9/11 nonprofit spends $11M on Colonnade hotel 

A hotel located on Colonnade Parkway has been purchased by the Tunnel to Towers Foundation to be transformed into veterans’ housing, according to the Birmingham Business Journal (BBJ). 

The Tunnel to Towers Foundation is a nonprofit founded in memory of a New York Fire Department firefighter, Stephen Siller, who died during the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. The organization aids families impacted by 9/11, first responders and veterans. 

On Sept. 9, just before the 24th anniversary of the attacks, Tunnel to Towers purchased the land of the Spark by Hilton Birmingham Colonnade for $11 million, the BBJ reported Sunday.

Although no public announcement has been made by the nonprofit, Tunnel to Towers’ website says they are “ currently under contract for a property in Jefferson County” at which they will convert the former hotel into “permanent housing and supportive services to approximately 110 veterans.”

The space will be one of Tunnel to Towers’ several “Veterans Villages,” which are designed to “embody [their] steadfast dedication to our mission of ending veteran homelessness, offering a glimpse into the organization’s future-focused initiatives that promise to uplift, empower and inspire,” their website says. 

Other Veterans Villages can (or will) be found in:

• Houston
• Atlanta
• Bradenton, Florida
• Memphis, Tennessee
• Bayville, New Jersey
• Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
• Las Vegas
• Denver
• Buffalo, New York
• Detroit
• North Charleston, South Carolina
• Long Island, New York
• Charlotte, North Carolina
• Mayagüez, Puerto Rico

There are many other cities listed with plans to create the villages.

The hotel, which has 122 rooms and four stories, sits on 65,839 square feet on 1.67 acres, the BBJ reported. It was listed for sale in January by Jack Davis and Eddie Greenhalgh of Marcus & Millichap’s DDM Hotels group.

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