Index

design alabama
Opelika: South Railroad Avenue/CB
After decades of decline, many historic downtown districts across Alabama... READ MORE
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Moulton: Red Land Cotton
For three generations the Yeager family has been doing their... READ MORE
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chiekf_ladiga
Reviews for the Chief Ladiga Trail, Alabama’s first rails-to-trails project,... READ MORE
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Bib & Tucker Sew-Op
Bib & Tucker Sew-Op in Birmingham is keeping the longtime... READ MORE
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Standard Deluxe
Standard Deluxe is both a graphic design shop that promotes... READ MORE
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gaineswood
It took 18 years for owner and amateur designer Nathan... READ MORE
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Birmingham: Alabama Theatre Interior
Inside the historic Lyric and Alabama theaters in downtown Birmingham’s... READ MORE
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florence-commercial-business-district
Though best known for its musical legacy, Florence is becoming... READ MORE
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Intergraph Corporation 
Though Silicon Valley may be the epicenter of tech companies today, one of... READ MORE
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ConnectLivity Maps and Books
Discovering the best Alabama has to offer takes time, effort... READ MORE
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land_trusts
Since 1992, the Forever Wild Land Trust has secured more... READ MORE
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UAB Campus Recreation Center
Designed by Williams Blackstock Architects in association with CannonDesign, the... READ MORE
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MoundsvilleSite
Alabama is home to the remains of one of the... READ MORE
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barber-motor-sports
According to Guinness World Records, the nonprofit Barber Vintage Motorsports... READ MORE
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Howard Garrett
For years considered the “face of industrial design in Alabama,”... READ MORE
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red-mountain-expressway
Want a close-hand look at rock formation and a lesson... READ MORE
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The INBirmingham campaign
Simplicity is often best in graphic design. That certainly proved... READ MORE
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pinhoti-trail
The longest hiking trail in Alabama and Georgia is the... READ MORE
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guarnty-federal-savings-and-loan-lewis-communications-williams-blackstock
The former Guaranty Federal Savings and Loan was housed not... READ MORE
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Montgomery March Interpretive Center
A turning point in Alabama’s history is the 1965 Selma... READ MORE
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Decatur: Princess Theater
Talk about adaptive reuse. Decatur’s Princess Theatre was originally built... READ MORE
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Tuskegee: Tuskegee University
As any Tuskegee University alum knows, “Strollin’ down the Ave”... READ MORE
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Gainesville: Historic District
Before the wide use of railroads, Gainesville thrived as a... READ MORE
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Bank of Brewton
Recognized as Alabama’s oldest bank, the Bank of Brewton opened... READ MORE
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red-mountain-park
Birmingham lays claim to the largest urban park in the... READ MORE
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al-power-company
Standing tall at the main entrance of Alabama Power’s early... READ MORE
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Leroy Pope Mansion
Alabama was not yet a state when the Leroy Pope... READ MORE
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downtown-homewood
Eighteenth Street South is a traditional main street shopping district... READ MORE
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Birmingham: Intermodal Facility
The wide overhanging roof of the new two-story Birmingham-Jefferson County... READ MORE
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Tuskegee: Tuskegee University Chapel Interior
Concerning architecture, Tuskegee University is best known for its Booker... READ MORE
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Brad Lugar
Part of Birmingham’s flourishing beer scene is Steel City Taps,... READ MORE
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Hugh-Kaul-Childrens-Zoo
A delight for every kid at heart (and who isn’t?)... READ MORE
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“Architecture and landscape design…can give a community clarity, coherence, and order, as well as beauty and delight, and can help define a community’s identity and values. We can celebrate places that nurture our living together.”
Author Alice Meriwether Bowsher, Community in Alabama
Design Influencer
“Good design, smart planning, creative place-making are all pillars of progressive growth that occurs as part of creative problem solving, taking advantage of opportunities and having an elevated vision for the present and future.”
Al Head, retired Executive Director of the Alabama State Council on the Arts and Alabama Native
Design Influencer
selma-live-oak-cemetery
One of the most hauntingly beautiful cemeteries found anywhere is... READ MORE
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“Someone else can use these things again, I feel like I’m giving them back their purpose.”
