Quinlan Castle

Quinlan Castle in August 2006

The Quinlan Castle is a 4-story, castle shaped apartment building built on the northwest corner of 9th Avenue South and Richard Arrington, Jr. Boulevard South. The building features a light brown stone façade. The roofline is highlighted with both battlements and four separate turrets, with one at each corner. It is divided into two sections connected with a pair of stone archways. The interior has since fallen into a state of disrepair as it has remained vacant since the mid-1990s, but includes 72 efficiency and one-bedroom apartments.

History

Opening in 1927 as the Quinlan Castle, the building was designed by architect William C. Weston. Although no one is certain why the castle design was carried out, one legend credits a pair Birmingham doctors for it. Legend says after serving in the U.S. military in France during World War I, the doctors wanted to recreate one of the medieval castles they had seen there.

Constructed by H.P. Hanna of the Quinlan Construction Company, a 1929 advertisement for the castle quoted that its eclectic design was taken "from the actual plans of a medieval English castle." Although this was never confirmed, it acted in adding an even greater degree of intrigue for Birmingham's castle.

The Quinlan moniker was taken from its location along Quinlan Avenue, which has since been renamed 9th Avenue South. The street had been originally named for Mobile's Bishop Quinlan, who had purchased the hilltop and surrounding property and planned to make it the site of Birmingham's first Catholic church.

In 1940, the castle was at the center of controversy when it was rumored that it served as the headquarters for the Communist Party in Birmingham. In that year, Birmingham police Lt. Ollie F. Osborne raided the building after it was discovered Robert Hall was renting an apartment there. At that time Hall was the secretary of the Communist Party chapter in Birmingham. The incident resulted in its name being changed to the Royal Arms Apartments to regain its stature as one of Birmingham's premier apartment communities.

In 1984 the Quinlan Castle was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

In 1994, the castle gained a great degree of local publicity as then Birmingham City Councilman William Bell leased a $295 per month efficiency within the complex. Bell took residence here after a great deal of controversy arose after it was revealed he living in the neighboring Pickwick Hotel to be eligible to run as a candidate for the Jefferson County Commission District 2 seat whilst remaining within his elected city council district. His move into Quinlan was done in an effort to minimize this controversy. Residents of the complex believed his presence would improve their living conditions and make the complex safer.

After becoming the property of Birmingham in January 1993, the future of the structure has remained in doubt due to its deteriorating state. By 1998, the structure was added to the Places in Peril list of the Alabama Historical Commission and the Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation.

Redevelopment

One of the more significant proposals for the structure came in 1999 when the neighboring Southern Research Institute proposed demolishing the structure to make way for additional parking and a proposed expansion of their facilities. The city refused to sell without an agreement to protect the exterior appearance of the building.

After the SRI proposal, the city recieved four proposals for its reuse in November 1999. These proposals included:

• A proposal from Metropolitan Development to purchase the castle for $450,000 and rehabilitate it as apartments.
• A proposal from Woodruff Manufacturing to purchase the castle for $225,000, and convert it into student housing for UAB students.
• A proposal from Aletheia House to create rental units for participants in a drug recovery program.
• A proposal from Lawrence-Arendall-Humphries to purchase the castle for $50,000 with the trade of the Old Simon-Williamson Clinic Building, and convert the castle into office space.

A proposal for the structure in March 2001 from the QC Partners would have converted the castle into 30 luxury apartments. By March 2002 the project stalled and was eventually cancelled after an agreement for parking could not be reached.

A failed 2003 proposal from Excell Financial would have converted the castle into 20 luxery condominiums. The proposal called for 16 two-story townhomes and 4 penthouse units with access to the roof and to the castle's turrets. Covered parking on the castles eastern side would have also been included as part of the development.

By September 2006, Birmingham was ready to consider a number of new proposals:

• A proposal from the Southern Research Institute to purchase the building for use as a storage facility or as additional office or laboratory space. They may also decide to completely demolish the interior for a central utility plant and preserve the exterior facade as a shell.
• A proposal from the Department of Veterans Affairs would convert the building into short-term housing for families and patients at the Birmingham VA Medical Center.
• A proposal from Urban Development and Management would convert the castle into 32 condos and 50 underground parking spaces.
• A fourth proposal from developer Herschell Hamilton has since been withdrawn.

References

• Coman, Victoria L.(October 7, 2006) "City looks at Quinlan Castle future." Birmingham News.
• Coman, Victoria L.(October 3, 2006) "4 plans to redevelop castle reach city." Birmingham News.
• Estes, Cary (September 29, 2006) "City's castle may soon find its knight." Birmingham Business Journal. [1]
• Birmingham Business Journal (July 20, 1999) "Keep Quinlan Castle." Birmingham Business Journal. [2]
• Coman, Victoria L. (December 3, 2003) "Castle saving quest: plan in the works to save Quinlan." Birmingham News.
• Goldman, Adam (March 4, 2002) "Quinlan Castle renovatiion plans stall over parking." Birmingham News.
• Scribner, Chris (March 25, 2001) "Quinlan Castle may find style." Birmingham News.
• Blackledge, Brett J. (November 10, 1999) "Firm offers $400,000 for castle." Birmingham News.
• Walsh, Maggie Hall (December 13, 1995) "Quinlan Castle unique building saved, talk about it continues." Birmingham News.
• Dedrick, Patricia (May 10, 1994) "Bell hopes move into apartment quells flap over residency rules." Birmingham News.

External links

• Quinlan Castle on Emporis.com
• Quinlan Castle on Castles of the United States