
1871
Birmingham, Alabama was founded and the magic began.
1881
Construction began on Birmingham’s Sloss Furnaces in June 1881 with the furnaces “going into blast” the following April.
1927
Legion Field opened in Birmingham. The first ever event there saw Howard (now Samford University) defeat Birmingham-Southern College 9-0 on November 19, 1927.
1931
Birmingham Airport (now known as Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport) opened. American Airways started service on May 31, 1931.
1969
Alabama International Motor Speedway (now know as Talladega Superspeedway) opened in September of that year.
1970
The Red Mountain Expressway opened to traffic. Work began on making what was an eventual 210-foot-deep Red Mountain Cut, exposing over 190,000,000 years of geologic strata. A tunnel had been discussed but the idea was eventually scrapped due to the high cost that would have been involved to make it a reality.
1974
Birmingham’s Tutwiler Hotel, located at the corner of 20th Street & 5th Avenue North, was imploded to make room for the First Alabama Bank Building (later renamed Regions Bank Building, later renamed The Plaza Building).
Built by Birmingham’s Brice Building Company, Brookwood Village opened and was a huge part of my childhood.
1986
SouthTrust Tower, now known as Wells Fargo Tower, was completed in August. Built by Birmingham’s Brice Building Company, it was the tallest building in the state until the RSA Tower in Mobile surpassed it when it was completed in 2006.
The Riverchase Galleria opened on February 19, 1986.
Also in 1986, Oak Mountain Amphitheater opened in Pelham, AL.
1989
Birmingham’s last “skyscraper”, originally known as the AmSouth-Harbert Plaza, opened 32-floors of sleek awesomeness for occupancy. Originally planned to have an 18-floor “sister” building, the 2nd structure has yet to join the original but it would be a great addition. Keep hope alive.
2010
Railroad Park opened to the public in September 2010.
2013
Regions Field opened in downtown Birmingham. Opening night was April 10, 2013.
2020
“The Big Build” is completed in January, opening the newly redesigned I-20/59 bridges through downtown Birmingham for traffic use after being closed for a year. Contractor received a $15M bonus for early completion time.