Welch Guster Building
- This article is about the proposed building at 2250 Bessemer Road. Another proposal with the same name has been made for the vacant lots at 2110–2116 10th Avenue South.
The Welch Guster Building is a planned multi-tenant office building 2250 Bessemer Road, on the corner of Ensley 5 Points West Avenue, in the Five Points West district of Birmingham's Central Park neighborhood.
The building was constructed on the site of a former Exchange Security Bank branch from 1960. Jack Schaeffer purchased the property for $100,000 in 2011 under a redevelopment agreement from the City of Birmingham for a Schaeffer Eye Center, but that project was never realized.
In 2020 attorney Eric Guster bought the building from the city for the same price and announced plans to demolish it for construction of a new 3,800 square-foot office building. In November 2021 his updated plan for a larger 6,000 square-foot building for his firm and two tenants was approved by the Birmingham Design Review Committee. The building was designed by Roman Gary of CCR Architecture & Interiors. He sold Guster on the idea of the two giant illuminated 5s marking the corner. At the time it was budgeted for $1.1 to $1.5 million.
Wiggins Building Corp. constructed the building for a final cost of $2 million. Finishing out of tenant spaces began in September 2023.
Tenants
- Guster Law Firm (announced 2020)
- VIPcare (announced August 2023)
References
- Van der Bijl, Hanno (September 14, 2020) "Local attorney acquires former bank building in Five Points West." Birmingham Business Journal
- Thornton, William (September 15, 2020) "Eric Guster buys former bank building in Ensley." The Birmingham News
- Van der Bijl, Hanno (November 18, 2020) "Guster plans new office building at former Regions branch." Birmingham Business Journal
- Coker, Angel (November 24, 2021) "Eric Guster receives approval for redevelopment project in Bham neighborhood." Birmingham Business Journal
- Michaels, Ryan (August 16, 2023) "Attorney Eric Guster Opening a Retail Center on Birmingham’s West Side." The Birmingham Times