Life in the Villages by Starnes Media

LIFE in the VILLAGES

FALL 2017

C E L E B R AT I N G 7 5 Y E A R S O F T H E C I T Y O F M O U N TA I N B R O O K

WHATâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S IN STORE FOR THE CITY? CONTINUAL REFRESHENING, 64

Staying local CULTURE OF LOYALTY TO NEIGHBORHOOD SHOPS LURES NEW BUSINESSES TO COMMUNITY, 30

75 Years of Mountain Brook

Fall 2017

Contents starnespublishing.com Publisher: Managing Editor: Design Editor: Community Editor: Sports Editor: Assistant Sports Editor: Director of Photography: Digital Editor: Page Designer: Community Reporters:

Dan Starnes Sydney Cromwell Kristin Williams Erica Techo Kyle Parmley Sam Chandler Sarah Finnegan Alyx Chandler Melanie Viering Jon Anderson Jesse Chambers Lexi Coon Emily Featherston Contributing Writers: Sarah Cook Rachel Burchfield Catherine Pittman Smith Grace Thornton

Advertising Manager: Matthew Allen Account Manager: Layton Dudley Sales and Distribution: Warren Caldwell Eric Clements Vicky Hager Don Harris Michelle Salem Haynes James Plunkett Rhonda Smith Ellen Skrmetti Graphic Design: Emily VanderMey Advertising inquiries: [email protected] Published by: Starnes Publishing LLC Contact Information: Starnes Publishing PO Box 530341

Birmingham, AL 35253 (205) 313-1780 dan@ starnespublishing.com

Legals: Reproduction or use of editorial or graphic content in this annual publication without prior permission is prohibited. Information in this publication is gathered from sources considered reliable, but the accuracy cannot be guaranteed. All articles/photos submitted become the property of Starnes Publishing. We reserve the right to edit articles/photos as deemed necessary and are under no obligation to publish or return photos submitted. Inaccuracies or errors should be brought to the attention of the publisher at (205) 313-1780 or by email.

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City History The city of Mountain Brook’s history started decades before its incorporation. From Native Americans to early settlers to the vision of Robert Jemison, read more about what makes Mountain Brook, Mountain Brook.

Annual Events There is always something going on in town. Anyone looking to make note of recurring events should look no further than our calendar.

Business As a mostly residential community, Mountain Brook remains loyal to its businesses, whether they are locally-owned chains or familyowned businesses older than the city itself.

Timeline Mountain Brook has accomplished a lot in the last 75 years. Read more on the key dates in this city’s history.

Community This city is known for its tight-knit community and desire to give back, and most of that comes down to the people of Mountain Brook.

Cover photo by Sarah Finnegan.

School House Mountain Brook City Schools system is consistently rated the top in the state and the nation. Read more on what sets MBCS apart, and how some younger Spartans feel about their city.

Sports From the Unicorns to the Bruins to the Spartans, there have been several mascots representing Mountain Brook sports. But all of them have embodied the championship spirit that helps teams succeed.

Map

The city of Mountain Brook spans nearly 13 square miles and has a variety of landmarks. Check out our map to see some of the city’s more notable landmarks.

Directory Look no further for all the need-to-know phone numbers and addresses for everything Mountain Brook.

Looking Ahead What do the next 75 years hold for Mountain Brook? See what city officials have to say for the future of business, development and community.

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Editor’s Note No matter what article I am writing in the city of Mountain Brook, from new business profiles to stories about residents and their projects to city council meetings, a consistent theme emerges: community. A feeling of pride runs through Mountain Brook, and that feeling emerges in a tightknit, well-cared-for community. Whether it is the mayor and city council serving without pay or individuals getting involved with philanthropic organizations, the people of Mountain Brook always look to give back to the community. That’s the spirit that helped propel this magazine forward.

last 75 years. Inside, you will find features on some of the city’s crown jewels — its schools, civic organizations, businesses, sports teams and more — and how a community helped build them. Congratulations to Mountain Brook on this diamond anniversary, from all of us at Village Living. We looked to capture that community spirit — how it factored into the city’s beginnings and how it factors into everything from the schools to the sidewalks. People are proud to live in Mountain Brook, and they are proud of what has emerged over the

Erica Techo Community Editor

Community Sponsors Abenoja Orthodontics (11) Alabama Power (27) Allsouth Appliance Group, Inc. (19) Amy Maziarz, Red Hills Realty (37) ARC Realty (18) Baldone Family Dentistry - Restorative & Cosmetic (9) Birmingham Botanical Gardens (19) Brandino Brass (16) rasfiel a orrie Bromberg & Company, Inc. (68) Brookwood Baptist Church (8) Buffy Allen, Ray & Poynor Properties (7) Cadence Bank (3) Canterbury UMC (28) Cardiovascular Associates of the Southeast (44) aroli e elle ealty o th Children’s of Alabama (14) Christine’s on Canterbury (60) ity of o tai roo CK Estate Sales (33) lar ol es

Coca Cola Bottling Company United (14) Crestline Pharmacy (24) Davenport’s Pizza Palace (9) Dish’n It Out (60) DSLD Land Management (2) et eal i rary ro ea itche of la a a EZ Roof & EZ Restoration (41) Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood (29) Granger Thagard Associates (24) Guin Service (43) Henhouse Antiques (11) Hufham Orthodontics (17) Hugh Morrow, Re/MAX Preferred (29) Jack Williams Campaign (21) Jan Camp, RealtySouth - Mountain Brook Cahaba Road (67) o Kevin J. Alexander D.M.D., P.C. (41) a a restli e a s ars t a itle o a y of la a a Marguerite’s Conceits (21)

Mountain Brook Baptist Church (20) s al o ialer oofi ai ti o tractor tey s aver Phoenix Builders Group (32) Ray & Poynor (49) Red Diamond (61) Regions Bank (44) itch s har acy Robert Russom, RealtySouth (39) Southern States Bank (13) t eter s lica h rch tifel vest e ts Summit Renovation (23) aco a a The Altamont School (13) The Cook Store (20) he it ess e ter he i erie ho e Total Skin and Beauty Dermatology (66) Treadwell Barbershop (8) United Car Care Center (37) leiss er of reater ir i ha

75 Years of Mountain Brook

Fall 2017

City History Aerial view of Mountain Brook Village from 1952. Photo courtesy of the city of Mountain Brook.

The Story of Mountain Brook

By CATHERINE PITTMAN SMITH

ong before Mountain Brook became a suburb of Birmingham, the area was the hunting grounds for the Creek, Choctaw, Cherokee and Chickasaw tribes. In 1821, James Rowan was the first man to purchase property in the southeast part of Jefferson County called Shades Valley. Daniel Watkins, another early pioneer, first settled in Rosedale and Hollywood and eventually bought a large tract of land, which became known as Waddell in current-day Mountain Brook Village. Other early settlers, including the Byars, Hickman and Pullen families, purchased land in the present-day Birmingham Zoo, Botanical Gardens and Crestline Heights areas. After the Civil War and the birth of Birmingham in 1871, settlers largely migrated from Georgia, Tennessee and the Carolinas; some early pioneers included the Bearden, Franke, Goode and Holcombe families. By the turn of the century, small farms, dairies and grocery stores existed in the burgeoning area. In the early 1900s, Robert Jemison Jr. and Birmingham Mayor Mel Drennen began planning a community in Blount Springs, in which existing homes on a mountainside beside a stream was to be called “Mountain Brook.” When Drennen

died, however, so did their dream. An established real estate developer, Jemison was in search of an area where residents could enjoy the country atmosphere in close proximity to Birmingham. In 1926, Jemison, with William F. Franke, A.B. Tanner and Charles B. Webb, incorporated Mountain Brook Estates with capital stock fixed at $250,000. Jemison envisioned an upscale, residential estate community with handsome homes and amenities, paved streets, sidewalks, sanitary sewers and gas lighting. To help him translate this vision into a reality, Jemison hired landscape architect and city planner Warren H. Manning and Birmingham landscape architect William H. Kessler to design Mountain Brook Estates. The architects’ plans called for estate-sized lots along scenic roads and denser commercial development centering on three contiguous villages within walking distance. The community had recreational centers, including a riding academy, golf courses, business centers and schools. With the economic crash in 1929, the Great Depression and World War II that followed, Mountain Brook was severely affected, with many families losing everything. After Mountain Brook was incorporated in the spring of 1942, Charles F. Zukoski was elected the city’s first mayor and established the first city-manager form of government in the state. His leadership resulted in effective city

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75 Years of Mountain Brook

The exterior of Mountain Brook City Hall, located at 56 Church St. in the Crestline neighborhood. Photo by Lexi Coon.

