2004 Operation New Birmingham 12 Most Wanted

The 12 Most Wanted was a list of prominent downtown Birmingham buildings in need of renovation created by Operation New Birmingham in 2004. The list sparked interest in most of the properties.

As of 2011 fewer than half had been renovated, due in part to the 2008-09 Great Recession. By 2016 significant progress had been made with the notable exception of the Brown Marx Tower. In 2023 it was the only building not yet renovated, but in November financing was secured for its conversion to a dual-branded Marriott hotel property.

The List

1. City Federal Building, 2026 2nd Avenue North (renovated as condominiums in 2005)
2. Sears Building, 1500 1st Avenue North (renovated as Innovation Depot in 2007)
3. Blach's Building, 1928 3rd Avenue North (renovated in 2005)
4. Roger's Trading Company Building, 2500 1st Avenue North (renovated in 2007)
5. Jefferson Home Furniture building, 1716 2nd Avenue North (planned renovation as Jefferson Lofts never realized, redeveloped in 2021 as self-storage facility Jefferson Storage)
6. Brown Marx Tower, 2001 1st Avenue North (hotel conversion project underway)
7. New Ideal Building, 1801 2nd Avenue North (renovated in 2020 as the New Ideal Lofts)
8. Cabana Hotel, 1631 1st Avenue North (planned renovation as Leer Tower was never financed, but converted to apartments as the Thomas Jefferson Tower in 2016)
9. Red Cross Building, 2225 3rd Avenue North (apartment conversion completed in 2023)
10. 1918 1st Avenue North, former Alagasco office building (eventually renovated as a Fairfield Inn in 2018, operated jointly with the Elyton Hotel)
11. Pizitz Building, 1821 2nd Avenue North, (redeveloped as The Pizitz apartments, offices and food hall in 2016)
12. Stonewall Building, 2308 4th Avenue North, (apartment conversion opened in 2020 as Lofts at American Life)

References

• Tomberlin, Michael (February 13, 2011) "Downtown dreams: Renovation slow for prominent buildings." Birmingham News