Musician's Cooperative

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The Musician's Cooperative was to have been a communal residence and music studio in the J. R. Copeland residence at 1210 32nd Street North in Norwood. The 9,000 square-foot house, built in the 1910s, has 15 bedrooms. Twin brothers Tyler and Vinny Trierweiler, who operated a similar enterprise in South Bend, Indiana, leased the house and secured numerous applications for resident artists. They hoped to open in March 2011.

In addition to communal living areas and meals, residents would have shared performance space and recording facilities in the house. A community garden would have been planted in the back yard, and utilities, including wi-fi internet, were to be included in the rent. Monthly performances would have been open to the public, and goings on at the cooperative would have been documented in online videos.

After announcing their plans, the Trierweilers found significant opposition from neighborhood residents. Robert Gilmore, president of the Norwood Neighborhood Association, cited a long-standing resolution against communal living facilities in the area. The project would have required a special exception from the Birmingham Zoning Board of Adjustments, and approvals from the Jefferson County Department of Health, city housing inspectors, and county lodging inspectors.

References

  • Wolfson, Hannah (January 25, 2011) "Norwood music co-op plans place to crash, create in Birmingham." The Birmingham News
  • Ruisi, Anne (February 13, 2011) "Proposed Norwood musicians co-op sparks debate." The Birmingham News

External links