The Bainbridge
The Bainbridge was a planned 144-room, 98,654 square-foot business hotel to have been built in 1984–1985 on the northeast corner of Block 59, southwest of the intersection of 5th Avenue North and 21st Street North, the original site of First Presbyterian Church and later Birmingham Parking Authority Lot B, now part of the expanded Birmingham Parking Authority Deck 3.
The idea of constructing a new luxury hotel in the downtown area was a centerpiece of Costa & Head's 1979 Downtown Master Plan, which was adopted by the City of Birmingham, allowing it to use powers of eminent domain to assemble parcels for redevelopment. By August 1980 the Mayor and City Council were weighing putting their support behind competing proposals from Jim White III of White Investment Company and the Raymond Gotlieb of Metropolitan Development Company. They requested additional information, including commitments from lenders and hotel operators, before making a decision.
White set aside its plans as the city pursued the much-larger proposal from Metropolitan. After the Metropolitan project, which was to have involved redevelopment of all of Block 60, failed to move forward, White & Company began working on plans for what came to be known as "The Bainbridge".
The $10.4 million project was developed with Brasfield & Gorrie and Jackson Motel Management Co. as partners. The 13-story building was designed by Crawford, McWilliams & Hatcher. The actual construction cost, financed by AmSouth Bank, was $4.9 million, with the other $5.3 million to cover furnishings and equipment. Announced in August 1983, work on the site was set to begin in November of that year, with the hotel expected to open in January 1985.
The Bainbridge was planned to cater to business travelers, with 18 small meeting rooms ranging in capacity from 8 to 15 people. They would be located on the ground floor and lower level, along with service areas, administrative offices, and a "first-class" restaurant and lounge. The next three floors would accommodate 72 parking spaces, with the hotel's guest rooms on the top 9 floors. Room rates were expected to start at around $78 per night, which was considered slightly below comparable hotels in Atlanta, Georgia and Nashville, Tennessee.
The Bainbridge, as a business-oriented hotel, was expected to complement a simultaneous proposal by Costa & Head for a 350-room downtown hotel and conference center, and also to benefit prospects for restoration and reopening of the then-vacant Redmont Hotel across 21st Street.
References
- Frieden, Kitty (August 4, 1980) "Metropolitan Properties' hotel plan favored, but city staff attaches an 'if'." The Birmingham News - via Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections
- White, Dave (August 8, 1983) "New city hotel to cater to business clientele." The Birmingham News, p. 1A, 12A - via Birmingham Public Library Digital Collections