Southtown Court
Southtown Court or the Southtown Housing Community is a 455-unit housing project located on at 2501 University Boulevard in Birmingham's Southside. The 25-acre site 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 completed in 1941 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. Between 2001 and 2003 the housing units were renovated in a $15 million project that included new air conditioners and gas furnaces as well as street paving and other improvements.
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 in a $28 million project to redevelop the Southtown site as a mixed-use 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.
References
- Housing Yearbook 1940. Chicago, Illinois: National Association of Housing Officials
- Norris, Toraine (April 1, 2009) "Southtown residents to vote on razing complex and moving." Birmingham News
- Garrison, Greg (June 28, 2009) "Residents stay steadfast on Southtown despite crime." Birmingham News
- Garrison, Greg (June 28, 2009) "Southtown still lives in violent shadow." Birmingham News
External links
- Housing Authority of the Birmingham District
- Restoring the wall video on YouTube