Exploring Montgomery

The storytelling continues… a collection of stories and photos from Exploring Montgomery!

Government

Intermodal Parking Deck — The deck is positioned to serve RiverWalk activities, Biscuit games, the Convention Center, Train Shed functions, the Alley bars, and the RSA’s new performing arts center. The bridge towers which lead across the tracks to the river walk are visible on the right end. The deck, including the bridge, cost $17 […]

Intermodal Parking Deck

April 18, 2016 in Government tagged bus / deck / intermodal / parking

Dannelly Field — now grandly called Montgomery Regional Airport, began life in 1943 when the city undertook to build runways in a field six miles to its west. Before that, the city’s municipal airport had been Gunter Field on the East side, but the Army Air Corps took that in 1940 for use […]

Dannelly Field

April 15, 2016 in Commercial / Government tagged airport / dannelly / field

Richardson Terrace — at 1301 Adams Avenue, was a 1968 project of the Montgomery Housing Authority, arguably its most successful undertaking, before or since. It was a design done with loving care by my departed partner, William Pearson, and one of which he was justly proud. Today it is operated as a retirement […]

Richardson Terrace

April 2, 2016 in Commercial / Government tagged retirement / richardson / terrace

Folsom Building — The fourth of the six white-painted concrete buildings that surround the Capitol: 2 in front, 2 in back, 1 on each side. For years this one, built in 1958, was officially called The State Administrative Building. Then, in 1986 it was renamed for Gov James E “Big Jim” Folsom. Compare […]

Folsom Building

April 1, 2016 in Government tagged folsom / statehouse

Bldg 841 — one of the (formerly) historic hangers on the Base, built with WPA money during the depression years, and which, less than a decade later, met such a vital need for the flying school programs there just before and during World War II. Wonderfully constructed, probably under the supervision of Algenon […]

Maxwell’s Building 841

March 23, 2016 in Government tagged 841 / fitness / hanger / maxwell

All but the young will recognize this as the former St Margaret’s Hospital, which was turned to face Ripley Street in 1980, a decade before its demise. Today, thanks to the RSA, the property is the home of the State’s Departments of Corrections, Public Safety, and Pardons and Paroles. This […]

Criminal Justice Center (St. Margaret’s)

March 22, 2016 in Government / Religious tagged corrections / hospital / parole / public safety / rsa / st margaret

Turzillo Begins — Having gotten past the architect selection and with the design effort underway, Sister Susan and Tribrook set out to hire a construction manager. Nothing I could say served to persuade her to the contrary. My experience convinced me that Construction Management was a sham that would not be in the […]

St. Margaret’s – McBro And The Packages

March 22, 2016 in Government / Religious tagged mcbro / packages / st margaret

POB Under Construction — Months before Klein and PH&J were even introduced and interviewed, Sister Susan and her Order had employed the Pearce Corporation of St. Louis to design and construct a physician’s office building (POB) and parking deck. We were well into our design process for the hospital before we even knew that […]

St. Margaret’s – The Design Build Part

March 22, 2016 in Government / Religious tagged build / design / st margaret

Debakey — Chicago – Drinking Buddies Working out acceptable contract terms took so long, that Susan wanted us to start the design process even before any agreement was reached. Thus we began study trips long before we had a contract in hand. Sister Susan, Klein and Tribrook decided that we and key […]

St. Margaret’s – The Trips

March 22, 2016 in Government / Religious tagged chicago / houston / st margaret / trip

Construction Sign — St. Margaret’s demanded that we accept one of the lowest fees and some of the harshest contract provisions I have ever faced. Again I wanted to back out, but Bill and Renis counseled continued involvement. I considered the fee offered to be 25-percent below standard, and it was made even […]

St. Margaret’s – A Harsh Contract

March 22, 2016 in Government / Religious tagged contract / harsh / st margaret

St Margaret Front Wing — Montgomery’s St. Margaret’s Hospital was at a crossroads, and in Indianapolis the Order was most concerned. Around 1973 they retired our good friend Sister Scholastica and replaced her with a youngish, big boned, brusque administrator of Scandinavian descent. Her name was Sister Susan Radzke. She and I immediately developed an […]

St. Margaret’s – The Challenge

March 22, 2016 in Government / Religious tagged challenge / st margaret

St Margarets at End — A year or so after all the construction was complete, and the hospital had been virtually rebuilt, it became apparent that neither the patient occupancy rate nor the financial plight of St. Margaret’s had been improved. All that money had been spent to no avail. The neighborhood blight problem had […]

St. Margaret’s – The Last Gasp

March 22, 2016 in Government / Religious tagged last gasp / st margaret

PHJ Principals — Sister Susan called me to her office and shared the news sent down from Rome. She went on to say that PH&J could not be considered for the work. Following Tribrook’s lead, she declared that only architectural firms of national repute would be invited for an interview. To justify her […]

St. Margaret’s – Architect Selection

March 22, 2016 in Government / Religious tagged architect / st margaret

St. Margarets — In 1975, St. Margaret’s was, and had been for many years, the premier hospital and deliverer of health care services to Montgomery; it had filled that role since the hospital’s founding here in 1902. It was a Catholic institution, and was operated by the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent […]