Garlan Gudger, referring to doorknobs
Design Influencer
Hunter Foy
Auburn University industrial design graduate Hunter Foy has made a... READ MORE
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Brooks Barrow
Stone carving might be the world’s oldest three-dimensional art form... READ MORE
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eufaula
Eufaula has one of the state’s largest historic districts with... READ MORE
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Huntsville: First Baptist Church
Whether traditional or modern, the best designed sacred spaces evoke... READ MORE
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bankhead-tunnel
Bankhead Tunnel is a road tunnel in Mobile that carries... READ MORE
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montgomery-blount-cultural-park
The 250-acre Wynton M. Blount Cultural Park offers three venues... READ MORE
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Idyllwilde
Indigo dye is an organic compound that creates some of... READ MORE
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Mt Laurel
Architects Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk are synonymous with New... READ MORE
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Biscuit Leather Company
In her studio adapted from a 100-year-old shotgun house in... READ MORE
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eastern-shore-trail
There’s plenty to do and see along Mobile’s Eastern Shore... READ MORE
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Kennedy Prints
“We demand the very best from our clients!” This quote,... READ MORE
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Homewood Middle School
It’s been proven: well designed schools improve learning and that’s... READ MORE
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Urban Studio
While Auburn University’s Rural Studio gets plenty of attention, its... READ MORE
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Billy Reid
An issue of GQ magazine features a photo of actor... READ MORE
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Craft Breweries in Alabama Create Unique Logos
Alabama’s thriving brewery scene gets creative with logos found on... READ MORE
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“Everyone in his own way is affected by his environment. The chords that are struck in people are not necessarily the ones which the architect anticipates. It seems to me the better the building, the more variety of chords that are struck.”
Paul Rudolph, Architect of the Tuskegee Chapel
Design Influencer
Birmingham: Lyric Theatre Interior
Across from the Alabama Theatre is the Lyric Theatre, the... READ MORE
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Prattville: CBD/West Main/Pratt Factory
When Prattville founder Daniel Pratt opened his cotton gin factory... READ MORE
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Talladega: Ritz Theatre
Alabama has many movie palaces remaining from their golden age... READ MORE
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Birmingham: Ruffner Mountain Nature Center
Ruffner Mountain Nature Center is the centerpiece of the 1,011-acre... READ MORE
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Vance: Mercedes-Benz Visitor Center
Many people can’t afford to purchase a Mercedes, but they... READ MORE
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Newbern: Auburn University Rural Studio
No place fits the proverb “necessity is the mother of... READ MORE
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Dauphin Island: Isle Dauphine Club
An example of Googie architecture – the whimsical, futuristic design... READ MORE
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Birmingham: BLHI Group Office Building
B.L. Harbert International, a construction company that builds U.S. embassies... READ MORE
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Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA)
The federally owned Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) was created in... READ MORE
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Montgomery: Shakespeare Gardens
At Shakespeare Gardens in Montgomery, the sights and fragrant smells... READ MORE
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Birmingham: MAKEbhm
Ever been curious to try woodworking, welding, ceramics or screen... READ MORE
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Five A’s logo and supporting graphics – used in Atlanta’s successful bid for the 1996 Olympic games
Alabama graphic designers make a lasting imprint (no pun intended),... READ MORE
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Birmingham: Sloss Furnaces
Sloss Furnaces was once the largest manufacturer of pig iron... READ MORE
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Mountain Brook: Mountain Brook Village
Planned communities are common these days, but were a novel... READ MORE
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Alabama Department of Commerce: Made in Alabama campaign
Made in Alabama is a message that could not be... READ MORE
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Mobile: Bienville Square
With its ancient live oaks, cast iron fountain, bandstand and... READ MORE
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Tom Hardy
Every time you use your laptop or ThinkPad you have... READ MORE
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Huntsville: Big Spring Park
The largest limestone spring in North Alabama is Big Spring,... READ MORE
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“For me, the idea of a creation is not conceivable without invoking the necessity of design. One cannot be exposed to the law and order of the universe without concluding that there must be design and purpose behind it all.”
