What would have been one of Birmingham's tallest buildings is now a little bit smaller. The developers who want to rebuild the Barclay Inn at the southeast corner of Woodward Avenue and Maple Road have shrunk the plans from 8 stories to 5.
What remains of the plan? Most of the old 1950s-era hotel and a couple of other nearby buildings will be gone. Also going, going gone are the plans to incorporate 60,000 square feet of office space and two levels of parking garage because neither were economically feasible.
The mixed-used building will feature a new Barclay Inn, a Walgreens and a bistro wrapped in a modern, contemporary exterior of glass, metal and stone. The first floor will feature room for the bistro, hotel and 14,800 square feet for Walgreens. Above that will be four floors with 119 hotel rooms.
The developers are still working with city planners. The plans are set to go before the city planning commission on July 23, apply for final city approval later this year and hopefully begin construction in January. The building should be finished within one year of the start of construction.
"We're just looking to get the building going as soon as possible," says Chris Enright, president of Birmingham-based Christopher Enright Architects, the firm that designed the plans for the new hotel.
The new building is a better fit with the city's plans for the Triangle District, an area just east of downtown bordered by Woodward Avenue, Adams Road and Maple Road. The area, which is in the shape of a triangle, is experiencing development pressure, yet has lacked a clear vision and framework for growth.
The new master plan for the area is expected to spur development on surface parking lots and underutilized properties, which dominate the landscape, to create a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use district similar to downtown.
The current hotel started out as a Barclay Inn but eventually became a Holiday Inn Express. It returned to the Barclay Inn moniker two years ago.
Source: Jana Ecker, planning director for the city of Birmingham and Chris Enright, president of Christopher Enright Architects
Writer: Jon Zemke
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