Nextec Building

The Nextec building, formerly known as the Edwards Motor Co. building or the Sticks ‘N’ Stuff building, is a 2-story brick commercial building located on the northeast corner of Block 90, on the southwest corner of 16th Street and 3rd Avenue North in Fountain Heights.

Charles M. Allen & Son began construction for the building for the Edwards Motor Co. in 1927. The showroom opened on February 26, 1928 and served the dealership until it moved west to 1400 3rd Avenue in 1944. Since then the building has housed the Railroad Furniture Co. and Sticks 'N' Stuff discount furniture.

Michael Mouron of Capstone Real Estate Investments partnered with Harbert Realty Services as Tech Village LLC, to acquire the vacant building and adjoining parking lot in 2018 for $1 million. Their redevelopment proposal, dubbed "Nextec", generated some interest from small business start-ups. The owners planned to apply for Opportunity Zone financing, and also applied for over $3 million in Historic Preservation Tax Credits to put toward renovating the structure.

Progress on the project was slowed as Mouron sought to acquire additional surface parking for the building, and focused his attention on redevelopment of the Greyhound Station. Subsequently, some of the tenant interest generated for the Nextec project dissipated, and Mouron was approached with a proposal to renovate the building for use as a self-storage warehouse. That proposal was hindered when the Birmingham City Council approved a moratorium on new self-storage developments in July 2019.

With a loan from Iberia Bank, Mouron bought out Harbert's interest in the partnership for $1.182 million in December 2019. With a deadline for the historic tax credits nearing, he contracted with Williams Blackstock Architects and Stewart Perry to perform interior demolition work, replace windows and spandrels, repair and repoint the brickwork, and repair or replace the roof.

References

• Van der Bijl, Hanno (October 4, 2019) "Birmingham's No-Zone Layer: Amid Birmingham's building boom, zoning battles heat up across the metro area." Birmingham Business Journal
• Van der Bijl, Hanno (December 20, 2019) "What’s next for Sticks ‘N’ Stuff building near Civil Rights District?" Birmingham Business Journal
• Van der Bijl, Hanno (February 3, 2021) "Historic tax credit deadline forces rehab of old Sticks ‘N’ Stuff building in innovation district." Birmingham Business Journal