Mountain Brook Municipal Complex
The Mountain Brook Municipal Complex is a 52,000 square foot administrative building housing the government of Mountain Brook and located at 56 Church Street in Crestline Village. It was constructed in 2012 to replace the former Mountain Brook City Hall, built in 1967 on the same site.
The municipal complex houses the Mountain Brook City Council's chambers and various offices on the ground floor. The second floor provides offices for the Mayor of Mountain Brook, the Mountain Brook City Manager, and various administrative departments. The Mountain Brook Fire Department has a four-bay, 2-level station at the rear of the complex, facing Oak Street. Below-ground parking for 60 employees, extending below Tibbett Street, is expected to relieve congestion in the commercial village. The Mountain Brook Police Department occupies a separate facility facing Tibbett Street. The city jail, administrative and dispatch offices are on the ground floor with police officials and investigators upstairs.
Williams Blackstock Architects designed the complex with assistance from Henry Sprott Long Associates to complement the surrounding small-scale village architecture, with red brick, Tudor-style details, and a complex, sloping roof line. Construction of the $15.6 million project began in 2010 immediately following demolition of the 1967 City Hall.
City offices relocated temporarily to leased office space on Montclair Road and in Office Park during construction, which was originally to have been completed in February 2012. Taylor & Miree Construction began the project, with Brasfield & Gorrie as construction manager. B&G took over after a settlement between the city and Taylor & Miree in July 2012. The need to relocate more utilities than were expected was blamed for the delay. The building's grand opening was held on August 25, 2013.
The complex also provides space for the Mountain Brook chess set which had been in use outside the former City Hall, a 9/11 memorial consisting of a section of a steel column from New York's ground zero, and the Mountain Brook Police Department Law Enforcement Memorial. Spartan Square is paved with bricks sold by Mountain Brook Schools students to help the City of Pleasant Grove rebuild from the April 2011 tornado outbreak.
References
- Thornton, William (September 4, 2010) "Mountain Brook nears decision on new municipal complex." The Birmingham News
- Thornton, William (September 13, 2010) "Council to vote on new Mountain Brook City Hall proposal." The Birmingham News
- Morris, Philip (July 2011) "Mountain Brook Municipal Complex". Design Alabama
- Thornton, William (January 11, 2012) "Municipal complex expected to open late this summer." The Birmingham News
- Thornton, William (July 13, 2012) "Brasfield & Gorrie takes over Mountain Brook Municipal Complex project." The Birmingham News
- Rodriguez, Ana (August 19, 2013) "What does a $15.3 million municipal complex in Mountain Brook look like? Public invited to tour the space this weekend." The Birmingham News