"If you're not in Birmingham, you're just in Alabama!" (Montgomery: to live, moving)

[Tourian]

Originally Posted by bhamoutlook

"While many “Sunbelt” cities destroyed much of their historical urban fabric for newer architecture, Birmingham, Alabama has preserved much of its historical buildings. From certain angles, you can capture the skyline exactly as it was in 1920.

Thanks for taking the time to answer that. I didn't want to get into a pointless argument that might possibly include being compared to The Colosseum, or the Great Pyramids or something else ridiculous when the answer was so obvious.

When (more of) these old buildings are restored they will draw many who will want see and experience them - particularly the hotels and entertainment venues.

[bluebeard]

I agree that the architecture here is better than most sunbelt cities. Of course, there is Savannah, New Orleans, Charleston, and some other stars. And even Miami has some art deco. But I think its a strong point in comparison to most places in the region.

[Butchie Boy]

Just a play on words "Bham or be damn" if you ain't down for it scram!! Hey,you're either part of the problem or part of the solution.

[preguntas]

Colleagues of American historical architecture have noted that Louisville and Birmingham possess the largest collections of cast iron trimmed commercial buildings of note. (a special example is the Zinzer Building on Second) Also worth noting is the largest terra cotta restoration company in America, (San Francisco) have been making an inventory of the immense number of special buildings with this classical building style of the turn of the nineteenth century. An excellent example is the Pizitz which is under restoration by this same firm.

[Tourian]

Thank you too, Preguntas for another well informed, level headed and constructive addition on the subject.

[Blazin65]

I wanted to be a little nicer today and clarify what I said yesterday. What I was trying to say is that no on in Pittsburgh or New York or Chicago sits at the dinner table and says lets visit Birmingham and go to some museums and learn about our Civil Rights history. If anything, they are hearing so much on the TV already about Civil Rights that they want to go somewhere as far away as possible to avoid any mention of race or civil rights.

[Tourian]

Originally Posted by Blazin65

I wanted to be a little nicer today and clarify what I said yesterday. What I was trying to say is that no on in Pittsburgh or New York or Chicago sits at the dinner table and says lets visit Birmingham and go to some museums and learn about our Civil Rights history. If anything, they are hearing so much on the TV already about Civil Rights that they want to go somewhere as far away as possible to avoid any mention of race or civil rights.

Except that is a sweeping generalization that is a fantasy in your own mind. IF you really wanted to know you could visit the museum yourself and ask the curators about where their visitors come from. I'm sure they have some real data to share with you that isn't anecdotal.

Plus there's this little tidbit here. About some kids from Andover, a suburb of Boston:

Ignore Chuck Dean; the world recognizes Birmingham is an essential destination city | AL.com

And... if he really doesn't think Birmingham is a destination city, I'm beginning to wonder if he's even been to Civil Rights Institute. Because, he fails to realize that it's because of the city's past that we are such an important destination for people throughout the world.
Last week I had the opportunity to meet with sophomores and juniors from the prestigious Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass. The students were visiting the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute as part of a 10-day immersion experience in the American South. In past years, Phillips students have visited China, Europe, or even South Africa. But these students chose to spend their summer in Birmingham and the American South.
Now, I've got to say that I was skeptical. The idea of high schoolers "studying" the South by visiting Civil Rights battlegrounds sounded a bit like signing up for a dating service that only allowed you to list your glaring flaws – swipe right for occasional lynching, swipe left for bigoted textbooks. I could easily envision some sanctimonious Yankee teacher saying, "Look kids! Here's where racism happened." But after meeting with the students and teachers, I was pleasantly surprised.
It's hard to know what to expect from 16-year-old and 17-year-old kids. My assumption was that these kids from Los Angeles, Brooklyn, Massachusetts and around the country would approach the South as an alien world that needed to be analyzed and fixed. What I found, instead, were kids that approached Birmingham, Selma and Montgomery with something like reverence. These were communities that they could learn from, not places to fear or change. They quickly drew parallels to struggles in their own community and found inspiration in the thousands of protestors that worked in tandem to make a difference in the face of terrible odds.

So just because all the local conservative crowd is fed up with civil rights being "shoved down their throats" doesn't mean the rest of the world is. Nor does it mean that the city should shy away from embracing it as a reason to draw people to visit.

[bluebeard]

Originally Posted by Blazin65

I wanted to be a little nicer today and clarify what I said yesterday. What I was trying to say is that no on in Pittsburgh or New York or Chicago sits at the dinner table and says lets visit Birmingham and go to some museums and learn about our Civil Rights history. If anything, they are hearing so much on the TV already about Civil Rights that they want to go somewhere as far away as possible to avoid any mention of race or civil rights.

You are somewhat wrong. I have a step-brother from Manhattan that lives in Philadelphia that want to include Bham in a civil rights tour. I'm not saying we're Disneyland, but it is a place that a select group of people want to tour.

[politburo]

Originally Posted by steveklein

I'm not a big fan of "If you're not in Birmingham, you're just in Alabama" because it seems to be putting down the state as a whole. I understand why it might be a good thing, but of all the marketing campaigns that the city could come up with, surely there are some that would be just as effective without dissing the state.

Much like the "Keep Austin Weird' campaign, this sounds a lot like the " blue dot in a red state" stickers seen on Prius bumpers around Birmingham. It conveys superiority and exclusivity by making non-Birmingham areas seem less desirable and lower status, while at the same time promoting Birmingham as an oasis of some kind.

[politburo]

Originally Posted by Tourian

Except that is a sweeping generalization that is a fantasy in your own mind. IF you really wanted to know you could visit the museum yourself and ask the curators about where their visitors come from. I'm sure they have some real data to share with you that isn't anecdotal.

Plus there's this little tidbit here. About some kids from Andover, a suburb of Boston:

Ignore Chuck Dean; the world recognizes Birmingham is an essential destination city | AL.com



So just because all the local conservative crowd is fed up with civil rights being "shoved down their throats" doesn't mean the rest of the world is. Nor does it mean that the city should shy away from embracing it as a reason to draw people to visit.

It's the main thing the city is known for, and so it's been decided that civil rights will be the wagon Birmingham hitches itself to. I guess you have to work with what you've been given. In today's political climate, I can't think of a better move.