This is an opinion column
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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