Wernher von Braun, engineer
Design Influencer
Montgomery: St. John’s Episcopal Church
St. John’s was organized in 1834 by pioneer settlers and... READ MORE
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Kershaw/Progress Rail
When Montgomery-based Kershaw Manufacturing Company Inc. was incorporated in 1944,... READ MORE
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Florence: Alabama Chanin
With her commitment to preserving design and living arts traditions,... READ MORE
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Birmingham: Linn Park
Birmingham’s first city plan in 1871 shows Linn Park as... READ MORE
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Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Bryce Hospital
Built in Tuscaloosa in the 1850s, Bryce Hospital opened in... READ MORE
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Huntsville: Twickenham Historic District
Sounds like something out of Dickens. Twickenham Historic District gets... READ MORE
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Birmingham: Rickwood Field
Alabama boasts many claims to fame and one is Rickwood... READ MORE
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Magnolia Springs: Historic District
Southern Living magazine calls Magnolia Springs a small town with... READ MORE
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Tim Cook
Apple recently became the first company in the United States... READ MORE
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Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve and Park
One of Birmingham’s most appealing characteristics is how nature coexists... READ MORE
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Birmingham: Crestwood Park
Among Birmingham’s many attributes are its city parks and one... READ MORE
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Your Town Alabama
“This is the workshop full of love, information and learning... READ MORE
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Seale: Museum of Wonder
In Renaissance Europe, “cabinets of curiosities” were rooms that housed... READ MORE
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Alabama Power Hydro
Alabama Power was founded on renewable hydro energy and manages... READ MORE
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Greensboro: HERObike
HERObike, a nonprofit bike shop in Greensboro, is dedicated to... READ MORE
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Talladega- Isbell Bank
When terracotta is used as a building material, it is... READ MORE
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Birmingham: Temple Emanuel/Addition
The focal point of the addition to Birmingham’s Temple Emanuel... READ MORE
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Huntsville: Green Pea Press
Founded by Rachel Lackey as the first community print shop... READ MORE
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Malbis: Memorial Church
A few miles east of Mobile is Malbis Memorial Church,... READ MORE
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Alexander City: Spring House
Dining at Spring House Restaurant in Russell Crossroads isn’t just... READ MORE
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demopolis-public-sqaure
One of the oldest public squares in Alabama is the... READ MORE
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Alabama Innovation Engine
Alabama Innovation Engine – the name conveys it all –... READ MORE
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Prairieville: St. Andrews Episcopal Church
No wonder that St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Prairieville is... READ MORE
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Monroeville: Courthouse Square
Three courthouses have flanked the Monroeville Courthouse Square over the... READ MORE
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Tippi Clark
With her experience in design and development for major brands,... READ MORE
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“Great cities have great parks!”
Frank Setzer, architect and Auburn University Professor
Design Influencer
Cullman: Garlan Gudger and Southern Architectural
Vintage architectural treasures – Edison bulbs, ceiling fans and decorative... READ MORE
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Birmingham: Innovation Depot
A long-vacant Sears department store in Birmingham was transformed into... READ MORE
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Indian Springs- Indian Springs School Phase 1
Indian Springs School, a 350-acre, private boarding school founded in... READ MORE
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Auburn University: Alabama Workshops Toolkit
Though the creative process is often a solitary pursuit, design... READ MORE
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Leeds: Earthborn Pottery
Chefs and restauranteurs in Alabama and across the country love... READ MORE
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Birmingham: Most Worshipful Prince Hall Grand Lodge 
During the Jim Crow era, the Most Worshipful Prince Hall... READ MORE
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Mobile: The Grand Hotel (Point Clear- The Grand Hotel))
Built in 1847, the historic Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf... READ MORE
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Chris Livaudais
An organization that was instrumental to the design career of... READ MORE
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Birmingham: UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center
UAB’s Comprehensive Cancer Center was renovated in 2014 by Williams... READ MORE
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Wetumpka: Jasmine Hill Gardens and Outdoor Museum
No wonder that Jasmine Hill Gardens and Outdoor Museum near... READ MORE
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Courthouse Square Commercial Historic District 
In 1818, the White House officially reopened after being burned... READ MORE
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“What is important is using ones talents and intellect and energy in order to gain an appreciation and affection for people and place.”
Sam Mockbee, Architect and Rural Studio Founder
Design Influencer
Little Texas: Little Texas Methodist Tabernacle
One of the last structures of its kind is located... READ MORE
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Birmingham: Rotary Trail
At the entrance of Birmingham’s Rotary Trail is a 46-foot-tall... READ MORE
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Lloyd Cooper
“I always wanted to be an inventor when I grew... READ MORE
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“Everything that becomes mature and becomes heritable is subtle ... it takes a real strong and smart appetite to try to develop what's going to last.”
Bobby McAlpine, Architect and Author
Design Influencer
Children’s Harbor Lodge was designed to provide a haven for... READ MORE
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“The nice thing about this kind of plan is you can show something that’s easy to follow. Its very real stuff. And its not just for big public project but for developments large or small. There’s more flexibility and that mean more value for property.”
