Glen Iris
| Glen Iris | |
 |
Birmingham neighborhoods |
| District(s) | 3, 6 |
|---|---|
| Community | Southside community |
| Population | 7,680 |
| Area | N/A |
| President | Rob Burton IV |
| Meeting site | St Elias Catholic Church, (map) |
| Meeting day | 1st Monday |
| Website | |
| Neighborhood map | Glen Iris |
Glen Iris is a historical neighborhood in Birmingham's Southside community.
The neighborhood includes the historic Glen Iris Park, a central park with 20 residential lots of two acres each. The park was created by Robert Jemison Sr, who around 1901 envisioned and developed a highly exclusive place for Birmingham's elite to live. Most of the homes were built between 1901 and 1940, with some homes being built on open lots in later years. Each home surrounded the park, which contained trails and green space for the residents to enjoy. The initial residents each agreed to not to sell their homes without the consent of the other neighbors. Across its history, many prominent Birmingham families have lived in Glen Iris, including W. P. G. Harding, president of the First National Bank; R. DuPont Thompsons, Dr George M. Morrow, the Goodall Browns, the DeBardelebens, and the Jemisons. The Red Acres subdivision began to be developed in the 1930s. Though it had only 20 houses at the time, investigators for the Home Owners Loan Corporation gave Red Acres an above-average "grade" for mortgage security in their 1938 "redlining" map. Currently, a number of the homes in Glen Iris Park are on the National Register of Historic Places.
In recent decades various developers have built new apartment and residential complexes around the Glen Iris neighborhood, primarily due to the proximity to UAB. Though Glen Iris still retains its historical character. Glen Iris is Birmingham's second most populous neighborhood, with 7,680 residents, which represents over 3.8% of the city's population. The Glen Iris neighborhood is only one of three neighborhoods in the City of Birmingham that does not have a majority of the residents falling into the same racial category, according to the US 2020 Census results. Around 44% of residents in Glen Iris are black, followed by around 37% of residents identifying as white. Glen Iris also has a large number of immigrants and latinx/hispanic residents.
Some of the largest churches in the neighborhood include the Unitarian Universalist Church of Birmingham, the St Elias Maronite Catholic Church, St George Melkite Greek-Catholic Church, and Glen Iris Baptist Church. In addition to Glen Iris Park, the neighborhood includes multiple active homeowner associations (HOA). The most prominent HOA's in the neighborhood include Hampton Heights and Rockford. Glen Iris also has a very active business district, located along Green Springs Highway and Valley Avenue. This includes the Palisades, located at the southern tip of the neighborhood. Glen Iris boasts two public parks, George Ward Park and Bessie Estelle Park, along with two public elementary schools, Glen Iris Elementary and Epic Elementary. While there are no public libraries within the boundaries of the neighborhood, residents have close access to two separate public libraries. This includes the Southside Library, located to the east in Five Points South, and the Titusville Library, located to the west in North Titusville.
The Glen Iris Neighborhood Association meets on the first Monday of each month, at 6:30 PM, at St Elias Maronite Catholic Church on 8th Street South. Rob Burton IV is the current president of the association and Alice Speake is the neighborhood secretary. Due to an issue that took place during the certification of the 2022 election results, the Vice President position is currently listed as "vacant". The City of Birmingham's Community Resource Services Division (CRSD) is currently conducting an election audit in order to identify the cause of the issue. The CRSD has stated that the candidate who won the October 2022 vote count is Camilla Thompson, and that they are working to resolve the issue by March 2023.
Most of Glen Iris falls within Birmingham City Council District 3, with a sliver northwest of Green Springs Highway falling into District 6.
Neighborhood presidents
- Valerie Abbott
- Michael Gray
- Hope Cooper
- Scott Capps
- Rob Burton IV, 2023-present
Demographics
- 2010: 9,802 (48.7% Black)
- 2020: 7,680 (44.8% Black, 37.5% White)