2024

Logo for the MLB at Rickwood Field game on June 20, 2024

2024 is the 153rd year after the founding of the City of Birmingham.

Events

• January 10–14: The 2024 USASBE National Conference was held in Birmingham.
• February 15: Journey's "50th Anniversary Freedom Tour" with Toto at Legacy Arena.
• February 16: The Supreme Court of Alabama ruled in James LePage, et al. v. The Center for Reproductive Medicine and Mobile Infirmary Association that under the Constitution of Alabama, as amended by public referendum in 2018, fertilized human eggs and human embryos are to have the same legal protections as minors under state law. As a result of the ruling, UAB Hospital and other providers suspended in vitro fertilization (IVF) procedures in the state.
• February: Birmingham Talks rebranded as Small Magic.
• March 23: Fall Out Boy's "So Much For (2our) Dust" tour at Legacy Arena.
• March 27: Drake's "It's All a Blur" tour with J.Cole was scheduled for Legacy Arena, but was canceled.
• April 15–16: The 2024 Birmingham Civil Rights Conference was held at 16th Street Baptist Church.
• April 20: Taylor Riverside Park opened on the Locust Fork River in Blount County.
• April 24: A large addition to the Cahaba River National Wildlife Refuge was dedicated.
• May 4: The Birmingham Folk Festival was held at Avondale Park.
• May 6–8: The Main Street Now 2024 conference was hosted in Birmingham.
• May 29: NF's "Hope" tour at Legacy Arena.
• June 15: Festa Italiana at Sloss Furnaces.
• June 27–28: Sloss Tech was held at the Lyric Theatre.
• July 3: Club Volcano in Ensley was damaged by a fire.
• July 11: Chris Brown's "11:11" tour at Legacy Arena
• August 31: Land Of Infinity EDM Music Festival at Sloss Furnaces.

Business

• January: Line Scale Form merged into Poole & Company Architects.
• January: Jeremie and Leigh Kirkwood purchased Filter Coffee Parlor.
• January: Fenwick Brands acquired Wickles Pickles of Dadeville.
• January 10: The United Auto Workers announced that about 30% of Mercedes-Benz US International workers had signed union authorization cards.
• February: Motion Industries acquired Perfetto and SER Hydraulics of Sudbury, Ontario.
• February: Precision Coil & Rotor acquired Industrial Coil Inc. of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
• February 15: The Plaza at Riverchase was sold for $14.5 million.
• March: Diamond State Trucking & Logistics acquired Yordy Transport of Morton, Illinois.
• March: Maynard Nexsen acquired Dysart Willis PLLC of Raleigh, North Carolina.
• March: Landing acquired Barsala of Seattle, Washington.
• March: Luckie & Co. acquired Marbury Creative Group of Atlanta, Georgia.
• April: Protective Life Corp. acquired the ShelterPoint Group Inc. of Garden City, New York.
• April 5: Waverly Advisors acquired the investment advisory division of McShane Partners of Charlotte, North Carolina.
• April: Landscape Workshop acquired Liberty Land Management Group of New Port Richey, Florida.
• May: Kreativ Retirement Plan Solutions merged with Navigate 401k.
• May 13, May 17: Workers at Mercedes-Benz US International voted not to be represented by the United Auto Workers.
• May 17: Waverly Advisors acquired Derbend Asset Management of Peachtree City, Georgia.
• Guin Service moved from Woodlawn to Irondale.

Establishments

• January 5: The North Jefferson Chamber of Commerce was established for businesses in Kimberly, Morris, and Fultondale.
• January 17: PopStroke Tuscaloosa opened.
• February: Leroy Russell opened Spice of Life Jamaica restaurant at 1905 Park Place.
• February 10: Alexis Kimbrough opened Herban Soul Café in the Woodlawn Marketplace.
• February 15: Colby Conklin opened The Mayor bar and Mr Wests Asian Chow Hall restaurant at Rise Lakeview.
• February: Luca Lagotto restaurant and market opened in Homewood.
• March 26: Frothy Monky opened a 2nd area location in the Edgewood Business District.
• March 27: Slice opened a 5th area location in the Edgewood Business District.
• April: Miracle Pizza Co. opened in the former Post Office Pies in Avondale.
• April: University Tacos opened a second location on 5th Avenue North.
• April 22: Current Charcoal Grill opened at 1625 2nd Avenue South.
• May 29: John Cassimus opened Marky's Kitchen on Cahaba Heights Road.
• July 31: James Harris opened the Carver Jones Market in Fairfield.
• Warrior Met Coal's Blue Creek Mine began production.
• Supertone fitness studio opened in the Huffstutler Building in Homewood.

