Bankhead Towers
The Bankhead Towers (formerly the Bankhead Hotel) is a 15-story apartment building located on the southwest corner of Block 51, northeast of the intersection of 23rd Street at 5th Avenue North. Constructed as a 350-room hotel in 1926 and named for Senator John H. Bankhead, the building, expanded in 1977, is now divided into 251 subsidized apartments for senior citizens.
The $1.5 million hotel was constructed near the Birmingham Terminal Station. The concrete-framed, brick-clad building was designed in a Beaux-Arts style by the Chicago, Illinois architectural firm of H. L. Stevens & Company, which also served as contractor. Work began on the site in late 1925. Limestone trim on the ground floor and on the upper stories was obtained by Reed Brothers Stone & Monument Co. from Rockwood Quarries in Franklin County. Haralson Sales Co. furnished the hotel's time clock system. The hotel opened to guests on December 27, 1926 and a formal grand opening was held on January 10, 1927.
In April 1927 the owners commissioned A. J. Grefenkamp & Co. to design a 2-story ballroom addition for the hotel. H. L. Stevens & Company was awarded that contract as well.
The hotel was managed by R. E. Hyde through the 1930s. In 1928 brothers Charlie and Ira Stripling launched their old-time music careers with a session for Vocalion Records in a temporary studio at the Bankhead. In 1930 the hotel's house band, Dunk Rendleman & His Alabamians, were billed as the "Bankhead Hotel Orchestra".
From 1932 to 1936 radio station WBRC-AM's studios and transmission tower were located in the Bankhead Hotel. J. A. "Jack" Seager was manager in 1948. The building was purchased in 1953 by the Atlanta-based Dinkler Hotel System, and sold in 1954 to the Pick Hotels Corporation of Chicago, which operated it as the Pick-Bankhead.
In April 1949 a group of Philadelphia Phillies players staying at the Bankhead were robbed of $891 while they slept. During the early 1950s, the hotel featured "The Pirate Room" nightclub "in a cave under the Bankhead Hotel", with two shows nightly headlined by Sunny Fox. The Federal Bureau of Investigation put up its explosive experts in the Bankhead during their investigations into a streak of bombings against Civil Rights activists. On November 6, 1965 a man visiting from Baton Rouge, Louisiana stood on the roof ledge for 30 minutes, threatening to jump to his death and attracting a crowd of hundreds of onlookers before he was coaxed to safety.
Birmingham A's right fielder Reggie Jackson rented a room at the Bankhead Hotel after hearing threats to burn down an apartment he shared with Rollie Fingers, Joe Rudi, and Dave Duncan due to his presence.
The hotel closed in the late 1960s, leaving the building vacant for the next several years.
Senior housing
In the mid 1970s the hotel was expanded and renovated for use as senior housing. Davis, Speake & Associates provided architectural services and Lawler-Wood Associates of Knoxville, Tennessee performed the work.
In 2001 the building's tenants filed a lawsuit against the owner for failure to maintain heating, air-conditioning and elevator equipment and allowing garbage to pile up. Lawler-Wood Associates was hired again to make repairs at a cost of $3 million.
In 2016 the building was acquired by an affiliate of Nuveen of Chicago, Illinois for $16,360,000. Millennia Housing Management of Cleveland, Ohio operated and leased the property.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Real Estate Assessment Center conducted on-site inspections of Bankhead Towers in 2015 and 2018. Over that interval, the building dropped from a score of 90 to a score of 62, just barely passing the inspection (link).
On July 1, 2019 a small fire was reported on the 15th floor. It was extinguished by the building's sprinkler system.
Another lawsuit was filed by tenant Karen Carter in 2020, alleging that the apartments were infested with bed bugs.
The property has been listed for sale by Affordable Housing Advisors of Southfield, Michigan.
In 2024 the building was condemned by the City of Birmingham for multiple violations of fire safety, housing and building codes. Nuveen contracted with Paths Management Services of New York City to take over operations. Paths arranged for temporary housing for residents, who were required to move out of the building while repairs were made.
References
- "Bankhead Hotel Opening" (December 25, 1926) The Dixie Manufacturer Vol. 15, No. 12, p. 24
- "Hotel Addition Contract" (April 10, 1927) The Dixie Manufacturer Vol. 16, No. 7, p. 24
- "Man Grabbed Before Leap" (November 7, 1965) The Tuscaloosa News
- Helean, Jack (July 1, 2019) "Fire breaks out at Bankhead Towers in downtown Birmingham." ABC3340.com
- Garrison, Greg (September 28, 2024) "Bear Bryant’s Alabama team, Reggie Jackson slept here: Birmingham condemns Bankhead Towers after 101 years." AL.com
- Garrison, Greg (October 10, 2024) "Elderly, disabled Birmingham residents evacuated from condemned Bankhead Towers: ‘I don’t know where I’m going’." AL.com
- Garrison, Greg (October 11, 2024) "Evacuation of Bankhead Towers ‘a travesty,’ Alabama Congresswoman says: What happens next?" AL.com
External links
- Bankhead Towers website