St. Margaret’s – Greatness and Decline

March 22, 2016 in Government / Religious tagged decline / greatness / st margaret

Ag and Industries — located on Federal Drive, appropriately enough, adjacent to the Coliseum. Old Federal Drive is now officially designated Congressman William L Dickinson Drive, nicknamed Cong Drive; I was in the Jay-Cees with Dickinson, but that name is too much. The building was dedicated in 1971, and is called the Richard Beard […]

Department of Agriculture and Industries

March 21, 2016 in Government tagged agriculture / industries

VA Regional Office — Located off Perry Hill Road on the grounds of the Veteran’s Administration Medical Center, was built in 1994. Let’s call it “VA Georgian”, a creation evolved and imposed by a VA staffer in Washington (he first imposed it on a project that PH&J had at the Tuscaloosa VA back in […]

VA Regional Office

March 18, 2016 in Government tagged georgian / office / va

Pete Peterson Lodge — situated in the NE corner of Lagoon Park, on the lake edge and sort of tucked up under the plateau formed during WW II to facilitate extension of the Gunter Field runways. The lodge started as a picnic place and rec area which the AF provided for its airmen. I […]

Pete Peterson Lodge

March 11, 2016 in Government tagged lagoon / lodge / park / pete / peterson

Armory Learning Arts Center — on Madison Avenue between the old curb market and Cramton Bowl, was built around 1935 as a National Guard Armory to replace the drill hall of the renowned Montgomery Grays. Their drill hall was located on the third floor of city hall, and the building burned down in 1932. WPA […]

Armory Learning Arts Center

March 10, 2016 in Education / Government tagged armory / arts / learning

City Water Works — at 608 North Court Street, was built in 1886 as part of a new city water works system installed by the A H Howland Company of Boston, in contract with Montgomery Mayor Warren S. Reese. The system included the 100-foot tall standpipe tank located on a city hi-point on Monroe, […]

City Water Works

March 9, 2016 in Government tagged robert west / terra cotta / water / works

Carnegie Library — …was completed in 1904 using a $50,000 gift to the local “Library Association” from steel magnet Andrew Carnegie, for construction of a “free library”. Objection was made to the use of “Yankee charity”, but that reservation was soon overcome. Carnegie funded 2500 such public libraries, and 14 were in Alabama. […]

Carnegie Library

March 7, 2016 in Education / Government tagged beaux electric / carnegie / library

Windchime — In 1987 when the Courthouse was approaching completion, County Fathers authorized the creation and installation of the world’s largest wind chime. Renowned chime artisans were located in upstate New York. The New York Times and many other news sources wrote articles and sent reporters,Great publicity. . . Click on image at […]

The Wind Chime (That Never Was)

March 6, 2016 in Government / Places and Things tagged windchime / woodstock chimes / WSJ. New York Times

Old Advertiser — This was the offices of The Montgomery Advertiser / Alabama Journal for many years. It had multiple offset floor levels and was frightful to negotiate. Getting the huge 10k pound rolls of newsprint thru the basement to the giant printing press was a logistical nightmare. Now the building has been […]

Old Advertiser Building

February 29, 2016 in Commercial / Government tagged advertiser / annex / court

City-County Main Library — It is now known as the Juliette Hampton Morgan Memorial Library. When it was built in the early 1960s (?) as joint home of the Library and the Museum, the Library had only the downstairs, and its entrance faced Lawrence Street. When the Museum moved out to Blount Park, the […]

City-County Main Library

February 26, 2016 in Education / Government tagged city / county / library / morgan

Library Museum — The downtown Library Museum was built in the 1960s, and it extended thru the block. The library had the lower level and faced South Lawrence Street; the Museum occupied the upper level and faced McDonough. This was the face of the museum. When the museum moved out to Blount Park, the library […]

Downtown Library-Museum

February 26, 2016 in Education / Government tagged downtown / library / museum

…built ca 1937 by Montgomery contractor Algenon Blair, a friend of my Grandfather Banks. Montgomery’s city hall burned in 1932, and this was the replacement. For 30-odd years this auditorium was the scene of Montgomery’s big events, balls, and productions. It was cooled by sliding huge blocks of ice into the […]

City Auditorium (City Hall)

February 24, 2016 in Government tagged auditorium / city hall / hank williams

Federal Courthouse — Completed 1933 on the site of the Court Street Methodist Church –which moved itself to the new Cloverdale suburb and became First Methodist. The 5-story structure faces Church Street and was designed in Renaissance Style by Montgomery’s renowned architect, Frank Lockwood –probably his outstanding work. It was added to the […]

Federal Courthouse (Old Post Office)

February 22, 2016 in Government tagged court house / federal / historic registry / post office

Alabama_Governor's_Mansion — This 1907 house, located on South Perry Street, has been Alabama’s Governor’s Mansion for almost 60 years now-despite numerous attempts to move it elsewhere to escape a decaying neighborhood. At ”Big Jim” Folsom’s urging, the State bought the place in 1950, paying $100,000, the most that had ever been paid […]

Governor’s Mansion

February 22, 2016 in Government / Residential tagged governor / mansion