Disestablishments

• January: Eventive Sports was acquired by Troon Events of Scottsdale, Arizona.
• January: Five restaurant on 29th Street South closed.
• January: Civitas (restaurant) closed.
• January: SMOKE Bistro and Birmingham Candy Co. closed their Pizitz Food Hall stalls.
• January 31: Heatherwood Country Club shut down.
• February 4: Post Office Pies closed its original Avondale location.
• February: A Advantage Air Inc. was acquired by Smart Care of Chicago, Illinois.
• February: Jackins Butler & Adams surveyors were acquired by Dynamic Civil Solutions.
• February: Baja California Cantina Grill in Eastwood closed.
• February: Mspark was acquired by Creekstone Capital Group of Atlanta, Georgia.
• February: Garrett Perkins & Horton Advisory Partners was acquired by Summit Financial Holdings of Parsippany, New Jersey.
• March: Sheppard Pet Supply closed.
• March 14: The CVS pharmacy at Clairmont Plaza South closed.
• 1st quarter: Asteria Health was acquired by Biote Corp. of Irving, Texas.
• April: Caliber sporting goods in Homewood closed.
• April: MK Insurance Group was acquired by PCF Insurance Services of Lehi, Utah.
• April: Safe Life of Stockholm, Sweden acquired GoRescue Brands.
• April: JD Sports of Bury, England acquired Hibbett Sports for $1.1 billion.
• April 12: U.S. Steel shareholders approved the company's sale to Nippon Steel of Tokyo, Japan.
• May: The Tidwell Group was acquired by EisnerAmper of New York City.
• May: Motion & Control Enterprises of Zelienople, Pennsylvania acquired General Machinery Co. Inc.
• May: The former Jim Burke Automotive Group was acquired by Hallmark Automotive Group of Franklin, Tennessee.
• May: OFC Workscapes of Pelham was acquired by Office Resources Inc. of Louisville, Kentucky.
• July: Beehive Baking Co. closed.
• July: Rib-It-Up barbecue closed.
• Fall: Ascension St Vincent's Health System was acquired by UAB Health System for $450 million.
• Thermo Fisher Scientific closed its operations in Auburn.
• Kings Hookah Lounge in Tuscaloosa closed after owner Isaiah Buggs was arrested on burglary and domestic violence charges.
• December 31: The Rick & Bubba Show went off the air.

Education

Birmingham-Southern College closed in 2024.

• May 9: Birmingham-Southern College announced its closure.
• May 31: Birmingham-Southern College closed.
• June: The University of Alabama Board of Trustees approved the Alabama Center for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence at the University of Alabama College of Engineering.
• July: UAB closed its Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and opened a new UAB Office of Access and Engagement.

Government

• January 9: Travis Hendrix won the 2024 Alabama House District 55 special election.
• February 6: Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin delivered his 2024 State of the City address to the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham.
• February 6–: 2024 Alabama legislative session
• March 5: 2024 primary elections
• March 6–: The City of Birmingham experienced a disruption in its network services, presumed to be a ransomware attack, which affected payrolls, permitting, and other administrative functions.
• March: The City of Birmingham was awarded a $14.5 million grant to convert 4th Avenue North to two-way traffic in the City Center.
• June 18: 2024 Alabama House District 52 special primary election
• October 1: 2024 Alabama House District 52 special election
• November 5: 2024 general election

Religion

• May 19: Shades Crest Baptist Church celebrated its 70th anniversary.