p l anning, z oning boards and municip al dev el opment, with city services of police and fire p rotection and sewage disp osal . A fter W W II ended, Mountain Brook exp erienced a resurgence of growth and exp ansion. W ithin 15 y ears of incorp oration, Mountain Brook nearl y trip l ed in siz e. W ith extensiv e residential and commercial growth, the establ ished z oning board p rov ided restrictions to p rotect and p reserv e the natural beauty that Jemison’ s original p l an honored. T he city annexed the A bingdon and S hook H il l neighborhoods in 19 6 1, and dev el op ment began in Cherokee Bend in 1964 the same year citiz ens op p osed annexation with Birmingham in order to maintain their own school sy stem that was establ ished in 19 5 9 . In 19 6 5 , the city wel comed the addition of the E mmet O ’ N eal L ibrary . S ince the original v ision of Jemison in 19 26 , Mountain Brook has ev ol v ed into a mature “ smal l city ” with a p op ul ation j ust ov er 20 ,0 0 0 . W ith rol l ing hil l s and wooded neighborhoods, Mountain Brook has been cal l ed a forested cathedral that still re ects the plan of Jemison, Manning and K essl er. Having four distinct neighborhoods Crestl ine, Mountain Brook, Cherokee Bend and Brookwood Forest the city is situated on 12 sq uare mil es. L isted as one of the weal thiest cities in the U nited S tates, Mountain Brook is a uniq ue, hosp itabl e and p hil anthrop ic S outhern community . Jemison’ s courageous v ision, serv ant l eadership and time-honored p rincip l es were v ital in the success of buil ding Mountain Brook as a secl uded suburb of Birmingham. T oday , it is an indep endent city with a l egacy where the roots are steep ed in honor, faith and tradition.

Robert Jemison Jr., the visionary who developed Mountain Brook Estates, also helped shape the landscape of residential life in the Southeast as we know it today. He founded Jemison Real Estate & Insurance Company in 1903, which was considered the premier real estate firm in the Southeast and one of the finest in the nation. Jemison’s portfolio included developments in Fairfield, Ensley Highlands, Central Park and Redmont Park, with Mountain Brook Estates as his crowning achievement. Named “Our Most Founding Father” in 1959, Robert Jemison was involved in many civic organizations throughout his life, including first president of the Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, first chairman of the American Red Cross, and Community Chest/United Fund chairman. A devoted husband and father, he loved, worshiped and led by example. His nephew, Elbert Jemison Jr. said, “he focused on serving his fellow man, on helping make the world a better place for all to live. He personified confidence, inspiration and leadership. He was always the perfect gentleman. He was caring, respectful and polite to everyone in all walks of life.” Jemison’s lifelong creed, borrowed from orator Daniel Webster’s 1825 speech at Bunker Hill, was: “Let us develop the resources of our land, call forth its powers, build up its institutions and promote all its great interests and see whether we, in our day and generation, may not perform something worthy to be remembered.” Jemison did just that.

75 Years of Mountain Brook

Fall 2017

A History of Leadership A LOOK BACK AT THE MAYORS WHO SHAPED THE CITY

By RACHEL BU RCHF IEL D

n the 7 5 y ears since its incorp oration, 12 may ors hav e l ed Mountain Brook. T hese may ors serv e as the sp okesp erson and p ol icy head for the city , said City Manager S am G aston, but the rol e is al so a ceremonial one, as the may or is often seen at grand op enings and ribbon cuttings. “ It is a v ery v isibl e rol e,” G aston said. “ E ach mayor has put their own stamp on the office.” L ike his p redecessors, current may or S tewart W el ch is not a p ol itician; he is j ust someone who sees the greatness in Mountain Brook and hop es to contribute in some way , W el ch said. “ F riends ask me ‘ W hy in the worl d did y ou run for may or? ’ ” W el ch said. “ T he short answer is because I was asked to run by a friend. I’ m a business owner, not a p ol itician, and I don’ t see my sel f ev er becoming one. Mountain Brook is a v ery uniq ue city and my hop e as may or is to contribute to its continuing greatness.” W el ch’ s p redecessors al l might hav e said the same. H ere is a l ook back at the 12 esteemed men — and woman — who hel p ed usher Mountain Brook into its diamond anniv ersary .

CHARLES F. ZUKOSKI JR. 1942-1955 A fter Mountain Brook v oted 26 3 -6 7 in fav or of incorp oration on March 24 , 19 4 2, it was time to choose its first leader. Charles F. Zukoski Jr. ran against W il l F . F ranke, whose famil y roots ran deep er in Mountain Brook than Zukoski’s and for the 14 candidates for al derman combined. evertheless, Zukoski, a popular young banker, p rev ail ed and became Mountain Brook’ s first mayor. Zukoski had served on the committee that hel p ed get Mountain Brook incorp orated, a p otential factor in his el ectoral v ictory . H e defeated F ranke with a 4 7 2-15 9 sweep . nder Zukoski’s 1 -year leadership, Mountain Brook established its police, fire and street and sanitation dep artments; outl ined subdiv isions; and made z oning regul ations, according

to H el en P itman S nel l ’ s book “ Crestl ine: A Timeless eighborhood.” Zukoski’s priorities incl uded creating a city manager form of gov ernment. Imp rov ing the school s was al so critical to Zukoski Crestline School underwent drastic imp rov ements, and teachers receiv ed a sal ary increase. From Mountain Brook’s beginnings, Zukoski insisted that all elected officials serve as volunteers. T his p ractice continues today , with al l elected officials serving without compensation v ol untaril y .

DAVID W. HAMILTON 1955-1959 D av id W . H amil ton, original l y from T uscumbia, was in the insurance business and was a member of the City Council for four y ears before he was el ected may or in 19 5 5 . ike Zukoski before him, Hamilton had a deep interest in the school sy stem, and under his administration the City Council began work to hav e a sep arate school sy stem in Mountain Brook. D uring H amil ton’ s tenure, Mountain Brook’ s p op ul ation rose to about 5 ,0 0 0 residents; when Hamilton entered office in 1955 he had a vote on the City Council , but as the p op ul ation increased, he was no l onger p ermitted to v ote but did stil l hav e v eto p ower. H amil ton resigned a few months before his term ended, citing heal th p robl ems.

SAMUEL BURR 1959-1961 S amuel Burr, whose name is now memorial ized in the law firm of Burr & F orman, comp l eted H amil ton’ s work establ ishing a school system separate from Jefferson County. Burr had to face the contested issue of a merger of Mountain Brook into Birmingham. T he merger was defeated, and Mountain Brook

and Birmingham stay ed sep arate.

R.M. GOODALL JR. 1961-1964 R.M. Goodall Jr. inherited a smooth term in office Snell wrote that “ there were no big p robl ems, and al l were sol v ed before they became serious.” D av id T hurl ow, a member of the City Council during Goodall’s time in office, called Goodall’s leadership “ good gov ernment.”

W.M. GIVEN JR. 1964-1968, 1984-1992 W.M. Given Jr. is the only officeholder in Mountain Brook’ s history to hol d two sep arate terms. In 1964, city officials approached Given and encouraged him to run for may or; “ they had noted with interest his sp earheading the mov ement to p rev ent annexation to the city of Birmingham,” S nel l wrote. T his el ection was “ p robabl y the onl y sensational hap p ening since Mountain Brook became incorp orated,” she continued. T he heated debate ov er annexation continued until the fal l of 19 6 4 , when the citiz ens of Mountain Brook v oted against it. Sixteen years after his first term, Given was back, serv ing a second term from 19 84 -9 2.

ALLEN D. RUSHTON 1968-1972 A l l en D . Rushton was a y oung l awy er when he ascended to the mayor’s office in 19 6 8. H e is stil l al iv e today and remains a resident of Mountain Brook. “ I worked hard and did the best I coul d for the

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75 Years of Mountain Brook

If I ever asked the citizens to do something, they did it, mostly on their own. They served on boards for free and gave a lot of their time. The citizens give so much to the city, and [being mayor] opened my eyes to that.

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FORMER MAYOR ALLEN D. RUSHTON

city ,” he said. “ I got more out of it than the city did. I l earned a l ot about the citiz ens of Mountain Brook during my term — I didn’ t real iz e how much the citiz ens did. O ne thing I l earned: If I ev er asked the citiz ens to do something, they did it, mostl y on their own. T hey serv ed on boards for free and gav e a l ot of their time. T he citiz ens giv e so much to the city , and [ being may or] op ened my ey es to that.” Rushton was the first Mountain Brook mayor to be el ected p resident of the Jefferson County May or’ s A ssociation, which he cal l ed a good p ol itical mov e. H e worked 6 0 -hour weeks as both may or and a federal taxation and general corp orate l aw attorney — he onl y took off work for church on S unday . “ T hat’ s why I didn’ t run for a second term. I had two y oung chil dren, and I had forgotten what their names were,” he said, l aughing. “ I wanted to p articip ate in their growing up .” L ater in l ife, Rushton serv ed as chairman of the Board of Z oning A dj ustment.

