2020

2020 is the 149th year after the founding of the City of Birmingham.

Events

• January 5: Two people died in a plane crash at Cullman Regional Airport.
• January 21: The new I-20/59 downtown viaduct opened after a year of construction.
• February 27: AL.com disabled its online comments section.
• April 1-3: Frontier Conference 2020 was held at the Lyric Theatre.
• July 11: The first Alabama Jazz Festival was held at Railroad Park.

Business

• January 1: TTL Inc. of Tuscaloosa acquired DBS & Associates Engineering of Tennessee.
• January 1: Graham & Co. acquired the Brookmont Realty Group.
• January 14: ProctorU announced a merger with Yardstick Assessment Strategies of Ottawa, Ontario to form Meazure Learning.
• January: Daxko acquired PlayerSpace of Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina.
• Regions Bank consolidated workers at its Regions Riverchase Operations Center and closed its Regions Lakeshore Operations Center.
• GoodJob acquired Fetch Talent.
• Wayne's Pest Control acquired Priority Pest of Mt Juliet, Tennessee.
• ProAssurance acquired NORCAL Group of San Francisco, California.

Establishments

• January 7: Art's Barber Shop reopened at 3301 Crestwood Boulevard
• January 7: Yum Yai reopened at 5426 U.S. Highway 280
• January 20: Dave Horn and Taylor Hughes opened SoHo Standard at SoHo Square.
• Marco and Juan Perez opened Maya Mexican Restaurant at the former Del Toro in Alabaster.
• February: Marco Butturini opened Le Fresca at 2218 2nd Avenue North.
• Spring: Gardendale Pickers opened in the former K-Mart at 901 Decatur Highway.

Disestablishments

• ISCO Industries of Louisville, Kentucky acquired M. T. Deason.
• Zula's Mart on Highland Avenue closed.
• January 8: Magic City Krabs at 2201 4th Place West closed.
• January 15: Charlemagne Records on 11th Avenue South closed.
• January 18: Hot Diggity Dogs of 5th Avenue South closed.
• February: Plant Power & Control Systems was acquired by IES Holdings of Houston, Texas.

Government

• The City of Trussville celebrated its Bicentennial.
• January 7: Randall Woodfin delivered the 2020 State of the City address.

Sports

• January 1: The Alabama Crimson Tide defeated the Michigan Wolverines 35-16 in the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida.
• January 1: The Auburn Tigers lost to the Minnesota Golden Gophers 24-31 in the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Florida.
• January 2: The Cincinnati Bearcats defeated the Boston College Eagles 38-6 in the 2020 Birmingham Bowl at Legion Field.
• January 6: Alabama Crimson Tide juniors Henry Ruggs III, Jerry Jeudy and Tua Tagovailoa announced for the 2020 NFL Draft.
• February 22: Deontay Wilder fought Tyson Fury to defend his WBC heavyweight title.
• 2020 Birmingham Legion FC season
• June: The 2020 National Indoor Pickleball Championship was held at the Finley Center in Hoover.

Individuals

• Chef Brandon Cain left Roots & Revelry.
• January 27: Ginny Tucker succeeded interim Brooke Bowles as CEO of Impact America.
• February 3: Cory Moon was sworn in as Chief of the Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service.

Awards

• Alabama Music Hall of Fame: Gary Baker, Mervyn Warren, Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton and Elton B. Stephens

Deaths

• January 10: John Bresnan, Chief of the Homewood Fire Department
• January 13: Doug Barnes, street character
• January 21: De'Runnya Wilson, former college football player
• February 2: Raymond Williams, former NASA administrator
• February 6: Jerry Levin, journalist and activist
• February 7: Sammy Salvo, crooner and grocer
• February 11: Dartie Flynt
• See also:
  • 2020 Folsom Field plane crash
  • List of homicides in 2020

Works

The completed I-20/59 downtown viaduct on January 16, 2020. Photograph by Joe Songer.

Buildings

• 1001 20th Street South at Five Points South
• 20 Midtown Phase 3
• AIDS Alabama Way Station in Smithfield
• Howlett Clubhouse for the A. G. Gaston Boys & Girls Club at CrossPlex Village
• Redevelopment of American Life Building as "workforce" apartments
• Bessemer Amazon Fulfillment Center
• Firehouse Shelter
• Freedom Manor renovations
• I-20/59 downtown viaduct
• Macaroni Lofts
• New Ideal Lofts
• UAB Technology Innovation Center
• Valley Hotel on 28th Avenue South Homewood
• Wylam Library renovations

Demolitions

• January: Ensley High­lands Presbyterian Church

Context

In 2020 the United Methodist Church split over acceptance of gay marriage. President Trump approved a drone strike that killed Qasem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis at Baghdad International Airport. Massive bushfires spread across Australia. The 2020 Olympic Summer Games were held in Tokyo, Japan.

Notable deaths in 2020 included actors Robert Conrad and Kirk Douglas; basketball star Kobe Bryant; journalist Jim Lehrer; writers Roger Kahn, Charles Portis, and Elizabeth Wurtzel; Monty Python founder Terry Jones; musicians Neil Peart and Joseph Shabalala; and former NBA commissioner David Stern.

2020s

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