Sports

• February 2: WWE Friday Night SmackDown was held at Legacy Arena.
• February 4: The inaugural Railway Marathon was held.
• February 29–March 2: The 2024 AHSAA basketball tournament was held at Legacy Arena.
• March 13–16: The 2024 SWAC men's basketball tournament was held at Bartow Arena.
• March 13–17: 2024 REDCREST Major League Fishing tournament was held at Lay Lake with the associated Major League Fishing Outdoor Sports Expo at the BJCC.
• May 8–12: Regions Tradition at Greystone Golf & Country Club
• May 31: The BSC Panthers baseball team fell in the 2nd round of the 2024 NCAA Division III baseball tournament in Eastlake, Ohio.
• June 16: The 2024 Birmingham Stallions defeated the San Antonio Brahmas 25-0 in the first UFL championship game.
• June 18: Rickwood Classic
• June 20: The San Francisco Giants and St Louis Cardinals played the MLB at Rickwood Field game.
• July 5–10: The 2024 Transplant Games were hosted in Birmingham.
• September 6–September 8: The 2024 Fanatec GT World Challenge America was held at Barber Motorsports Park
• The AHSAA "Super Seven" football championships were hosted at Protective Stadium
• Birmingham Legion FC launched a USL League Two team.

Professional teams

• 2024 Birmingham Barons (Southern League)
• 2024 Birmingham Legion FC (USL Championship)
• 2024 Birmingham Squadron (NBA G League)
• 2024 Birmingham Stallions (UFL)

Individuals

• January 13: Steven Henkin was installed as rabbi of Temple Beth-El.
• March 25: Hollis Towns succeeded Kelly Ann Scott as vice president and editor-in-chief for Alabama Media Group.
• March 25: Shay Gartman succeeded Meredith Drennen as executive director of the Homewood Chamber of Commerce.
• April: Federico Kochlowski succeeded Michael Göbel as CEO of Mercedes-Benz US International.
• May 6: Noelia Voigt resigned her Miss USA crown.

Births

• April 17: Mopane, a giraffe born at the Birmingham Zoo

Awards

• Miss Alabama: Abbie Stockard
• Miss Alabama USA: Diane Westhoven
• Miss Birmingham: Imani Muse
• Alabama Business Hall of Fame: Rob Burton, Raymond Harbert, Thomas Harris, Marnix Heersink, Tommy Lowder, Claude Neilson, and Nick Saban
• Birmingham Business Hall of Fame: William Hulsey, Robert Earl Kelly, and Stancil Starnes.

Retirements

• January 10: Alabama head football coach Nick Saban announced his retirement.
• April 30: Meteorologist Fred Hunter announced retired from WBRC 6
• May 24: Anchor Pam Huff retired from ABC 33/40.

Deaths

Scott Richards

• January 6: Surin Techarukpong, restaurateur
• January 10: David Blount, business owner
• January 14: Bill Slaughter, attorney
• January 17: Ildefonso Ramirez, restaurateur
• January 22: Terry Dunn, former Alabama Public Service Commissioner
• January 25: Kenneth Eugene Smith was executed at Holman Correctional Facility near Atmore. His sentence was the first to be carried out by means of nitrogen hypoxia.
• January 26: Moyo, a rhinoceros at the Birmingham Zoo
• January 28: Murray Hiam, artist and educator
• January 31: Terry Beasley, former Auburn wide receiver
• February 4: Kelli Steward co-founder of Gatos and Beans
• February 7: Jacqueline Jones, blues singer
• February 14: Scott Richards, former WBRC-6 news anchor
• February 18: Jack Biddle, former Alabama State Senator and Representative
• February 20: Wendy Sue Jantz, education coordinator at Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum
• February 21: Rob Langford, former Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Birmingham office
• February 29: Tom Huey, poet and playwright
• March 4: Mike Oliver, newspaper reporter and editor
• March 7: Naomi King, widow of A. D. King
• March 11: Vanessa Leonard, University of Alabama Board of Trustees
• March 12: Jennifer Ivey "Ivey Scout" Edwards, founder of The Pet Nanny
• March 14: Lynda Cardwell, former WBMG-TV anchor
• March 22: Bobby Timmons, former state legislator and Alabama Sheriffs Association director
• March 28: Bronwyn Fortner, former police officer
• April 3: Barry Austin, Birmingham VA Hospital staffer and stage actor
• April 14: Dennis Covington, author
• April 14: Steve Sloan, former University of Alabama director of athletics
• April 19: William H. Harris. former Alabama State University president
• May 6: Hootie Ingram, former University of Alabama director of athletics
• May 17: Muzaffar Sheikh, retired Vestavia Hills High School teacher
• May 20: Margaret Livingston, long-time Birmingham Museum of Art supporter and leader
• May 24: Eldridge Turner, Fairfield City Council president
• June 12: Arthur Means Jr, Carver High School band director
• June 18: Willie Mays, Baseball Hall of Fame player
• July 2: Thomas Doster III, founder of Doster Construction
• July 17: Mark Kennedy, former Alabama State Supreme Court justice
  • List of homicides in 2024