LEE McGRIFF 1972-1980 L ike H amil ton before him, L ee McG riff’ s career was in the insurance business. A nd, l ike G oodal l before him, S nel l wrote “ there were few p robl ems as the administration kep t ev ery thing in hand and took care of situations before they became p robl ems.” McG riff had a deep interest in public safety citizens could often find him

See MAYORS | page 12

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CONTINUED from page 11 riding around with police officers on patrol.

T.A. GASKIN JR. 1980-1984 N icknamed “ Country,” T.A. Gaskin Jr. said the most important occurrence during his administration was the closing of the garbage dump. At that time, in 198 , Mountain Brook made a contract with B.F.I. to dispose of the garbage in the city. Gaskin’s administration also added on to the police station, as well as children’s and reference rooms at the Emmet O’ eal ibrary, and developed a number of new offices out of one large room in City Hall. And as a sign of the times, the first computer was bought for the city of Mountain Brook during Gaskin’s time in office.

WILLIAM E. MATTHEWS IV 1992-1996 William E. Matthews IV was a former Southern atural Gas division manager at Sonat and entered his administration with an ambitious agenda that included hiring Sam Gaston as city manager, creating a five-year financial plan for the city, continuing the v il l age renov ation p roj ect, hiring Robert “Zeke” Ezekiel as fire chief, establishing the village trail sidewalk system and expanding the budget for the library. The citywide ambulance service was established, and all firemen became trained as EMS providers. Partnerships were established with citizen groups to create a citywide operating plan for Mountain Brook’s recreational facilities and a shared fields initiative between the athletic groups, schools and city. During Matthews’ term, Steve Boone was hired as the city’s finance director Boone is still serving after 21 years and, according to Gaston, is the main reason why the city is in good financial shape despite a small commercial tax base. “Mayor Bill Matthews was an accomplished businessman whose leadership skills and insight made a lasting impact on the city of Mountain Brook,” said Margaret Porter, who served on the City Council while Matthews was mayor. “Gentle, strong and courageous, he respected

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There has been much said about my being the first a o ly fe ale ayor of o tai roo ever tho ht of yself as filli a e er role I was honored to serve o tai roo i several iffere t ca acities a for that ill al ays e ratef l

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MAYOR MARGARET PORTER

tradition but also looked for ways to advance the community in new ways. He created a culture of community service and never failed to express his appreciation to employees for their efforts on behalf of the city. He never sought attention to himself. He uietly just got the job done and did it well.”

MARGARET PORTER 1996 Margaret Porter had served for eight years on Mountain Brook’s Park and Recreation Board and 12 years on the City Council. Then, Matthews orchestrated a surprise transition. “ nbeknownst to me, at a Monday night council meeting he resigned without telling anyone other than Bob Doody and the city attorney, Frank Galloway, that he wished to resign prior to the end of his term so that I would become mayor,” Porter said. “I had already announced that I was not going to run for office again due to my responsibilities in the establishment of McWane Science Center. Bill wanted to honor my contribution to the city. As president of the City Council, by law, I automatically became mayor if a vacancy occurred. Mayor Matthews was a thoughtful, kind leader whose friendship I will always treasure. “There has been much said about my being the first and only female mayor of Mountain Brook. I never thought of myself as filling a gender role. I only wanted to be a servant leader who well represented our citizens and enhanced

the uality of life in a place we call home. I was honored to serve Mountain Brook in several different capacities, and for that I will always be grateful.” Porter served out the remainder of Matthews’ term, for a total of three months.

LAWRENCE TERRY ODEN 1996-2016 Terry Oden holds a special place in history as Mountain Brook’s longest serving mayor. Oden served in the military for four years, was a retired Secret Service agent and was director of corporate security at AmSouth Bank. During his tenure as a Secret Service agent, Oden protected Jackie Kennedy and her children after JFK’s assassination; he was also assigned to protect one of BJ’s daughters and even went on her honeymoon with her. He also protected Ronald Reagan during his 1980 bid for the presidency. A native to Birmingham, Oden’s father was a fireman with the Birmingham Fire Department. aturally, safety and improving the uality of life were Oden’s main priorities. During Oden’s 20-year administration, the city built a new municipal complex, parks and recreation building and public works building. The city also purchased and developed Cahaba River Walk Park and continued expansion of sidewalks in the city. nder Oden, the city added Cahaba Village, Overton Village, The Shoppes at River Run, and the redevelopment of ane Parke, which expanded the city’s commercial tax base.

STEWART WELCH 2016-PRESENT Mountain Brook’s 12th and current mayor is financial planner S tewart W el ch, a nativ e of Mountain Brook. His two main objectives in office are to enhance communications between the city and its residents and to do whatever he can to help Mountain Brook’s businesses thrive, he said. Mountain Brook is building a new website, one that Welch hopes “is so user friendly that folks will use it as their go-to source for information and connecting to anything city-oriented,” he said. Also this year, his administration will launch the Circle of 100. “I’m looking for 100 raging fans of Mountain Brook who will be willing to be both active in

75 Years of Mountain Brook

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community activ ities and inv ite their friends and famil y to j oin them,” he said. “ O nce a week, I’ l l send the Circl e of 10 0 a brief email outl ining this week’ s ev ents as wel l as future ev ents. T hey , in turn, wil l communicate to at l east 20 famil y and friends ( v ia email , T witter, Instagram, text) what is going on so they are aware and can choose which activ ities to attend. W e hav e so many fun ev ents that p eop l e miss simp l y because they didn’ t know about them. If we had 10 0 p eop l e each reaching out to 10 0 friends, we can create a huge imp act and ev ery one has a bl ast. T he j oy of l ife is in our rel ationship s.” A n entrep reneur and business owner, W el ch has a sp ecial affection for Mountain Brook’ s business owners, he said. “ T hey are the l ifebl ood of our city and most p eop l e don’ t understand j ust how hard it is to start and buil d a successful business,” W el ch said. “As a financial advisor, I’ve worked with hundreds of business owners. I hop e to use my exp erience to hel p our business owners thriv e. Much of that success dep ends on continual l y communicating the imp ortance of our residents shop p ing l ocal .” W el ch said he p l ans to l aunch initiativ es that wil l sup p ort l ocal businesses, incl uding the “ Mountain Brook Restaurant T rail Chal l enge” in 20 18. D uring that “ chal l enge,” W el ch said he p l ans to eat at al l of Mountain Brook’ s restaurants, keep ing ev ery one up dated through his may oral F acebook p age. W el ch said he is a l eader who deep l y v al ues residents’ feedback. “ A s a city , our success dep ends on community inv ol v ement, so I wel come any one to share their ideas and, if y ou’ re a raging fan of Mountain Brook, j oin the Circl e of 10 0 ,” W el ch said. “ T ogether, we can make a great city ev en greater.”

As a city, our success depends on community involvement, so I welcome anyone to share their ideas and, if you’re a raging fan of Mountain Brook, join the Circle of 100. Together we can make a great city even greater.

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MAYOR STEWART WELCH

Photos courtesy of the city of Mountain Brook.

75 Years of Mountain Brook

Fall 2017

Turning the Page

By L EX I CO O N

hen the E mmet O’ eal ibrary first op ened in 19 6 5 , it was a Georgian brick structure, similar to the former City Hall, sitting in Crestline Village. It was relatively small with approximately 8,000 books in its collection but the community still ocked to it. “It was popular, I know that, because that’s why they started adding to it so fast,” said Deborah Crouch with EO . Before the library was to be redone in the early 2000s, former library director Pat Moore oversaw expansions to the library as well as the addition of the second oor to the back of the building, said ancy Sexton, head of the technical services department at EO . Moore later hired Sue DeBrecht, who rose to become director of EO for 2 years and headed the fundraising campaign to make the library what it is today. “I have to say, Pat Moore did a great job getting this library started,” DeBrecht

EMMET O’NEAL LIBRARY OVER THE YEARS

previously told Village iving. “But I also realized the community deserved more in a library than what we could currently offer in that space.” First, DeBrecht raised the salaries of her employees; in her eyes, the library wouldn’t bring in ualified individuals if a decent wage wasn’t available. ext, DeBrecht, along with help from the city and community donations, increased the book budget from $25,000 to more than $200,000. Then she looked at the library itself. The original building was riddled with problems several elements were not up to code, the HVAC unit was old, the walls contained asbestos and the second oor only had two electrical outlets. “We just decided to take the building down to the ground and rebuild,” she said. At first, she and other officials considered moving the library to a different village, but decided to remain in Crestline due to its centralized location. They even kept the building facing the clock tower as a landmark to help drivers and pedestrians find the library before the advent of GPS. In January 1998, the plans were approved by the City Council and DeBrecht along with community members and the Mountain Brook

ibrary Foundation began the fundraiser by January 1999. Of the $8 million EO needed, the city contributed about $1.6 million and the rest was brought in through community donations. After approving the new library oor plans with Brasfield Gorrie, the entirety of EO moved into the current ane Bryant space in Brookwood Village in ovember 1999. “I took over the broom closet as my office ,” DeBrecht said. And when the fundraising efforts were within $1 million of their goal, contractors broke ground on the new library in February 2000. A little over a year later, on April 8, 2001, EO reopened its doors. “We came in under budget, on target, with a uality building,” said DeBrecht. “People will say you never get all three.” With the help of Joe Ellis of Ellis Architecture, the library was made to match the aesthetics of the villages and other facilities. “It’s just been booming ever since It’s been so rewarding for me to see people use this library the way I envisioned them using it,” she said before her retirement in 2017. “We really try to be in touch with our community. We really try to listen to what people want, and I think it’s really worked.”