Ken Groves, City Planner
Design Influencer
Birmingham: YMCA
Several neo-Gothic landmarks adjoin the modernist Birmingham Downtown YMCA designed... READ MORE
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Selma: Edmund Pettus Bridge
The 1965 Selma-to-Montgomery March was a pivotal moment in the... READ MORE
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Mobile:  Washington Square
Mobile’s historic urban squares may not be as well known... READ MORE
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Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Quad
Thomas Jefferson’s plan for the University of Virginia was designed... READ MORE
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Sterret: Sunshine Farms Chapel
Spirituality and symbolism are foremost in church design, and that... READ MORE
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Fort Payne: Zkano & Little River Sock Company
Fort Payne was once the Sock Capital of the World... READ MORE
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Mooresville: Historic District
Sandwiched by Huntsville to the east and Decatur to the... READ MORE
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Mobile:  Spring Hill College Quad
A cluster of early buildings on the campus of Mobile’s... READ MORE
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“I love every nook and cranny of the building, and during the restoration I was here every single day in a hard hat with the contractors,” recalls the Alabama native. “I could envision what it could be. I didn’t want to break land and create something new. I wanted old bones.”
Heidi Elnora, fashion designer and Alabama Native
Design Influencer
Florence: Rosenbaum House
Architecture critic Peter Blake wrote in 1960 that during the... READ MORE
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Alabama Communities of Excellence
Alabama is fortunate to have many organizations working to improve... READ MORE
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Montgomery: Huntingdon College core
Part of the historic Old Cloverdale neighborhood in Montgomery, the... READ MORE
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Thomasville: Central Business District
Founded in 1888, Thomasville was in its infancy when a... READ MORE
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The Posters of Auburn’s Urban Studio Small Town Design Initiative
Revitalizing towns should involve the entire community, and what better... READ MORE
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Birmingham: Interior of Linn-Henley Research Library 
Public libraries should inspire and inform, and the Linn-Henley Research... READ MORE
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Moundville Archeological Park
Alabama is home to the remains of one of the... READ MORE
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Jackson County: Russell Cave NM
A great place for a spelunking adventure is Russell Cave... READ MORE
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Florence: Toms Wall-Natchez Trace 
Just east of Natchez Trace Parkway outside Florence is one... READ MORE
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Main Street Alabama
Community-led revitalization is challenging work and Main Street Alabama makes... READ MORE
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DesignAlabama journal
When it comes to the DesignAlabama Journal, you certainly can... READ MORE
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Florence: hand-crafted brooms by George Jones Jr.
Among the most cherished crafts are those that are both... READ MORE
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Birmingham: Rail Road Park
Nineteen acres of unused spaced along the railroad tracks between... READ MORE
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Gulf Shores: Gulf State Park
Not been to Gulf State Park in a while or... READ MORE
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Auburn: Auburn University: Samford Hall  
According to legend, as a prank students once led a... READ MORE
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Eva Pfeil and Walter Schaer
Two professors of industrial design at Auburn University made important... READ MORE
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Athens: Founders Hall
The adjective “stately” is often used, and even overused, to... READ MORE
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KW Container
A pioneer in the plastics recycling industry, Troy-based KW Plastics... READ MORE
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Pittsview: pair of historic churches
In the tiny hamlet of Pittsview – an unincorporated community... READ MORE
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Cullman: St Paul’s Lutheran Church
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Cullman is proof that a... READ MORE
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Montgomery-Capitol/Dexter Ave/Court Square
U.S. history changed twice on Montgomery’s six-block Dexter Avenue. At... READ MORE
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Montgomery: Cotton and Pine
When A.H. Cather Publishing Company in Birmingham closed its door... READ MORE
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Car manufacturers: Hyundai, Mercedes, Honda
Alabama auto manufacturing keeps on rolling.  Hyundai, Honda and Mercedes-Benz... READ MORE
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Gee’s Bend: Ferry Terminal
Not only is Gee’s Bend home to world-famous quilters, but... READ MORE
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Birmingham: Five Points South
A convergence of five streets sounds like a traffic nightmare,... READ MORE
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Huntsville: Courthouse Square
Courthouse Square has long been a significant part of Huntsville’s... READ MORE
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colbert-wilson-dam
Neoclassical architecture is associated with many buildings such as the... READ MORE
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Birmingham: UAB Heritage Hall/Quad
On a busy corner of UAB’s campus is Heritage Hall,... READ MORE
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Fort Payne: Orbix Hot Glass
On 26 acres along Little River Canyon National Preserve in... READ MORE
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regionsfield
Ballparks are for watching baseball, but at Regions Field in... READ MORE
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Columbiana: 4-H Environmental Education Center
The Alabama 4-H Center in Columbiana has a strong identity... READ MORE
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Gee’s Bend: Gee’s Bend Quilters
Gee’s Bend’s “eye-poppingly gorgeous” quilts, wrote New York Times art... READ MORE
