Southtown Court

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Southtown Court or the Southtown Housing Community is a 455-unit housing project located at 2501 University Boulevard in Birmingham's Southside. The community is bounded by 23rd Street South to the west, 10th Avenue South to the south, Red Mountain Expressway to the east and University Boulevard to the north.

The community was constructed in the early 1940s with funding from the United States Housing Authority. It was designed by Warren, Knight and Davis architects. In 1981 the concrete retaining walls on the south edge of the project were painted by artist Vance Wesson. His series of murals depicts mainly flowers and trees against a blue sky.

Currently, Southtown Court is managed by Bessie Word. The Southtown Resident Council is presided over by Dondrea Clarke.

Proposed redevelopment

In 2008 Birmingham mayor Larry Langford proposed partnering with the Daniel Corporation and Magic Johnson's Canyon Johnson Urban Fund to redevelop the Southtown site as a commercial district. The projects 730 residents would be relocated to newly-built condominiums or residences, move to other housing projects, or receive Section 8 vouchers for rent assistance. New homes could be built at the Trinity Steel site in Titusville, and some assisted living and mixed-income apartments could be constructed as part of the redevelopment. At a March 31, 2009 meeting Langford asked current Southtown residents to vote on their support for the idea.

In April the Birmingham Housing Authority Board rejected Langford's proposal by unanimous vote.

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References

  • Housing Yearbook 1940. Chicago, Illinois: National Association of Housing Officials
  • Long, Laurie K. (1986) "A City With a Face: Street Art in Birmingham." in Ada Long, ed. Birmingham Then and Now. UAB Honors Program
  • Coman, Victoria L. (October 28, 2007) "Church seeks workers to restore Southtown mural." Birmingham News
  • Williams, Roy L (November 18, 2007) "200-plus volunteers restore faded mural painted alongside Birmingham's Southtown housing complex." Birmingham News
  • Norris, Toraine (April 1, 2009) "Southtown residents to vote on razing complex and moving." Birmingham News
  • Garrison, Greg (June 28, 2009) "Behind the painted wall: Life in Birmingham's Southtown." Birmingham News
  • Garrison, Greg (June 28, 2009) "Southtown still lives in violent shadow." Birmingham News

External links

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