75 Years of Mountain Brook

Fall 2017

Connecting Our Community

By EMIL Y F EATHERSTO N hroughout Mountain Brook, the trail s and sidewal ks of the city connect each p art of the community l ike the v eins and arteries of a l iv ing organism. A nd to many , that connectiv ity has al l owed Mountain Brook to thriv e from its earl iest p l anning stages, and wil l continue to bring neighbors together. “ It’ s real l y enhanced the q ual ity of l ife here,” said City Manager S am G aston. Mountain Brook has around 4 5 mil es of wal king p aths, incl uding p oured sidewal ks and about two mil es of natural trail s. Sidewalks in Jemison Park were first installed in the 19 80 s, giv ing access to historic l andmarks of the ol d bridl e p aths and stabl es. Connection to Jemison P ark became so p op ul ar, P resident of F riends of Jemison P ark S im Johnson said, the city decided to exp and the p rogram. “ Mountain Brook has al way s been a tight community ,” Johnson said, “ and I think with

the sidewal ks y ou then hav e ev en greater connectiv ity , where the neighbors are abl e to reach each other.”

MOVING FORWARD

A s p art of a connectiv ity master p l an, the city has added new sidewal k routes through federal grants, p ubl ic-p riv ate p artnership s and city -funded measures. Recent p ushes hav e worked to connect Jemison P ark with the S hades Creek G reenway and Col onial Brookwood Village and to fill in connections between the city ’ s v il l ages. “ Most p eop l e woul d agree the sidewal k p roj ect has increased what we cal l the ‘ sp irit of community ’ here,” G aston said. Residents hav e the abil ity to wal k within their own neighborhood, City Council P resident V irginia S mith said, and to connect with Mountain Brook at l arge. T oday , residents and v isitors can wal k the five-mile loop between English Village, Crestline V il l age and Mountain Brook V il l age, or wal k loops through many neighborhoods for fitness, or simp l y to see their neighbors.

Jemison Park Trail is one of the many walking/ jogging paths that Mountain Brook has to offer. Photo by Sarah Finnegan.

S mith and G aston agreed that the p urp oseful connectiv ity has al way s brought together an already tightly-knit community, and defines the city . A nd as the city p ushes into its next q uarter-century , both said it wil l stil l be a maj or focus of the city ’ s efforts.

75 Years of Mountain Brook

Fall 2017

Annual Events

Spring < VILLAGE 2 VILLAGE RUN The Village 2 Village Run is one of Mountain Brook’s largest runs of the year. Runners wind through the city, beginning and ending in Lane Parke. The event is more than a decade old and usually held in March.

Village 2 Village Run. Photos by staff.

SPRING PLANT SALE > The Birmingham Botanical Gardens hosts its Spring Plant Sale at Brookwood Village. Visitors can purchase a wide variety of plants grown by the gardens or provided by outside vendors. The fundraiser occurs twice a year, once in the spring and another in the fall at the gardens. Spring Plant Sale

Summer < OTEY’S FEST Otey’s Fest began as one big party to celebrate the restaurant’s 20th anniversary and has continued the same way since. The event features live music, Rodney’s famous cheeseburgers and kids’ activities, bringing together families from the surrounding area, all hile benefiting local nonprofit organi ations. Otey’s Fest Crestline Tent Sale

Boiling and Bragging

75 Years of Mountain Brook

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Autumn < PATRIOT DAY

Patriot Day

In conjunction with the cities of Homewood and Vestavia, emergency responders, members of the armed forces and veterans come together to honor those fallen on Sept. 11, 2001. The memorial service location rotates between the three cities.

MYSTICS OF < MOUNTAIN BROOK A Mardi Gras style parade, residents of all ages gather for the Mystics of Mountain Brook in Crestline Village in their best costumes as participating groups and oats toss candy in celebration of Halloween. Mystics of Mountain Brook

Winter Christmas Parade

KREWE BALL > The Beaux Arts Krewe Ball can trace its origins to 1966 as an offset of the Jewel Ball, which raised money for the Birmingham Museum of Art. The Mardi Gras-themed celebration welcomes fathers or sponsors to present their daughters to society while a queen and ladies-in-waiting are chosen during the coming-of-age event. Krewe Ball

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75 Years of Mountain Brook

Fall 2017

Business

Standing the Test of Time VILLAGE BUSINESSES SERVING GENERATIONS OF CUSTOMERS

By RACHEL BU RCHF IEL D

ountain Brook has sev eral businesses that are househol d names for generations of residents. S ome of those — incl uding Mountain Brook V il l age’ s G il christ and O usl er’ s S andwiches — got their start decades before the city ’ s incorp oration. G il christ, which op ened in 19 28 off of Cahaba Road and has remained there for 89 y ears, was one of the first businesses in Mountain Brook. Its neighbor, O usl er’ s, op ened in downtown Birmingham in 19 15 . W hil e it got its start in Birmingham, O usl er’ s has al way s had many rep eat customers from Mountain Brook — something that l ed to their decision to mov e to the v il l age in 20 0 5 . “ E v en though O usl er’ s started in S outhside, Birmingham, we hav e continual l y had cl ients in Mountain Brook,” said O usl er’ s V ice P resident L eA nn W ood. “ It’ s such a great town with p eop l e who have a fierce loyalty to their little village businesses. When I say fierce, I mean it.” W ood’ s grandmother, Christine E l more, worked for the O usl er famil y fol l owing the G reat D ep ression and ev entual l y bought the store in 19 5 3 . H er famil y has owned the sandwich shop for the p ast 6 4 y ears, sp anning three generations. “ Christine al way s said, ‘ If y ou offer a great p roduct at a great p rice, y ou wil l stay in business forev er,’ ” W ood said. “ S he has been right for 10 2 y ears.” O usl er’ s started with a focus on v ending machine sandwiches and food trucks, which distributed throughout Birmingham. T hey now make sandwiches for caterers and cl ients to serv e at ev ents, and p eop l e can stop by at l unchtime to p ick up food. “ W e stil l hav e some whol esal e v endors that we work with because they or their p arents hav e been l ongtime customers,” W ood said, adding that, “ O usl er’ s has al way s been a p art of the Mountain Brook p arty and hol iday tradition. W hen I take an order, many of the l ast names I see hav e been ordering for us for four generations. T here are famil ies that order onl y during footbal l season, and there are some l ast names I exp ect to see ev ery Christmas, and when we don’ t see these

Mountain Brook Circle in the early 1990s. Photo courtesy of the city of Mountain Brook.

famil ies, we do worry about them.” W ood said without their l oy al Mountain Brook cl ientel e, they woul d go out of business. A nd that l oy al ty shows through more than return p urchases. “ O ne time a new customer made an unkind comment about our sandwich — we do things differentl y at O usl er’ s, so our new customers tend to be a little shocked at first,” Wood said. “ A l ongtime customer standing in l ine handl ed the whol e situation for me. I nev er op ened my mouth.” In addition to their sty l e of making sandwiches, W ood said it’ s the Mountain Brook customers that bring v al ue to O usl er’ s. “ W e are bl essed to be here in this beautiful city with such great customers,” W ood said. G il christ, owned today by L eon Rosato, has been in the same l ocation since its op ening in 19 28 as G il christ D rug Co. It was a p harmacy with a soda fountain back then, but about 3 0 y ears ago the p harmacy was taken out and the soda fountain took ov er. T hey added tabl es and chairs in p l ace of drugstore shel v es, Rosato said, and transitioned to be an ol d-fashioned soda fountain sandwich shop , serv ing made-to-order sandwiches, hand-dip p ed mil kshakes and freshsq ueez ed l imeades. “ G il christ has maintained doing things the ol d-fashioned way ,” Rosato said. “ W e stil l make fresh sal ads such as egg, chicken and tuna sal ad ev ery day . A l so, we make ev ery l imeade as its ordered, fresh. It’ s a p l ace to see ol d friends or

Christine with her children, Jaynie and Bill, t O s e ’s t eet s Photo courtesy of LeAnn Wood.

make new ones. F or kids, it’ s a p l ace where memories are made after school and for adul ts, where memories are brought back to l ife.” O ther than the mov e away from the p harmacy , l ittl e has changed in the 89 y ears of being in the same l ocation, Rosato said — and customers l ike it that way . “ T here is a l ot of changes going on in the v il l age, but we are al way s tol d by our customers ‘ P l ease don’ t change G il christ,’ ” he said. “ W e wil l continue to stay here by serv ing the best food by the best emp l oy ees to the best customers.” W ood agrees. “ T here is a certain q ual ity p eop l e exp ect from O usl er’ s, and we wil l hop eful l y be abl e to p rov ide this q ual ity for the next 10 2 y ears,” she said. “ G eneration number four is in training as we sp eak.”

