Reviewed by: Nathan Watson
Birmingham Board of Education votes to sell its HQ to make way for a new downtown hotel
On Tuesday, June 11th, the Birmingham Board of Education voted to approve a letter of intent to sell its 59-year-old headquarters across from Linn Park.
As reported by Bham Now earlier this month, A&R Group (A&R), a prominent hotel development group based out of Gulf Shores, offered to purchase the Birmingham City Board of Education headquarters building for $5.2 million.
A&R Group—which purchased the nearby Tutwiler Hotel in late 2023—plans to turn the 59-year-old Board of Education building (located at 2015 Park Place North, Birmingham) into a boutique hotel.
New headquarters a block from the old location
It will take about 10 to 11 months for Birmingham City schools to move out of the old headquarters building once the deal is complete. Meanwhile, the school system is preparing to move into the new head office, at 2101 6th Avenue North, which is about a block from the old location.
Board President Jason Meadows called the action to move the headquarters “momentous.”
He expressed excitement about moving into a more modern location.
“I hope that it shines as a beacon for our district. It’ll be a tool for us to recruit and retain the best and brightest employees. We all like to work at workplaces that look like the times.”
Jason Meadows, President, Birmingham Board of Education
What’s next
If all goes as planned, we should see soon what the A&R Group intends to do with the former headquarters building and what kind of hotel they will build at the spot. They have assembled several local planners and architects to assist them, including:
Are you excited to see a potential boutique hotel across from Linn Park? Tell us what you think of this new exciting project on Instagram by tagging us @bhamnow!
