Magic City Mod

On a quick trip home to Birmingham, Ala. last weekend to see my family, I put on my midcentury goggles and was delighted to see buildings and houses that I've passed by all my life in a new light. Although found in pockets, there is really a lot of great modern architecture, commercial and residental, in the Magic City. I wish I had more time to rediscover more of what the city offers in post-war design, but for now here's a few examples that I found on my way to and from visiting the family.

I can't tell you how many times I've passed this round office building on Hwy. 78, aka Crestwood Blvd. There's space available for lease on the second level!

Nice rectangular block screen.

Glad to see this building is still well-maintained.



How cool are these built-in concrete planters?

Well-manicured shrubs in front of this midcentury office building in the shadows of Brother Bryan Park in Birmingham's Southside. I never really noticed this subtle, pebble-coated building before.

Classic square block screen greets you out front.

I really love this simple block design, don't you?

The Eastwood/Crestwood neighborhood is a great place to find some classic 1950s-1960s ranch-style homes. But even more exciting, mixed in between these standard brick ranchers are a few midcentury modern jewels like these below.

Pictures don't do this house justice, but it's super cool and reminds me of a California Eichler home. It's one-of-a-kind in this neighborhood.

Well, the nice spring foilage obstructs the view, but this house is worthy of an Atomic Ranch cover, at least from the outside. You don't get to see the white globe pendant light hanging above the entry due to the tree.

This hillside neighborhood also boasts wonderful views of the city and airport and so there are many contemporary homes higher up the mountain taking advantage of these views, probably built in the 1970s. I was happy to see this cedar-sided lodge-like home getting a contemporay redo.

If you are interested in living in a great midcentury neighborhood with all-brick homes and the convenience of being a 5-minute drive from downtown, there are several homes for sale in this area--and with the housing market as depressed as it is, you could probably get a great deal.

This completes a very brief tour of what you might find if you just look around you on your way to work or home in Birmingham. Consider yourself lucky.