75 Years of Mountain Brook

Fall 2017

Loyal to Local MOUNTAIN BROOK STAYS TRUE TO HOMETOWN GROCERIES

H By SARAH CO O K

istory shows Mountain Brook residents are the ty p e to stick up for a p ig, be on a first-name basis with their grocery bagger and sip well-curated wine whil e they shop . It’ s that kind of sp irit, Western Supermarkets President Darwin Metcalf said, that makes local grocery stores an integral part of the Mountain Brook community. “ T hat’ s j ust a p art of being an indep endent retail er,” said Metcal f, who was hired by the locally-owned grocery store in 1967. “ ou kind of become the glue to the community.”

LOCALLY ROOTED

Marilyn Browdy can remember slicing fresh loaves of pumpernickel and rye bread in between

checking out customers at her family’s grocery store, which her grandfather pioneered in 191 . “Our grandfather, he heard that Birmingham was the Magic City, so he came over here from Atlanta and started selling meat,” Browdy said. It was her grandfather’ s entrep reneurial sp irit, Browdy said, that made Browdy’s a household name for well over half a century. When the store closed in 2009, Browdy said a large chapter in her family’s livelihood came to a close, too. “ I was p robabl y sev en y ears ol d when I began bagging groceries,” S tanl ey Browdy , Maril y n Browdy ’ s y ounger brother, said. “ I coul d barel y touch the top of the counter.” T he Browdy s aren’ t the onl y Mountain Brook family who spent their livelihood making sure the community had the best shopping exp erience. ow located in the ane Parke development off Jemison ane in Mountain Brook, The Western has a long, storied history in the tight-knit

Birmingham suburb, Metcalf said. First opening in 1959, The Western has had three locations in “ the v il l age.” “ W e think it’ s a l ittl e different than y our average supermarket,” Metcalf said from the store’ s up stairs dining area, where shop p ers can get freshly-made sushi, a craft beer or pretty much anything else they might be craving. “It woul d hav e been easy to j ust take a cookie cutter ap p roach to the store — but it woul d hav e been al l wrong. W e wanted it to be uniq ue.” Although the grocery store has more than one location in Birmingham, Metcalf said each has its own uni ue personality to match its community. Specifically, he said, the Mountain Brook store boasts an impressive wine selection. Similar to The Western, Mountain Brook’s Piggly Wiggly fondly known as “The Pig” to most has a similar reputation for premier costumer service in the community. The public outcry that echoed throughout the community

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et est s e

e t e e ’t e e e

75 Years of Mountain Brook

e te see e e t ee y s st e t ’s ety este et es e t e y Photo courtesy of the city of Mountain Brook. t y y t e se t e e y s ’t y’s Photo courtesy of Marilyn Browdy.

was heard l oud and cl ear when the Crestl ine V il l age grocery store al most cl osed its doors for good a coup l e y ears ago. H owev er, after a few thousand l oy al customers formed the F acebook p age “ S av e the Crestl ine P ig,” the P ig l iv ed to see another day . “ It’ s more than a grocery store. It’ s a gathering p l ace,” said store manager Robert E v ans. T he new l ocation op ened near the Mountain Brook Board of E ducation on V ine S treet. W ith ap p roximatel y 18,0 0 0 sq uare feet of shop p ing sp ace and an exp anded sel ection of l ocal goods, E v ans said he bel iev es residents succeeded in sav ing their bel ov ed P ig. “ O ur high l ev el of serv ice and treating

customers l ike famil y , that’ s what keep s us in business,” said E v ans, who is a Mountain Brook nativ e.

LASTING LEGACY

W hil e most growing communities hav e giv en way to l arger chain stores, Metcal f said he’ s confident Mountain Brook will stay true to its hometown groceries. A fter a short p ause, he rattl ed off a handful of emp l oy ees who hav e been with the store for wel l ov er a decade — most seeing sev eral generations of shop p ers come through the sup ermarket’ s doors. “ I worked at the ol d store as an assistant manager when I was 22 y ears ol d,” said Metcal f,

te t t s

who is now 6 7 . “ W e’ v e seen y oung p eop l e get married, mov e into ap artments in Mountain Brook, hav e chil dren — and then we’ v e seen the chil dren hav e chil dren.” Metcal f credited p ast Mountain Brook grocery stores l ike Browdy ’ s and A & P G rocery for establ ishing l oy al shop p ers who fav or l ocal stores to big box chains. A fter working for T he W estern for 5 0 y ears, the seasoned grocer said he doesn’ t exp ect Mountain Brook residents to j ump ship any time soon. “ It’ s tough to be comp etitiv e sometimes amid the bigger stores sometimes,” he admitted. “ T heir sup p l y chain is wider — but we’ l l al way s be l ocal and we’ l l al way s be friendl y .”

75 Years of Mountain Brook

Fall 2017

Bringing the Villages Together

BY ERICA TECHO he city of Mountain Brook has al way s had a strong sense of community , but it was not until the l ate 19 9 0 s that a group decided to harness that and ap p l y it to the business community by creating its own chamber

of commerce. A t that time, a census had shown onl y 2 p ercent of l and in the city was used for business or office use. A few months later, the first steps toward the Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce were taken. “ T hey sent a fol l ow-up [ q uestionnaire] as a resul t of the census, I want to say six or eight months l ater, say ing, ‘ If any one’ s interested in hav ing a conv ersation op enl y about a chamber of commerce, meet us at city hal l ,’ ” said S cott W al ton, second p resident of the chamber. “ T wo-hundred p eop l e showed up , so it was cl earl y onto something v ery imp ortant in the community .” O f those initial 20 0 , the chamber formed its steering committee, incl uding W al ton, p resident S p erry S now and city manager S am G aston. “ I’ m married to a former chamber director, so I knew with my wife’ s p ast inv ol v ement what a chamber of commerce coul d do for a community ,” G aston said. Because the city had such a smal l commercial base — and wanted to keep it that way — it was imp ortant to make the most out of that foundation. E ncouraging sup p ort of the businesses increases that commercial tax base, al l owing the city to maintain high-q ual ity education and resources without p l acing the funding burden on residents through p rop erty taxes, G aston said. H e noted that Mountain Brook has some of the highest p rop erty taxes in the state. E arl y chamber business incl uded p roducing two p rint p ubl ications centered on highl ighting the community and its commerce and creating a brand for l ocal businesses. W hil e the O l d Mil l on Mountain Brook P arkway was the city ’ s “ brand,” they decided to focus on the v il l ages for businesses. “A brand can be a rallying ag, and I think it did that,” W al ton said. W hen S uz an D oidge came on as executiv e director of the chamber nine y ears ago, she hel p ed take some of those initial p l ans and set them to a schedul e. T hey grew the chamber board from 10 to around 3 0 p eop l e and establ ished committees. N ow, committee meetings and merchant

Mountain Brook Chamber of Commerce board members, from left: John Rucker, David Faulkner, Amy Jackson, Kaye Emack, Lori Smith, Alice Womack, John Wilson, Stephen Hydinger. Not pictured: Patti Adams, Dan Bundy, Frank Caley, Terry Chapman, Clark Dean, Will Haver, Sperry Snow and Scott Walton. Photo by Sarah Finnegan.

meetings hel p the v il l ages discuss what is imp ortant in their area, and they bring together “ co-V P s of retail ” from each v il l age to discuss ov eral l business in Mountain Brook. “ I p ersonal l y ap p reciate the fact that we hav e a sy stem in p l ace with p eop l e that are business owners and they ’ re coming together and working as a group to make things better — ev ents better, they ’ re coming up with ideas, and then they ’ l l share that information with our board,” D oidge said. T he chamber is al so a cross-section of the community , D oidge said, bringing together members from 23 to 80 y ears ol d, and inv ol v ing community l eaders, soccer moms and CE O s of maj or corp orations. L ooking forward, D oidge said the chamber wil l face a few chal l enges, incl uding the rise of onl ine shop p ing. “ I wil l say that is the number one concern, and I woul d say it is for ev ery chamber,” D oidge said. T he chamber al ready works through its e-newsl etter, social media p ages and website to p romote l ocal businesses and ev ents throughout the v il l ages, and new p rograms such as May or S tewart W el ch’ s Circl e of 10 0 wil l hel p bol ster the idea of shop p ing l ocal , D oidge said. T he Circl e of 10 0 p uts a greater emp hasis on

“

I think everybody would ... agree the chamber has become, and the city has become, a thing of beauty.

