Alabama Veterans Memorial Park
The Alabama Veterans Memorial Park is a 22-acre public park located at 100 Overton Access Road in Mountain Brook, alongside I-459 near the Liberty Park exit.
The park was developed in 2001 by the Alabama Veterans Memorial Foundation and maintained as a privately-owned memorial park in what was then Birmingham's Overton neighborhood.
The $6.5 million memorial honors over 400,000 Alabamians who served in the U.S. military during the wars of the 20th century (World War I, World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War and Gulf War). The site's landscaped path leads to a plaza with the flags of the services and a grouping of 36 20-foot-tall concrete columns with embedded plaques with reproductions of letters and Medal of Honor commendations.
A massive concrete "sanctuary" serves as a backdrop and destination. Quotations from public figures and the names of 11,000 killed in action are etched into the interior walls of the tall rectangular enclosure. A curved concrete canopy is suspended away from the walls, allowing light to wash across the etched names. At the back wall, facing an opening from which the United States flag can be viewed, stands a stainless steel sculpture, entitled "The Last Watch".
The memorial was designed as a pro bono project by GA Architecture Studio and the project won an Honor Citation from the AIA Gulf States Region and an Honorable Mention from AIA Alabama and AIA Birmingham. It was dedicated on May 27, 2001. At the time, the foundation described future plans for a timeline of military events along the path, and a permanent education center.
In 2009, with donations slipping due to the Great Recession, the foundation sold a 5-acre parcel of the park and sent a special appeal to donors.
In October 2013, the Birmingham Police Vice Unit conducted a sting in the park and arrested several individuals on misdemeanor charges ranging from indecent proposal to physical harassment.
In November 2023 the foundation donated the park to the City of Mountain Brook. The Mountain Brook City Council passed a resolution formally accepting the donation and agreeing to partner with the foundation to maintain and enhance the property in support of the city's values of "patriotism, love of country and support of our military."
References
- "Where Every Day is Memorial Day: Alabama's Veterans Memorial" (Fall 2001) Partners. Economic Development Partnership of Alabama
- Faulk, Kent (November 8, 2009) "Alabama veterans park may have to close if more donations don't come through." The Birmingham News
- Reed, Jon (October 4, 2013) "Birmingham police make arrests for obscene activity at Veterans Memorial Park on Old Overton Road." The Birmingham News
- Byington, Pat (November 9, 2023) "Alabama Veterans Memorial Park donated to Mountain Brook" Bham Now
External links
- Alabama Veterans Memorial website
- Alabama Veterans Memorial at gastudio.com