Earlier today during the bi-monthly meeting of the Birmingham Design Review Committee, the group voted to approve the demolition of the former Martin Flowers building at 2101 University Boulevard. Read on to learn more.

About the Martin Flowers building

Located at the corner of University Boulevard and Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard South, the Martin Flowers building has been vacant since 2018.

For over two decades, the building was home to Martin Flowers—a floral shop owned by Ed and Pam Boylen. The couple opened the University Boulevard location in 1997, selling fine floral arrangements and gifts. In 2018, the couple sold the property to their next door neighbor, the Baptist Church of the Covenant.

Approved for Demolition

During the Birmingham Design Review Committee meeting, representatives of the Baptist Church of the Covenant sought approval to demolish the Martin Flowers building—citing safety concerns as one reason. Since Martin Flowers vacated the property in 2018, the building has slowly fallen into decay—in fact, a window fell out of the building onto the sidewalk earlier this month, presenting a potential hazard.

“The structure of the building is crumbling and the roof is beginning to fall through: it’s not only an eyesore, but it’s dangerous to have on the corner. We’re really thankful that the city has allowed us to take the next step and improve the property.”
Erica Cooper, Pastor of Baptist Church of the Covenant

According to Pastor Erica Cooper, demolition of the property will hopefully kick off before the end of this month. Once demolition is complete, the property will remain a green space for the foreseeable future while the church develops a long-term plan for use of the lot.

“We don’t have firm plans for the future use of the property—we’re still in the ‘dreaming’ phase of what we could do could to make the most of that block. We want to be good neighbors and improve the area where we can, so in the meantime it would be nice to have a bit of green space on that corner rather than a dilapidated building.”
Erica Cooper, Pastor of Baptist Church of the Covenant

What would you like to see this property used for in the future? Tag us @bhamnow on Instagram to let us know!