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Owen Foster
Owen Foster, a 2005 graduate of Auburn’s Master of Industrial... READ MORE
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Barber Motorsports Park is the brainchild of George Barber Jr.,... READ MORE
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albany-neighborhood
Wandering the streets of the Albany Historic District in Decatur... READ MORE
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“We want good design in Alabama to be like breathing, a natural part of living and doing things”
Philip Morris, Writer, Editor and Design Enthusiast
Design Influencer
Communities across Alabama are thriving thanks to the ongoing efforts... READ MORE
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Ken Musgrave
Auburn University industrial design graduate Ken Musgrave is vice president... READ MORE
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segway-downtown-montgomery
Tuscaloosa and Montgomery are two cities that have taken full... READ MORE
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Birmingham: Kelly Ingram Park
The hallmark of Birmingham’s Kelly Ingram Park is its many... READ MORE
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Sturdivant Hall
If Hollywood location scouts ever need to find a superb... READ MORE
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Old Southern Progress Building
Nestled into a heavily wooded 27-acre site, the old Southern... READ MORE
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Montgomery: Capitol Dome Interior/Staircases
Step into the main foyer of the Alabama State Capitol... READ MORE
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Mobile: Government St. Presbyterian Church
Mobile’s Government St. Presbyterian Church is considered among the finest... READ MORE
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Stewart Perry Corporation
Reuse and reverence for the land are evident throughout the... READ MORE
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anniston-st-michaels
St. Michael’s and All Angels Church in Anniston would not... READ MORE
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Renaissance Birmingham Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa
Hard to imagine that the Ross Bridge Renaissance Resort and... READ MORE
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Gulf Shores: Fort Morgan
Condos and beachfront hotels aren’t all that face Alabama’s Gulf... READ MORE
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Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail
Alabama’s Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail is the largest golf... READ MORE
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Tuskegee University Chapel Interior
Concerning architecture, Tuskegee University is best known for its Booker... READ MORE
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Ave Maria Grotto
Prayer and spiritual devotion come in many forms. For Brother... READ MORE
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Montgomery: National Memorial for Peace and Justice
The National Memorial for Peace and Justice opened April 2018... READ MORE
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una-quad
What do New York City’s Central Park and the master... READ MORE
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Huntsville: Feather Wild
Sarah Conklin, founder of Feather Wild in Huntsville, starts the... READ MORE
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jones-valley-teaching-farm
Urban farms are springing up across America and one is... READ MORE
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jule-collins-smith-museum
Step into the lobby and take in the magnificent multicolored,... READ MORE
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Mary Catherine (Clem) Folmar
The designs created by Mary Catherine Folmar for her hand-illustrated... READ MORE
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“I remain in my own designs a minimalist and believe in trying to do the most with the least-simple, and one hopes, elegant design.”
Cheryl Morgan, FAIA, Architect and Professor, Auburn University
Design Influencer
Talladega College’s Savery Library
Fifty-three illegally purchased West Africans were transported from Cuba in... READ MORE
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Birmingham: 16th Street Baptist Church
In 1963, a Ku Klux Klan bomb exploded in the... READ MORE
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sloss
No better place for the metal arts than Birmingham’s Sloss... READ MORE
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Cohrane-Africatown Bridge
Alabama’s only cable-stayed bridge is the Cochrane–Africatown USA Bridge carrying... READ MORE
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Birmingham: YMCA Youth Center
Bold lines, geometric shapes and primary colors energize YMCA Youth... READ MORE
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Empire Building
When it was constructed in 1909, the 16-story Empire Building... READ MORE
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Sylacauga: Pursell Farms
Nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains in Sylacauga... READ MORE
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Community Identity through Graphic Design
Known as a historic railroad town, the City of Opelika... READ MORE
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Arley: Wood Studio
On Smith Lake at the southern end of the Bankhead... READ MORE
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Birmingham: Vulcan Park and Grounds
A fine example of Birmingham’s long and rich legacy of... READ MORE
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Huntsville: Saturn Rocket
Fun fact: A rocket built in Alabama burned more fuel... READ MORE
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Horton Mill Covered Bridge
Pennsylvania is the state with the most covered bridges with... READ MORE
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Mobile: Bellingrath Gardens
Something is always blooming at Bellingrath Gardens in Mobile –... READ MORE
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University of Alabama Smith Hall Interior
With its Classical-Revival façade, the Alabama Museum of Natural History... READ MORE
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Anjuli Bedekar Clavert
As Senior Innovation Strategist at Humana in Louisville, Kentucky, Anjuli... READ MORE
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Birmingham: Avondale Park
No surprise that Avondale Park is one of Birmingham’s most... READ MORE
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Year of “Posters” – Luckie and Company
Promoting all that Alabama has to offer was the aim... READ MORE
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