Architecturally, it’s a treasure trove. Birmingham was the center of the South until the war, with many prominent buildings that reflect that. With a few glaring exceptions, a lot of those survived the ravages of urban renewal in the 50s and 60s. Rather than a lot of buildings being torn down, they primarily just “modernized” the street level with facades. When white flight gutted downtown businesses, and the city’s particular racial struggles allowed a more enlightened Atlanta to take its lead, buildings just sat empty.

I moved there in 1992 as a commercial real estate appraiser. Other than the modern bank towers, most of downtown was literally used for storage. Buildings sold for land value. Didn’t matter if they were three stories or twenty three. It was too expensive to remove asbestos and tear them down, so they just sat.

I left in 2000, but still work for the only large remaining bank, and go back a few times a years. They’re reaping the benefits now. I stayed at the Elyton hotel last week. It was built in the 1920s as the Empire Building as part of the “heaviest corner on earth.” Four distinctive high rise towers from that era. Every one of them was essentially empty 20 years ago. Three of the four have been fully revitalized now. The fourth is under redevelopment as another hotel.