Powell / KultureCity — A new KultureCity sign on the pavement in front of the Powell Avenue Steam Plant. (Nathan Watson / Bham Now)

Work is beginning on the KultureCity National Accessibility Park, a multi-million dollar redevelopment of the historic Powell Avenue Steam Plant. The project is led by KultureCity, a local nonprofit dedicated to sensory accessibility and inclusion for individuals with sensory needs or invisible disabilities, such as autism, PTSD and dementia.

Work begins on KultureCity National Accessibility Park

Crews have begun site prep work for the new KultureCity National Accessibility Park in downtown Birmingham. As of Tuesday, February 10, workers were working on repaving the south-facing parking lot on the Powell Avenue Steam Plant property.

First reported by Bham Now in April 2025, the KultureCity National Accessibility Park is a redevelopment of the historic Powell Avenue Steam Plant at 1800 Powell Ave S in downtown Birmingham. Built in 1895, the 80,105 square-foot Powell Avenue Steam Plant is a former coal-burning steam plant that provided power to businesses and downtown streetcars in Birmingham in the 20th century.

Powell Avenue Steam Plant. (Nathan Watson / Bham Now) — The interior of the Powell Avenue Steam Plant in 2022. (Nathan Watson / Bham Now)

Since the steam plant’s closure in the late aughts, several redevelopments have been proposed for the historic building. In 2015, the Birmingham Design Review Committee approved plans for an urban plaza that never materialized; in 2022, Orchestra Partners announced plans for Texas-based Alamo Drafthouse Cinema to anchor a redevelopment of the building—however, the project ran into roadblocks along the way—and Alabama Power confirmed the cancellation of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema Birmingham location in early 2024.

In early 2025, Alabama Power listed the Powell Avenue Steam Plant on the market for $10 million; KultureCity completed the purchase of the building for $11 million on July 8, 2025. Len Shannon, SIOR, CCIM and Derek Waltchack of Shannon Waltchack represented Alabama Power in the sale.

Here’s what KultureCity has planned for the Powell Avenue Steam Plant

Drone photograph of the Powell Avenue Steam Plant property. (Provided by Shannon Waltchack)

Founded more than a decade ago in Jefferson County as a local effort to support individuals with autism and sensory needs, KultureCity has since grown into an international movement active in 40 countries in five continents. With support from private donors, the city of Birmingham, Jefferson County and the state of Alabama, the KultureCity National Accessibility Park will be the world’s first fully integrated accessibility campus, complete with:

A technical college and workforce training center
Real-world job training through retail and culinary spaces
A museum and navigation center focused on accessibility and inclusion
An inclusive outdoor amphitheater and public gathering space

Once completed, the project is projected to attract approximately 250,000 visitors annually, generate $45 million in total annual economic activity, and produce an estimated $900,000 in annual Jefferson County tax revenue.

Below are photos of the site on Tuesday, February 10.