Block 113C
Block 113C is a shortened Birmingham city block bordered by 18th and 19th Streets and by 1st Avenue South and Powell Avenue, now the site of a public parking lot serving the Railroad Park. The site is visually sandwiched between the Midtown Center and the Powell Avenue Steam Plant. The lot dimensions of the block are approximately 400 feet by 182½ feet. It is zoned M-1 "Light Industrial District" and is part of the Midtown Commercial Revitalization District. The block is on the northern edge of the Five Points South neighborhood and the Southside community.
The block, previously owned by the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad, is now the property of the City of Birmingham. During master planning for the Railroad Park, it was proposed as the location of a Cultural Furnace, which would complement and extend the open space eastward as a setting for intensive cultural programming, such as contemporary art installations and performances. That suggestion has been explored as an architectural design problem by students in Auburn University's Urban Studio.
On January 13, 2011 the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham announced a public competition for "one big idea" for a self-sustaining attraction on the site. In addition to a $50,000 cash prize for the winning idea, the foundation intends to fund its implementation.
External links
- Prize 2 the Future website