”

SCOTT WALTON

community and word of mouth, encouraging p eop l e to inv ite friends to ev ents and l ocal restaurants, which makes it more l ikel y for them to attend, D oidge said. L ooking back the nearl y 20 y ears since the chamber was establ ished shows a l ot of accomp l ishment, W al ton said, for both the city and its businesses. A nd as the chamber mov es forward, he hop es to continue to see that success. “ I think ev ery body woul d l ook back, and we agree the chamber has become, and the city has become, a thing of beauty ,” W al ton said. “ May be not because of the chamber, but we sure hel p ed it al ong, we feel l ike, and feel v ery p roud of our rol e. … It’ s great to see the roots [ y ou p l ant] grow a beautiful tree.”

75 Years of Mountain Brook

Lane Parke Shopping Center in Mountain Brook Village opened with new and familiar shops in fall 2016. Photo by Lexi Coon.

Fall 2017

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75 Years of Mountain Brook

Open Arms

MOUNTAIN BROOK’S EMBRACE OF SHOPPING LOCAL DRAWS NEW BUSINESSES By Sydney Cromwell Mountain Brook’s business community may be small, but it’s far from stagnant. Alongside icons like Bromberg’s, Western Supermarket and Smith’s Variety, new entrepreneurs are findin t ere s a pla e for t e , too, in a ity t at defines itself by shopping local. When Ryder Hollis opened True Fitness at 2830 Culver Road in early 2017, he said it was the community that made him choose Mountain Brook. “Everybody was really supportive,” Hollis said. “We just love the people that come through the doors.” About 90 percent of his clientele are Mountain Brook residents, and Hollis said the city is “full of people that care about their health.” It’s not just the clients that make Hollis happy that Mountain Brook “found” him, as he puts it. His retail neighbor u y u and e en ot er fitness studios in the area have supported him and been willing to help him out. I t in we fit in reat, ollis said “Big box” retail and even national chain See NEW BUSINESS | page 32

75 Years of Mountain Brook

Fall 2017 True Fitness, the gym that Ryder Hollis recently opened, focuses on helping people improve their quality of life through t ess exercise. Photo by Lexi Coon.

NEW BUSINESS

CONTINUED from page 31 stores are a rarity in Mountain Brook, Chamber of Commerce E xecutiv e D irector S uz an D oidge said. Most businesses are l ocal l y owned or p art of city or regional chains. S ince residents, by and l arge, are wil l ing to shop at the neighborhood grocery or cl othing store rather than a national brand, D oidge said the city is attractiv e to business owners. A nd when national brands sometimes go bankrup t, Mountain Brook’ s l ocal economy isn’ t as troubl ed as many other cities. “ Most of the p eop l e that own these businesses l iv e here. I think if y ou l ook at other communities you don’t find that,” Doidge said. “We’re not faced with some of the issues that so many areas of the country are because of these big box stores going out of business. We are very fortunate. Our small businesses are doing uite well.” Rebecca Bl ake, the general manager of the new CharBar N o. 7 in L ane P arke, said the S outh Carol ina-based franchise was l ooking for a Birmingham area l ocation when L ane P arke was under dev el op ment. T iming was p art of what made them p ick Mountain Brook to op en their restaurant in January 20 17 , but Bl ake said the city ’ s rep utation al so p l ay ed a rol e. “ Mountain Brook, of course, has a great rep utation for businesses and esp ecial l y smal l er

companies,” Blake said. Joshua Bl ackwel l of Rev el ator Coffee, another L ane P arke addition, had simil ar thoughts. “ Mountain Brook made great sense to us as we recogniz ed the thriv ing community that al ready exists and we al so see the tremendous growth that is taking place within Mountain Brook,” Bl ackwel l said. T he conv enience of onl ine shop p ing p resents p robl ems for l ocal businesses, but D oidge said Mountain Brook’ s success l ies in creating an

exp erience: from the v il l ages’ design and sidewal ks to ev ents throughout the y ear. “We provide a shopping experience and it becomes a destination,” she said. T he city is mostl y dev el op ed, and that means it can be challenging for new businesses to find a toehol d — and a storefront — in the market. “We don’t have a lot of land mass,” Doidge said. “When we talk about economic development, I almost want to laugh and say Where is the land ’”

“

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CharBar No. 7, which opened its doors in Lane Parke in early 2017, originated in North Carolina. Photo by Sarah Finnegan.

It’s led to the idea of “infill” replacing existing buildings with new developments that better suit new uses. Doidge sees ane Parke as a prime example of infill done right. The developers downsized their original plans in response to resident concern, so the final design fit Mountain Brook’s existing atmosphere. ane Parke opened in late 2016 and brought an in ux of fresh retailers to the area, including CharBar o. 7, ocal Taco, Platinum Pilates and more, as well as a new

home for the Western Supermarket. “I think it’s going to open up our community in a way it hasn’t in the past,” Doidge said. The lack of undeveloped land within Mountain Brook’s city limits means the options are limited for new businesses, but it also preserves the small-town feel that draws customers to Mountain Brook, Crestline and English villages in the first place. Department and superstores can’t crowd out or overshadow their mom-and-pop counterparts

75 Years of Mountain Brook

I know I have not run a restaurant in this tightknit of a community in my 25 years.

”

REBECCA BLAKE

simply because there isn’t enough room to build them. Doidge said Mountain Brook takes shopping local a step further with its fierce loyalty to hometown stores and the people who work there. That loyalty has kept some stores in business since the city’s incorporation, and even brought the Crestline Piggly Wiggly back to life when it closed in 201 . A cashier might not earn much notice in any other city, but in Mountain Brook residents send Christmas cards and wedding invitations to Piggly Wiggly cashier Arrelia Callins, who has been a fixture at the grocery store since the 1970s. “I cannot say enough about the people that are in this community,” Doidge said. “That’s the feel that you don’t always appreciate about Mountain Brook unless you live here,” Chamber President ori Smith said. Once a new business earns the shoppers of Mountain Brook’s loyalties, they tend to keep it. Though True Fitness has been open less than a year, Hollis said the city has been “a real hospitable place.” Blake said she’s seen the same response from the families walking through CharBar’s doors. “Our guests are very loyal to Mountain Brook businesses. I appreciate that and they tell you that,” Blake said. “I know I have not run a restaurant in this tight-knit of a community in my 25 years.” earby at Revelator, Blackwell said he’s already seen a trend uni ue to the city. “I would say in comparison to the rest of our locations in town that our Mountain Brook spot has the highest percentage of regulars or repeat customers,” Blackwell said. That hospitality will continue to entice local businesses to the city. Doidge said that’s partly because residents have taken the “shop local” message to heart and understand that where they shop in uences more than just their own home. “Sometimes it can be inconvenient that you have to go to different stores, where you just go to Walmart and get everything, but realizing the importance of keeping our tax revenue here and supporting local businesses,” Smith said. “If you don’t put your money back in the community, these great services that you enjoyed for our community would go away,” Doidge said. – Emily Featherston contributed to this article.

75 Years of Mountain Brook

Fall 2017

A Timeline of Mountain Brook 1821 James Rowan is the first man to purchase property in the Shades alley region that ould later become ountain roo .

1880s ahaba Road is built, providing access to ateror s facilities that ere along the ahaba River.

1898 he ountry lub of irmingham is founded, offering superior social and recreational services to its members and their families.

1926 eveloper Robert emison r. and e England landscape architect arren anning first discuss the idea of villages in a letter e change.

1918 arolyn Smith, one of the first female architects in Alabama, builds the first home in hat ould later become English illage.

1912 Steeple Arts in restline is built, according to its historical mar er, although it is believed to have been built earlier.

1800 1900

1939 da ae evio and her husband en purchase a store house in restline hich as soon purchased by emison for a city hall.

1927 he ld ill is rebuilt by local contractor e is Ford, after originally being constructed by ohn erryman in .

1928 he first village pharmacy, ilchrist s, opens.

1929 ountain roo ircle is completed as part of Robert emison r. s vision for the city.

1940 olunteer fire and police departments are established.

1942 ountain roo votes to be incorporated and elects its first mayor, harles F. u os i. olice and fire departments are also included as a part of city services.

1950 ity Hall is built in restline illage.

Late 1940s he city s first post office is constructed in restline illage.

75 Years of Mountain Brook

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1955 Mountain Brook Shopping enter and the first planned office comple in the country, ffice ar , open.

1959 Mountain Brook school system is created.

1961 Shoo Hill is anne ed into Mountain Brook.

1984 he ar s and Recreation board is formed by city ordinance.

1998 Mountain Brook’s Chamber of Commerce is founded under the guidance of E ecutive Director Tandy raves.

1981 Mountain Brook Art Association is formed.

1963 The Birmingham Botanical Gardens opens.

1964 illiam iven r. is elected to the mayor’s seat on a platform that opposed ountain roo s anne ation into the city of Birmingham.

