Cliff Court

Cliff Court is a compact subdivision of cottage-style residences arranged around a narrow courtyard at 3214 Cliff Road in Birmingham's Highland Park neighborhood.

A two-story house was constructed at the rear of the lot around 1912, designed by David O. Whilldin as a temporary home which could be converted into a servants' quarters once the owners built a larger house in front. The main house was never built, however, and was instead subdivided by developers Parish & Byrd in 1925.

The eight 2 bedroom, 1 bath, stucco-clad Mission-style houses were designed by Mewhinney & Clark with landscaping by Fraser Nursery. They were constructed from the late 1920s to early 1930s. Space-saving features included fold-down dining and ironing boards in the kitchens.

The large house at the rear of the subdivision was itself divided into a duplex.

The initial residents of the cottages included Helen Benners, Darby Brown Jr, Sid Burgess, Judy DeBray, Robert and Margaret Higgins, Sarah Maring, Michael Moody, and Stan Nelson.

Cliff Court is listed as a contributing resource in the Country Club Park Historic District, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.

References

• Mansell, Jeff & Christy Anderson (March 11, 2003) "Country Club Historic District" National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form
• Dabney, Richard (2006) Birmingham's Highland Park. Images of America Series. Mount Pleasant, South Carolina: Arcadia Press. ISBN 9780738543437
• Robertson, Terri (June 16, 2018) "Tiny before tiny houses were cool: 8 secrets of the 1920s-30s Cliff Court Cottages in Highland Park." Bham Now