Tuxedo Terrace
Tuxedo Court is a public housing project operated by the Housing Authority of the Birmingham District located at 2035 Avenue Q Ensley in the Tuxedo neighborhood of the Ensley adjacent to Exit 120 off I-20/I-59. The project is being completely rebuilt as the Tuxedo Court Hope VI Revitalization Project.
Construction of the original housing project was completed in 1961 after twelve blocks of existing housing were cleared. It takes its name from its close proximity to the historic Tuxedo Junction. The project included 110 separate buildings to house low-income residents. At its closure, this project contained 488 low-income units.
Demolition of the 1961 housing began in 2006 as a result of a $20 million grant Hope VI grant from HUD received in July 2004. The redevelopment will encompass a 306-unit mixed-income community with 220 apartments and 86 single-family houses. Half of the apartments will be reserved for public housing clients while the remainder will be leased at market rate. The single family homes will all be sold.
In October 2006 the Jefferson County Commission committed $2 million toward infrastructure improvements at the revitalized community. In March 2007 it awarded a $14.8 million construction contract to Trawick Contractors for construction of phase one, however construction was delayed a month later when the authority rejected all bids for infrastructure work after learning of errors in the bid specifications. It awarded a $6.4 million infrastructure contract to Russo Corporation in June, but voted to terminate the contract a few months later before work began because of conflicts with City of Birmingham requirements.
In January 2008, with the infrastructure work still not contracted, the authority awarded a $16 million construction contract to Trawick for the second phase of construction.
References
- Norton, Ingrid (July 20, 2006) "From Dance Halls to Ghost Town: Recognizing Ensley’s Tuxedo Junction" Birmingham Weekley [1]
- Birmingham Business Journal (June 4, 2004) "Birmingham wins $20M HUD grant." Birmingham Business Journal [2]
- Norris, Toraine (December 4, 2007) "Hope VI Project in Ensley could be delayed until next year." Birmingham News
- Norris, Toraine (January 29, 2008) "Construction contract awarded for Hope VI program in Tuxedo Court in Birmingham." Birmingham News