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Contact: Robin Oliver
Magic City sign to be resurrected at BJCC entertainment district
Date: February 05, 2008
The Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex Board of Directors unanimously agreed today to support resurrecting the famed “Welcome to Birmingham, the Magic City” sign as a gateway to the complex’s entertainment district. The sign originally stood outside of Birmingham’s Terminal Station.
The board is in Memphis this weekend for its annual retreat, and discussions this morning focused on the BJCC entertainment district to be developed by Beale Street development and management company Performa Entertainment Real Estate.
John Montgomery, president of Big Communications, presented the idea for bringing back the much-loved sign as a focal point for the district. “We believe the Magic City sign would be an irresistible photo op for visitors and an exciting landmark for locals, many of whom remember the original that stood on Fifth Avenue,” he said.
Board members agreed. Board chairman Clyde Echols said the board’s goal for the entertainment district is to make it a don’t-miss stop for Birmingham visitors. “If visitors only go one place while they are in Birmingham, we want them to visit our entertainment district. The return of the Magic City sign will give us a classic visual that has historic significance.”
Performa’s Birmingham-based architect, Fred Keith with HKW Associates, has already been contacted and is working to add the sign to the design of the space, said Performa Chairman and CEO John Elkington.
“We hope to find a local metal artist or group of artists to help rebuild the sign just as it was when it was built in the 1920s,” Elkington said. “We see it being featured on district merchandise as well.”
The sign was originally erected in 1926 just outside Terminal Station at the west end of the underpass that went under the station. The sign functioned as a gateway for visitors who arrived primarily by rail. The underpass, located near the Interstate on Fifth Avenue North, is all that remains today, but in the heyday of rail travel Fifth Avenue was lined with restaurants and entertainment venues.
“What was once the ‘gateway to Birmingham’ will be again,” Echols said.
Elkington said the first entertainment district restaurants and night spots will open in 2009. The district will be located on the north side of Richard Arrington Boulevard between 22nd and 24th Streets.
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Performa Entertainment Real Estate, Inc. is a privately owned real estate development and advisory firm located in Memphis, TN. The development of a mixed-use urban retail/entertainment district is a highly specialized niche of the development industry. In two decades, based on its experience with Beale Street in Memphis, Performa has become the nation’s leading developer and consultant in this field. Performa’s current projects are urban entertainment districts in Jackson, MS, and Trenton, NJ, and a regional retail/entertainment/recreational project in Fredericksburg, VA. For more information, visit www.performaentertainment.com.
For more information about the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex, go to www.bjcc.org.
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