The barbed wire fence that surrounds Powell School has kept passersby oblivious to the quiet progress being made inside the deserted halls of one of Birmingham’s oldest buildings.
Built in 1888, Powell School was the first permanent school to be built in the Magic City. For 114 years, countless children passed through the halls of the old brick building until it was shuttered in 2002.
In 2011, a fire broke out that could have been the end of the old school. The blaze torched the roof and the upper floors. Many thought that to be the final bell, explained Michael Calvert, a volunteer working to restore Powell.
Four years later, Calvert and the team of volunteers with the Alabama Trust for Historic Preservation (ATHP) are slowly laying the foundation to transform the building into 23 loft condominiums.
The ATHP has been working closely with Atlanta-based development company Integral Group to eventually negotiate the purchase of the 1.3-acre property for roughly $4.5 million. Integral Group co-developed Park Place, the mixed-income community that replaced the Metropolitan Gardens housing project directly adjacent to Powell School.
However, the process has been slow and tedious, Calvert said. “I originally thought we could get this thing turned around in a year, but four years later we still have a lot of work ahead of us,” he said. The only work being done is on a volunteer basis.
Calvert, the former president of Operation New Birmingham — the predecessor to REV Birmingham — said he fell in love with the building long ago. After the fire gutted the building, a group headed by Birmingham attorney Sam Frazier approached Mayor William Bell about preserving the school.
“Sam went to Mayor Bell [and told him] we think this is an important building that needs to be saved and the mayor agreed and said we should make every effort to save the building and recommended we get with the council to make the property available to the Alabama Trust,” Calvert said.
After the Birmingham City Council made the property available to the ATHP, the city helped to put a roof on with the insurance money collected from the fire, Calvert explained.
“That was one of the main things that helped everything move along. To the city’s credit, they have been really great about helping us with the project,” Calvert said as he opened the gate surrounding the school.
Old bricks and overgrown weeds still blanket the property. Calvert, however, lit up when he began to describe his vision for the future.
“See those arched windows up there?” Calvert asked, pointing to what used to be the attic space for the school. “Those spaces are going to be spectacular. They have eight-foot arched windows and 14-foot ceilings, all overlooking the city. It doesn’t get any better.”
The goal is to maintain the historic integrity of the building as much as possible.
Calvert doesn’t know when that vision will come into fruition, though. Negotiations with Integral Group have yet to be finalized. Representatives with Integral Group did not return calls for a comment on the proposed plans.
“Integral is already managing the 500 units around the corner at Park Place. So they already have an office and maintenance staff right there,” Calvert said. “Everything is in place. It’s just taking some time.”
Unlike Park Place though, the condominium development will more than likely be market rate housing, Calvert said.
“I’m eager to see this move forward. We don’t know when that will happen. There is still a lot to be done in terms of cost estimates and all that sort of thing before we are going to be in a position to go to closing and get construction started,” Calvert said.
“The renovation won’t take a long time because basically the structural part is already there.”
A woman carrying several grocery bags walked by and asked Calvert when the new condos would be ready. “You know, a lot of people ask me that when I’m out here,” he replied, closing the gate behind him. “All I can say is as soon as possible. Hopefully within the next year.”