a focus on large photos with explanatory text below. It also brings into sharp focus how much foot traffic has declined downtown. Especially appreciated the photo of Vulcan at the Birmingham Racetrack. Well worth my time to read this book.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews