Slossfield Community Center building behind a chain-link construction fence with a Pylon Building Group banner — The Slossfield Community Center is getting a much-needed facelift. (Nathan Watson / Bham Now)

This week, The Salvation Army Birmingham and Christ Health broke ground on an exciting redevelopment of a historic community and medical center in North Birmingham. Dubbed the Christ Health Center–Salvation Army Slossfield Annex, the new facility will be dedicated to bringing high-quality and affordable medical care to the North Birmingham community.

What is Slossfield?

Two masked nurses in a hospital nursery tending to newborns in cribs, with one weighing an infant on a scale — The care of the newborn babies in this nursery at the Slossfield Health Center is supervised by the consultant in pediatrics. “History of Medicine a029850” by Children’s Bureau Centennial is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Constructed in the late 1930s by the American Cast Iron Pipe Company (ACIPCO), the Slossfield Community Center was a 20-acre Art Deco complex consisting of a maternity ward, rec center, education building and health clinic that provided healthcare to underserved citizens in the North Birmingham community.

In addition to providing much-needed healthcare treatment to those in need, the Slossfield Community Center’s clinic trained graduate medical students and provided health education to the community. Despite its impact, the clinic was closed following World War II; the rest of the Slossfield Community Center followed suit and closed in the 1970s.

Abandoned concrete building with boarded-up windows and a wooden door, showing signs of deterioration and neglect — Slossfield in 2022. (Callie Puryear / Bham Now)

In 2018, The Salvation Army purchased the abandoned and decaying Slossfield property with the goal of restoring its role as a community outreach center. Four years later, Bham Now tagged along for an exclusive peek inside the historic property—see photos here.

The Salvation Army + Christ Health Church team up to redevelop Slossfield

On Wednesday, August 5, The Salvation Army invited local officials and Divisional Headquarters leadership for a groundbreaking ceremony at the historic site. Dubbed the Christ Health Center–Salvation Army Slossfield Annex, the project is a collaborative effort between The Salvation Army Birmingham and Christ Health that aims to provide basic medical care to residents in the ACIPCO-Finley neighborhood, with more community services added in the future as needs arise.

Local contractor Pylon Building Group is leading construction on the project, which is scheduled to be completed in February 2027.

Excited to see the Slossfield Community Center redevelopment kick off? Tag us @bhamnow to let us know!

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