Crestwood Festival Center
The Crestwood Festival Center (formerly Eastwood Festival Centre) is a 352,280-square foot shopping center located on a 41-acre site cut into Red Mountain at 7001 Crestwood Boulevard (U. S. Highway 78) in Birmingham.
The shopping center was constructed in 1988 and opened in 1989 with Home Depot and Cobb Festival 12 cinemas as anchor tenants. During construction, which involved cutting into Red Mountain, a landslide occurred, causing damage to several buildings at the adjacent Mountain Top Apartments. Settlements for damages topped $8 million.
The center struggled to fill vacancies over the next several years and suffered from the loss of anchors Lechmere, Children's Palace and Phar-Mor shortly after opening. The property fell into the hands of Citicorp and eventually got a boost in 1993. That year saw the addition of Stein Mart, the announcement that Goody's would open there, and construction of six additional screens at the cinema multiplex.
Developers Diversified Realty (DDR) of Beechwood, Ohio purchased the complex in November 1995 for $21.5 million.
The "Crestwood-Oporto District Redevelopment Plan", commissioned from KPS Group by the City of Birmingham and completed in January 2006, envisioned a redevelopment of the Festival Centre site for residential uses with retail/office buildings facing Crestwood Boulevard
On the evening of December 25, 2011 a large group of unsupervised youths disrupted theater operations, roamed around the theaters and shopping center in unruly packs, and looted the open candy shelves in the lobby. Operators closed the cinema and Birmingham Police dispersed the crowds. Similar gatherings reportedly have occurred near multiplexes in Trussville and Vestavia Hills.
In early 2012 the shopping center was sold by DDR to Skyline International Development Inc. and Mark Gold of Toronto, Canada for $3 million. The company announced plans for a multi-million renovation, including space for a Birmingham Police Department substation and community outreach center. Occupancy rates increased quickly, despite the closure of Anna's Linens, and the developers added a Steel City Jump Park trampoline park inside the cinema and a separate Off the Wall family fun center.
In late 2018 Gold and his partners sold Crestwood Festival Center to a subsidiary of Toronto's Timbercreek Asset Management for $11 million.
Tenants
- Suite 102: H & R Block
- Suite 108: Dress Code
- Suite 112: Groome Transportation, former location of Computers Doctor
- Suite 114: former location of God & Country (1991), Honeybaked Ham
- Suite 116: former location of Radio Shack (1991-2015)
- Suite 118: First Choice Personnel, former location of U.S. Agencies Direct Insurance Company
- Suite 120: Cash Connection
- Suite 200: Magic City ePLEX (November 2019-), former location of Michaels (1991), Anna's Linens (-2013)
- Suite 210: Los Arcos restaurant
- Suite 300: Bargain Hunt
- Suite 410: Sneaker Lounge, former location of Elaine's Boutique
- Suite 414: Napoleon's Event Center
- Suite 416: Evol Ink Studio
- Suite 418: Stylz Men's Wear
- Suite 500: Dollar Tree
- Suite 600: Dover's Furniture
- Suite 602: Home Hunters Real Estate / Administration Auto Sales
- Suite 604: former location of McClure Trading Co. (2012-2015)
- Suite 606: Sushi Village, former location of Golden Palace
- Suite 610: HealthMarkets, former location of Diverse Community Network
- Suite 612: Salon 2U
- Suite 614: HMG Fitness
- Suite 616: Off the Wall family fun center, former location of Children's Palace (1989-1991), Discovery Zone FunCenter (1995–) Children’s Play Place (2012-)
- Suite 802: Birmingham Police Department Community Service Division
- Suite 804: Fall Injury Prevention and Rehabilitation Center, former location of Choices of Alabama, Magic City VW
- Suite 806: Luxe Decore event rentals, former location of Class Act
- Suite 810: Perfect Place Event Center
- Suite 820: All Around Heating & Cooling, former location of Mail Room (1991), Crestwood Mail Center (2015)
- Suite 822: Alabama Regional Medical Services / Crestwood Medical Center
- Suite 900: Burlington Coat Factory (1998–)
- Suite 1000: Bella Fashions
- Suite 1004: Birmingham House of Cuts, former location of Jimmy's Barber & Style Shop
- Suite 1006: former location of Gold Coins Antiques (2015)
- Suite 1010: Metro PCS
- Suite 1012: Sam's Cafe (2017-), former location of Alfredo's Pizza Cafe (1995–2012), Wings & Waffles (2012-), TD's Brochette Style Restaurant (2014), Shark's (2015)
- Suite 1014: America's Best Contacts & Eyeglasses (1991–)
- Suite 1100: Edge 12 cinema, formerly Festival 18
- Suite 1100A: Steel City Jump Park
- Suite 1202: Earthly Delights
- Suite 1204: Miracle Works Alterations (2015)
- Suite 1206: Martha's Braids (2012-)
- Suite 1208: Mishorim Gold (2015-)
- Suite 1300: Home Depot (1995-)
Former tenants
- Balloon World (1991)
- Christopher Lauren Flowers (2012-)
- Collectors Preference (1991)
- First Place salon (1991)
- Flavor Fashion Jewelry (2012-)
- Frame Factory (1991)
- Grandma's Attic (1991)
- Lechmere (1989)
- PeachTree (1991)
- Phar-Mor (1989–1991), Goody's (1994–2001)
- S & K Menswear (1991)
- Sally Beauty Supply (1991)
- Shoe Carnival (1994–)
- Simply 6 (1991)
- Stein Mart (1993–1996)
- Tant & Tant formalwear (1991)
Outparcels
- 6701: JCCEO Festival Head Start Center, former location of Campo Electronics
- 6901: Cabinets To Go, former location of O'Charley's
- 7303-7307: New China Buffet, former location of Barnhill's Restaurant
- 7309: Food$mart (2001–), former location of Western Supermarket (-2001)
- Ryan's Steakhouse, vacant
References
- Underwood, Jerry (November 17, 1993) "Shops' opening may boost strip." The Birmingham News
- "Citicorp sells Eastwood Festival." (November 28, 1995) The Birmingham News
- Bryant, Joseph D. (June 17, 2010) "Closed cinema in Birmingham's Crestwood neighborhood to reopen." The Birmingham News
- Hansen, Jeff (December 27, 2011) "Rowdy Christmas Day crowd forces early closing of east Birmingham's Edge 12 Movie Theater." The Birmingham News
- Diel, Stan (April 29, 2012) "Canadians buy Eastwood Festival Centre." The Birmingham News
- Poe, Ryan (May 4, 2012) "Crestwood Festival Center's new owner is 'making offers'." Birmingham Business Journal
- Poe, Ryan (May 21, 2012) "Crestwood Festival Center gets 10 new tenants." Birmingham Business Journal
- Godwin, Brent (October 24, 2018) "Canadian entity buys Irondale area retail properties." Birmingham Business Journal
External links
- 1991 television ad for Eastwood Festival Center on YouTube.com