1965 Emmet O’Neal Library opens in Crestline Village.

1966 Mountain Brook High School is founded.

Late 1980s uring ill iven s term as mayor, the City Council rejected the appeal to anne iberty ar into Mountain Brook’s city limits.

2017 Mountain Brook celebrates its 75th anniversary in ay.

2001 Emmet O’Neal Library opens after undergoing a major transformation, revealing a state-of-the-art library.

2016 ane ar e Shopping Center celebrates its grand opening after years in the making.

2013 The city’s municipal comple reopens in restline, creating a home for city services, the hamber of ommerce, animal control, the fire department and the police department.

2000 Historical photos courtesy of the city of Mountain Brook. Current photos by staff. Timeline by Melanie Viering.

75 Years of Mountain Brook

Fall 2017

Community

A Tale of Three Villages

By SY D NEY CRO MW

EL L

ne of the defining features of Mountain Brook is its set of three commercial “villages” that were part of Robert Jemison Jr.’s original development plan for Mountain Brook in the 1920s. His vision was for these small, centralized shopping areas to serve surrounding homes. The idea of shopping villages has inspired similar concepts in commercial areas. Even today, the villages which are all linked through a city-wide sidewalk system are at the core of events, government and the community that Mountain Brook residents have created.

MOUNTAIN BROOK VILLAGE

Work began at the intersection of Montevallo Road and Cahaba Road in the late 1920s to create Mountain Brook Village. The shopping area began as the community center for a development of country estates that had not yet been built. These estates were followed by apartments in the 1940s and more homes in the 1950s, making the area attractive to retailers. After plans for .S. 280’s relocation were announced in 1952, more retailers and offices came to take advantage of Mountain Brook Village’s proximity to

the major highway. Mountain Brook Shopping Center was completed in 1959 and intended to house a department store, but instead was home to a cafeteria, grocery store, hardware store and pharmacy to serve nearby residents’ needs. Several Mountain Brook Village staples opened around 1959, including Bromberg’s Jewelers, Western Supermarket and ittle Hardware. They were followed by Davenport’s Pizza Palace in 1964 and other retailers in the ’70s and ’80s that are still in business today. Today, Mountain Brook Village’s commercial area includes not only the traffic circle at the original intersection, but also Office Park, Chester Road, Brook Manor Drive and the ane Parke development. Its retailers are still primarily locally-owned, including eaf and Petal, Dande’lion, and many others.

ENGLISH VILLAGE

Foodies will enjoy English Village, with its selection of restaurants including Chez ulu, Bambinelli’s Italian Cafe and Billy’s Bar Grill. The village was constructed in the 1920s and 19 0s, like Mountain Brook Village, and was near an older mining camp and a railroad stop. A small historic sign on Fairway Drive also notes the site was home to northern Alabama’s first tuberculosis sanatorium, just a cluster of tents from 1910 to 1912. Those historic sites have now been replaced by the traditional English architecture for which the village gets

The Steeple Arts Center in Crestline Village, pictured here in the early 1990s, was previously home to the Mountain Brook Methodist Church during the 1940s. Photo courtesy of the city of Mountain Brook.

its name. At Cahaba Road and Fairway Drive, you can find English Village’s iconic Civitas statue, made to honor 1920s Mountain Brook resident and architect Carolyn Smith. Alongside its restaurants, English Village is home to other local favorites including ittle Hardware, Gallery 19 0, Henhouse Anti ues, Clay Metal Stone and more.

75 Years of Mountain Brook

Left: Mountain Brook Village; center: English Village; above: Crestline Village. Photos by Sarah Finnegan.

CRESTLINE VILLAGE

F rom homecoming to H al l oween, many of Mountain Brook’ s traditions are centered on Church S treet in Crestl ine V il l age. T hough p art of the original p l ans for Mountain Brook, Crestl ine came into existence after its sister v il l ages, with most dev el op ment after W orl d W ar II. T he Crestl ine shop p ing strip s on Church S treet were j oined by the original E mmet O ’ N eal L ibrary in 19 6 5 and City H al l in 19 6 7 . Crestl ine is stil l the center of l ocal gov ernment, with the municip al comp l ex, buil t in 20 13 right in the heart of the v il l age, housing the municipal administration, fire department and p ol ice station. A cross the street is the Mountain Brook Board of E ducation, which came to Crestl ine in 20 0 7 , and behind city hal l is the l ibrary , up dated in 20 0 1. L ike E ngl ish V il l age’ s Civ itas statue, Crestl ine V il l age’ s iconic sp ot is the cl ock tower at the corner of Church and E ucl id A v enue, buil t in the 19 9 0 s. It marks the entrance to the “ main street” atmosp here of Crestl ine, which features l ocal l y -owned restaurants, two hometown p harmacies, cl othing retail ers and more. T wo l ocal fav orites are S mith’ s V ariety , a toy and gift shop , and the Crestl ine P iggl y W iggl y . Crestl ine al so p l ay s host to many community ev ents throughout the y ear, incl uding the high school ’ s homecoming p arade and Christmas and H al l oween festiv ities.

75 Years of Mountain Brook

Fall 2017

The MBAA, founded in sts eet s e months per year to help its members hone their craft. All e es e t es of Mountain Brook City Hall. Photo by Sarah Finnegan.

Still Evolving MOUNTAIN BROOK ART ASSOCIATION, 36 YEARS LATER By Rachel Burchfield If you enjoy painting and live in Mountain Brook, you’re not alone. Since its founding in 1981, the Mountain Brook Art Association, backed by its mission of striving

“to stimulate art in the community, encourage individual and group development and sponsor annual art shows,” has been the hub of fellowship for the villages’

most artistically inclined. The association has grown to more than 220 members, all of whom reside within 25 miles of Mountain Brook City Hall.

75 Years of Mountain Brook

Starnes Publishing

Left: Members mingle with visitors at their stall during the 2017 MBAA annual art show. Right: Founding members Carolyn Mitchell and Kat Pilleteri. Photos courtesy of Mountain Brook Art Association.

“ S ome ye ars ago, as some original members move d, the cl ub extended a residency r equi rement to al l ow members to l ive up t o 25 m il es [ from] Mountain Brook City H al l ,” said Janet S anders, chair of the Mountain Brook A rt A ssociation’ s annual spr ing art show, A rt in the V il l age. “ T hat cove rs most of the metro area. T he cl ub accept s beginner artists and there is a wide va riety of tal ent on up t o pr ofessional artists.” T he association meets at the E mmet O ’ N eal L ibrary i n January , March, May , S ept ember and N ove mber. “ A few ye ars ago we added eve ning meetings to our dayt ime schedul e, al l owing a broader range of members to attend,” S anders said. D emos by a ssociation members or regional artists are al ways a focus of the meetings, as is sharing of information and mentoring, S anders said. D ayt ime meetings usual l y ha ve about 50 to 70 m embers in attendance, whil e eve ning meetings host around 30 t o 50 m embers. T he association has a newsl etter, and email s keep members informed of association activi ties, gal l ery s howings, cl asses and workshops by members. “ It has been amaz ing to watch the growth of workmanship a mong the members,” S anders said. A rt in the V il l age started as the resul t of an art cl ass. Ron L ewis, one of the association’ s members, taught art through Mountain Brook Community E ducation for more than 40 ye ars. A bout 38 ye ars ago, L ewis’ students decided they ha d enough pa intings from his cl ass to try t o sel l them. T hey c hose a S aturday i n A pr il and set up on C hurch S treet in front of the school . Most simpl y s et pa intings l eaning on trees, S anders said. “ T hat was the beginning of the cl ub and the annual show,” S anders said. A rt in the V il l age has typi cal l y be en hel d in April, but starting next year, it will find a permanent home on the S aturday be fore Mother’ s D ay . “ W e wanted a date that woul d be easy t o remember ye ar to ye ar,” S anders said. “ E ve ryone is excited. It is such a big community e ffort.”

T he show features original two-dimensional art on canvas, board, paper or at wood. To pa rticipa te in the show, members are requi red to attend at l east one meeting during the 12 months pr ior to the show. T he association al so pr oduces a two-week hol iday show at Brookwood V il l age, with pa rt of the sal es going to a l ocal charity . T he hol iday s how began as a one-eve ning show at L ane P arke 11 ye ars ago, and morphe d into its current iteration seve n ye ars ago.

“ Because of our l arger membership numbers, we were abl e to p roduce a two-week show, op en ev ery day with free dail y demos to the p ubl ic,” S anders said. “ In addition to p aintings and gift cards, our tal ented artists had handp ainted ornaments. W e al so hav e a coup l e of artists who hav e p roduced beautiful books incorp orating their p aintings. It has been a v ery successful ev ent.” A nyone interested in j oining shoul d email the association at mtnbrookartassoc@ gmail .com.

75 Years of Mountain Brook

Fall 2017

Boy Scouts. Photo by Lexi Coon.

Venture Crew. Photo courtesy of Venture Crew 2010.

