Ain’t No Magic Here from The Stewart/Perry Company on Vimeo.

From Railroad Park to Avondale and from Vulcan to Uptown, anyone paying attention has to have noticed the renaissance taking place in Birmingham these days. The people at Stewart Perry Construction have noticed as they’ve been working on two of downtown revitalization’s highest profile projects – Thomas Jefferson Tower and the Lyric Theatre.

Thomas Jefferson Rendering

The former Thomas Jefferson Hotel is being reborn into the 20-story Thomas Jefferson Tower following a $22 million renovation.
The historic hotel is being converted into 96 apartments and the restoration of the large ornate ballroom, lobby and event space.

The 7,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space will also be part of the project and Birmingham chef and restaurateur Brandon Cain of Saw’s Soul Kitchen and Post Office Pies in Avondale has signed on to open the anchor restaurant to be known as Roots & Revelry. Reed Realty Advisors will serve as lead developer on the project and Brian Beshara of Beshara Investment Group is managing partner.

A couple of blocks to the east, Stewart Perry is bringing the Lyric Theatre back to life in a massive renovation of the old vaudeville performing arts venue. The project includes both restoration and modernization work. You can read and see more about that project in our story here.

Constructing a new view

But before any of the potential of those projects can be realized, the hard work is being done by construction crews. It was the unique view of Birmingham Stewart Perry got from the stage of the Lyric to the 20-story rooftop of the Thomas Jefferson that made officials there realize just how special these times are in the history of the Magic City.
That prompted Stewart Perry to want to share this view and story with the world through a video.

“From the rooftop of our Thomas Jefferson project, we saw the connectivity downtown – families enjoying the park, young professionals walking to work and folks having a beer at one of the craft breweries,” said Merrill Stewart, principal with Stewart Perry. “We saw the fibers of the city begin to change, intertwined and accelerating. We felt video seemed like the most inspiring way to explore how all this fits into the renaissance of our city, so we decided to make a short film to capture what’s happening in Birmingham at this particular moment in time.”

The Lyric Theatre exterior

Titled “Ain’t No Magic Here,” the video was created by Back Down South Films working with Stewart Perry and REV Birmingham, which focuses on revitalizing Birmingham’s downtown and neighborhoods.

It’s narrated by al.com journalist John Archibald, who wrote the script and, despite the title, finds what is happening in the city as both magical and the result of much hard work.

“The filmmakers did a great job of capturing the excitement behind the development, new businesses and other momentum in our City Center right now,” said David Fleming, president and CEO of REV Birmingham.

“What we particularly love about the video, though, is that if you close your eyes and just listen to Archibald’s narrative, it is the story of what is happening in neighborhoods and communities across Birmingham: a new belief in the people who have made, and are making, this city great.”

New beginnings, new projects

Stewart Perry isn’t the only firm involved in downtown projects. There are new apartments, renovated hotels, a Negro Southern League Museum and numerous businesses from breweries to a Publix grocery story all in various stages of construction downtown. From Alabama Power’s former Powell Avenue Steam Plant to an old railroad cut that is on its way to becoming Rotary Trail, new life is being introduced into dead properties.

“Since Stewart Perry is involved with several keystone projects in the Central Business District, our interests overlap with downtown development groups,” Stewart said. “It seemed logical to align our efforts and get behind something that could relay the excitement. With this in mind, we commissioned two young filmmakers to capture the change. Not just the bricks and mortar of change, but also the cultural movement that draws bright young millennials to our city.”

Stewart said he is pleased with the result and the buzz the video has generated. But he’s not satisfied with just the attention.

“We want to change the conversation, from what it has been to what it will be,” he said. “We want to inspire people who live outside the city to come and enjoy and get involved. We want to convert old buildings to useful ones, increase the tax base and to create an interesting place to live and work.”

The Lyric Theatre interior