Works

• Monopoly: Birmingham Edition
• "Long Tall Silly" sculpture by Neslon Grice at Aldridge Gardens
• "Fred S." mural by Rico Gatson at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport
• "Birmingham's Batman" mural by Marcus Fetch and Dewon Moton at the Magnolia Point Building.
• Willie Mays mural at the Birmingham National Garage
• Jefferson County Cam Watch premiered on CBS 42.

Books

• Morris, Jerome E. (2024) Central City's Joy and Pain: Solidarity, Survival, and Soul in a Birmingham Housing Project. University of Georgia Press
• Bass, S. Jonathan (2024) From Every Stormy Wind That Blows: The Idea of Howard College and the Origins of Samford University. LSU Press ISBN 9780807181775
• Green, Salaam (2024) Once Upon a Magic City. City of Birmingham/Create Birmingham/Alabama State Council on the Arts
• Mason, Hailey (2024) A is for Arrington. self-published

Buildings

• 16th Street Baptist Church Multi-Purpose Visitor and Educational Center
• Alabama Aerospace & Aviation High School
• Altec / Styslinger Genomic Medicine and Data Sciences Building
• Artisan Flats apartments in Lakeview
• Ascend Village apartments for Big Oak Ranch
• Bashinsky Field House renovations at Samford University
• Birmingham City Hall Council Chamber renovations
• Birmingham Family Fun Center
• Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport International Air Cargo Facility
• DC BLOX Birmingham Data Center expansion
• The Edge Homewood on Green Springs Highway
• Jefferson County Sheriff's Office training center dormitory in Fultondale
• Lakeshore Sports Science and Performance Center
• Luca Lagotto building
• McCallum Basic Health Science Building modernization
• Ross Bridge Resort expansion and renovation
• Seibert Hall renovations at Samford University
• Southtown Senior apartments at Edgehill at Southtown
• The Tracks apartments

Demolitions

• January 20: The former Pathway Baptist Church in Leeds burned down.
• February: Southside Church of God, Birmingham in Lakeview was demolished.
• February: The AIDB Birmingham Regional Center on 3rd Avenue South was demolished.
• February 24: The Black Elks Lodge at 800 12th Street North burned down.
• February 28: The James Scott Young Country Store at Tannehill State Park burned down.
• Demolition of the Birmingham Cold Storage Warehouse was completed.

Context

2024 was a presidential election year in the United States. Sports Illustrated ceased publishing. The Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, Maryland collapsed after being stuck by a container ship. In soccer, Argentina won the Copa América and Spain won the UEFA European Championship.

Notable people who died in 2024 included actors Dabney Coleman, Shannon Doherty, Shelly Duvall, Louis Gossett Jr, Donald Sutherland, and Carl Weathers; architect Antoine Predock; artist Frank Stella; artist Faith Ringgold; baseball manager Whitey Herzog; basketball hall of famer Bill Walton; comedians James Gregory, Richard Lewis and Bob Newhart; conductor Seiji Ozawa; film directors Roger Corman and Norman Jewison; fitness promoter Richard Simmons; football player O. J. Simpson; musicians Dickey Betts, Duane Eddy, Toby Keith and David Sanborn; music producer Steve Albini; physicist Peter Higgs; sculptor Richard Serra; former U.S. Senators Bob Graham, Jim Inhofe, Joe Lieberman, and David Pryor; sex therapist Ruth Westheimer; television hosts Lou Dobbs, Robert MacNeil and Charles Osgood; and writers John Barth and Howard Waldrop.

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