Jemison Flats

Jemison Flats is a 58-unit apartment complex taking up most of the former Lincoln Life Building (later known as the Chamber of Commerce Building) on the southwest corner of 1st Avenue North and 19th Street as well as two adjoining structures. In addition to the apartments, the complex includes 25,000 square feet of office space and a 200-car enclosed parking garage.

The building's $6 million conversion to apartments was completed in 2003 by Corporate Realty Development with Golden Construction contractors and B. L. Harbert International as construction manager. The renovation work was designed by Giattina Aycock Architecture Studio, which relocated its offices into the project's ground floor space.

In 2014 the property was sold out of foreclosure for $6.3 million to an affiliate of LIV Development, headed by Ryan Griffin. The buyers announced plans to update the units and common areas. The bulk of the $1.8 million renovation was to the adjoining parking structure, a former warehouse, the adaptation of which is said to have resulted in the first multi-level parking structure in the city. The windows on the south wall, facing the new Birmingham Intermodal Facility were replaced with aluminum panels perforated so as to display an image of the former Birmingham Terminal Station along with the slogan "It's Nice to Have You in Birmingham" along the parapet.

LIV sold the complex in 2019 to a Tacoma, Washington-based group for just under $15 million.

References

• Tomberlin, Michael (June 26, 2014) "Birmingham's Jemison Flats sold for $6.3 million." The Birmingham News
• Poe, Kelly (March 12, 2015) "Jemison Parking Deck to pay tribute to Birmingham Terminal Station in renovation of 1928 building." The Birmingham News
• Thornton, William (January 3, 2020) "Two Birmingham apartment complexes sell for $21 million." The Birmingham News