2017

2017 is the 146th year after the founding of the City of Birmingham.

Events

• January 10: Mayor William Bell delivered the 2017 State of the City address at the Harbert Center.
• January 12: President Barack Obama established the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument by presidential proclamation.
• January 21: The 2017 Women's March was held to promote women's rights as human rights.
• January 28: The exhibition "Third Space: Shifting Conversations About Contemporary Art" opened at the Birmingham Museum of Art.
• February 8: Former Governor Don Siegelman was released from federal prison into supervised probation.
• February 20-February 21: Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg visited Birmingham and Tuscaloosa with his wife, Priscilla Chan.
• March 26: A family of four was killed in the 2017 Hayden plane crash.
• April: Rickwood Field was closed for emergency structural repairs.
• April 15: The Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument was dedicated at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.
• April 15: Four people were injured by gunfire at the Center Point Spring Carnival.

Business

• Birmingham's DirectPath acquired Patient Care of Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• The Schauenburg International Group acquired a majority stake in OHD USA Inc.
• The Peoples Independent Bank of Boaz acquired Horizon Bank of Fyffe.
• April: Revelator Coffee Co. acquired Octane.
• April: Warren Averett acquired Kinsight.
• April: Courtney French bought WATV-AM from Sheriden Broadscasting of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Establishments

• January: Cosecha Urban Kitchen opened at LIV Parkside.
• February 8: Publix supermarket opened at 20 Midtown.
• Atomic Lounge opened on 1st Avenue North.
• February 15: The first vendors in the Pizitz Food Hall opened for business.
• February 20: II Fish V Loaves opened in Norwood.
• February 21: SoHo Social opened in Homewood's SoHo Square.
• Eugene's Hot Chicken opened at Uptown
• Wheelhouse Salon opened a second location in the Graves Building.
• Spireworks opened at Innovation Depot
• Shelby County's 1,500-acre Cahaba River Park opened.

Disestablishments

• Food Depot in Pelham closed.
• Jewels by Rose in Vestavia Hills closed.
• February 27: Bravo Food Service was acquired by Four Foods Group.
• April 29: Renaissance Consignment Boutique closed.
• Mike's Hot Dogs in Homewood closed.

Government

• The Birmingham Water Works Board was expanded from five to nine members.
• January 31: The Birmingham City Council adopted a Sanctuary City resolution.
• February 9: Luther Strange was appointed by Robert Bentley to fill Jeff Sessions vacant seat in the United States Senate.
• February 8: Jeff Sessions was confirmed as Attorney General of the United States.
• August 22: 2017 Birmingham municipal election

Sports

• January 9: The Clemson Tigers defeated the 2016 Alabama Crimson Tide football team 35-31 in the College Football Playoff National Championship game in Tampa, Florida.
• February 3-5: 2017 Davis Cup first round tie was played at Legacy Arena.
• February 12: Dominic Korir and Sarah Pease won the Mercedes Marathon.
• February 25: Boxer Deontay Wilder defended his WBC world heavyweight title with a TKO of Gerald Washington at Legacy Arena.
• March 8-11: The 2017 Conference USA Men's Basketball Tournament was held at Legacy Arena.
• April 12: The 2017 Birmingham Barons lost to the Montgomery Biscuits in their home opener at Regions Field.
• June 2-15: 2017 National Senior Games
• NCAA 2017 Division II Men's and Women's Indoor Track & Field championships were held at the Birmingham CrossPlex
• NCAA 2017 Division II Winter Festival were held at the Birmingham CrossPlex

Individuals

Awards

• Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame: Brian Barr, Paula Martese Marino, H. Stuart Starrett, Bill Harbert and Todd May

Retirements

• Bill Battle III, University of Alabama Athletics Director

Deaths

• January 2: Albert Brewer, former Governor of Alabama
• January 4: James C. Lewis, developer and contractor
• January 6: Courtney Haden, audio producer, radio host and columnist
• January 12: Ignatius Crockett, Orthodox priest
• January 30: Naomi Truman, former director of the Housing Authority of the Birmingham District
• February 1: Artist and Space One Eleven founder Anne Arrasmith
• February 2: Tom Drake, former professional wrestler and Speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives
• February 18: Jack Warner, Westervelt Company CEO and art collector
• February 19: Kyle Mabrey, professional bass angler
• February 19: David Tinsley, radio deejay
• March 4: John Hodnett, former Mayor of Hoover
• March 15: Rena Hudson, former Mayor of Warrior
• March 16: Lewis White, radio personality and educator
• March 16: Lee McKee, blacksmith and metal artist

See also, List of homicides in 2017.

Works

Buildings

• 20 Midtown apartments and retail in midtown
• CrossPlex Village
• Finley Center at the Hoover Metropolitan Complex
• Homestead Village shopping center in Trussville
• Metropolitan Apartments in Lakeview
• Park 35 on Clairmont apartments in Lakeview/Forest Park Village
• Row5 townhouses on Morris Avenue
• UAB Football Operations Building and Legacy Pavillion at UAB
• The Waites apartments and retail in Southside
• Expansion of the Mercedes-Benz US International assembly plant in Tuscaloosa

Demolitions

• Hooper Creek Apartments on 4th Avenue South
• UAB Parking Lot 15A on University Blvd
• UAB Parking Lot 55 on 20th Street South

Context

In 2017 Donald Trump was inaugurated as President of the United States and the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus ceased operating. The New England Patriots won the Super Bowl 34-28 in overtime.

Notable deaths in 2017 included actors Miguel Ferrer, John Hurt, Mary Tyler Moore, Charlie Murphy and Bill Paxton; comedian Don Rickles, authors William Blatty, Bharati Mukherjee and Robert Pirsig; poet Derek Walcott; musicians Chuck Berry, John Geils, Al Jarreau, Pete Seeger and Butch Trucks; Roe v. Wade plaintiff Norma McCorvey; convicted terrorist Omar Abdel-Rahman; banker David Rockefeller, filmmaker Jonathan Demme, NAMCO founder Masaya Nakamura and Little Caesars founder Mike Ilitch.

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