Shades Valley Rotary Club. Photo courtesy of Richard Sanders.

A Community that Gives Back

B By L EX I CO O N

irmingham is one of the most charitabl e communities in A l abama, according to O nl y in Y our S tate. A nd Mountain Brook, nestl ed in the S hades V al l ey region, has its own history of giv ing back indiv idual l y and through a v ariety of organiz ations. T he S hades V al l ey Rotary Cl ub started their work in 19 6 3 , serv ing the H omewood, Mountain Brook and V estav ia H il l s area. “ T he Rotary International motto is ‘ S erv ice abov e sel f,’ ” said Richard S anders with S hades V al l ey Rotary Cl ub. “ O ur l ocal cl ub has a strong focus on community serv ice and sup p orting education through annual schol arship s.” In 20 17 , the cl ub granted schol arship s for 12 students at $ 5 ,0 0 0 each, and has p rov ided ov er $ 1.3 mil l ion in schol arship s to date. T he cl ub al so sp onsors the Birmingham Botanical G ardens S hades V al l ey Rotary Cl ub internship each summer. “ W e hav e a l ong history of schol astic schol arship s to area students attending [ Mountain] Brook, H omewood, John Carrol l and S hades [ Mountain] high school s,” S anders said. “ W e p rov ide great outl ets for serv ice to members of the community and giv e great sup p ort to our community in addition to our international p roj ects.” O utside of education, the Rotary Cl ub has donated to the S hades V al l ey Y MCA , the E mmet O ’ N eal L ibrary , T he Chil dren’ s H osp ital and the Birmingham Botanical G ardens among many others. T hey al so comp l eted a sanitation p roj ect for a school in Mongol ia and sp earhead an annual disaster rel ief “ Bucket Chal l enge.” S anders said two l ocal and memorabl e p roj ects the cl ub has comp l eted are the Rotary F riendship Circl e W al k in the Jap anese G ardens and the annual Boil ing N ’ Bragging ev ent hel d at O tey ’ s T av ern in A ugust, from which the p roceeds are

donated to the Critical Care T ransp ort for Chil dren’ s of A l abama. “ W e see [ the S hades V al l ey Rotary Cl ub] continuing to be an imp ortant p art of the community through serv ice p roj ects and inv estments in our students,” S anders said. A nd the l ocal students are giv ing back, too T hree y ears ago, Mountain Brook H igh S chool teacher E l iz abeth T il ey said the Junior Civ itans cl ub at the high school was initiated by students. “ T he school al ready had sev eral organiz ations that worked in the community , but this woul d be different as it serv ed al ongside Civ itan International and would allow students the exibility to work as a singul ar organiz ation within the community ,” she said. D uring the 20 16 -17 school y ear, there were 5 3 members in grades 10 -12. T ogether, T il ey said the members work together to find fun ways for Mountain Brook students to make p ositiv e change on issues in the community that al so mean the most to them and make p ositiv e changes to themsel v es. In the p ast, the cl ub has v ol unteered at Mitchel l ’ s P l ace, with the S oz o Chil dren ministry and at the Mercedes Benz marathon. Y ounger v ol unteers can be found in scouting, as wel l . Boy S couts, G irl S couts and V enturing p rogram members are encouraged to giv e back to their community in one form or another. A s p art of their troop s, scouts hav e p l entiful op p ortunities to v ol unteer, either directl y with the church that is sp onsoring their troop or in the greater community area. In earl y 20 17 , scouts and members of V enture Crew 20 10 , a co-ed y outh dev el op ment p rogram with y outh-l ed high v enture trip s and serv ice p roj ects based in Mountain Brook, worked with S top H unger N ow out of Canterbury U nited Methodist Church. O ther serv ice op p ortunities hav e incl uded H abitat for H umanity , working at Red Mountain P ark or simp l y hel p ing their l ocal neighborhood

OTHER CIVIC GROUPS AND CLUBS IN THE COMMUNITY* > Mountain Brook High School • Ambassadors Club • Circle of Friends • Interact Club • Key Club • National Honor Society • Leadership Mountain Brook • Outreach Club > Mountain Brook Junior High • Children’s Hospital Volunteer Club • Circle of Friends • Key Club • Magic Moments • Help the Homeless Club • Hand in Paw/Pet Club • Random Acts of Kindness Club • Students Organized for Service • Volunteerism Club > Community • Homewood-Mountain Brook Kiwanis International • Mountain Brook Library Foundation • Friends of Jemison Park • Mountain Brook City Schools Foundation *Not a comprehensive list

with p roj ects. S couts who wish to become E agl e S couts al so must comp l ete a l arge community serv ice p roj ect, all of which benefit the surrounding community and residents for y ears to come. “ Venturing also helps crew members experience l eadership activ ities,” said V enture Crew 20 10 member L eanna Ritchie. T hose l eadership experiences can benefit both the individual and their neighbors l ater in l ife, too. “ I hav e to believe in the long run, that’s excellent for the community .”

75 Years of Mountain Brook

Fall 2017

A Letter from the Past FROM ONE POST OFFICE TO FIVE VILLAGES

U By L EX I CO O N

nl ike some l ocal residents, E dwina P ratt, 91, di dn’ t grow up i n Mountain Brook — s he move d to S pr ing V al l ey R oad near Mountain Brook H igh S chool after her chil dren were grown. But eve n though she wasn’ t a l ifel ong resident, she has had a l ifel ong connection to the city . H er father built its first post office. “ It was right in Crestl ine,” P ratt said. H er father applied to build the office at 40 Church S treet, l ong before the vi l l age was what it is today . W hen P ratt was home from col l ege in the late 1940s, she helped by taking him to the construction site. “ It was such a pr etty a rea l andscape -wise, that when I drove D addy ove r to work on the buil ding for the post office I felt good about that area then,” she said. “ A nd there wasn’ t hardl y anyt hing there.” P ratt said she remembers a few storefronts during that time and maybe a filling station, but not the busy s treets residents see today . G rowth came qui ckl y t o Mountain Brook in the subseque nt ye ars, gaining famil ies and shops , and the city soon outgrew the tiny post office. “It grew so fast that the post office didn’t last but three or four or five years before they built [ another] across the street [ where the Regions is now] ,” P ratt said. H er famil y r ented out the original post office building, and today orist L agniappe D esigns occupi es the l ittl e buil ding with a white brick facade. “ W e’ ve seen a l ot of growth there,” P ratt said. “ Y ou know pe opl e stil l compl ain maybe about some pa rking, or something l ike that, but as far as I think, it’s grown good. It’s good planning; they’ ve got good city pl anners.” A nd another good thing about Mountain Brook? Its pe opl e. “ T he best memories we coul d draw from there are the neighbors. W e had such a good neighborhood, and pe opl e l ooked after each other,” she said. “ It was a ve ry good m ove . W e had great neighbors, in a great area, right up t here by t he water tank.” T he E mmet O ’ N eal L ibrary w as al so a big pl us for P ratt and her famil y . “I love our library when the grandchildren come, they a l ways want to come to the l ibrary ,” she said. “ I know the Crestl ine l ibrary s o wel l ;

Above: Edwina Pratt stands in t t e e her father built, e y e Designs. Photo by Lexi Coon. et e st st e was built in the 1940s, long before Crestline e e e what it is today. Photo courtesy of Edwina Pratt.

I stil l use it.” A nd whil e she doesn’ t shop a s much in Mountain Brook V il l age, she did spe nd a great deal of time in the Birmingham Botanical G ardens as a member of the Q ueens of S pa des garden cl ub. “ W e’ re ve ry pr oud of the botanical gardens right there,” she said. P ratt is pr oud of the Mountain Brook school sys tem and eve ryt hing it does for the city , too. S he said she hope s the younge r generations see what oppor tunities they ha ve whil e growing up in Mountain Brook.

“ T hey might not real iz e how fortunate they are now,” she said. “ W e do hav e such a good school system and I hope they take advantage of all the oppor tunities. Just don’ t take it for granted.” P ratt stil l has a connection to Mountain Brook, too, despi te havi ng move d to L iberty P ark a few ye ars ago. Just l ook for a smal l pl aque next to the front door of L agniappe . It’ s been pa inted ove r a few times, but if you m ove in a l ittl e cl oser, it reads “ W hiteside: ” P ratt’ s maiden name — a nd her father’ s l ast name — c ommemorated in the city’ s history .

75 Years of Mountain Brook

Fall 2017

School House

Mayor for a Day TESS PATTON TRIES HER HAND AT BEING MAYOR

By L EX I CO O N

n the sp ring of 20 17 , the city of Mountain Brook, together with the Chamber of Commerce and the Mountain Brook City S chool s, op ened a “ W hy I L ov e Mountain Brook” essay comp etition for students to enter. T ess P atton, then a ninth-grader at Mountain Brook Junior H igh, was announced as the winner of the contest. P atton said the writing assignment was giv en to her for an in-cl ass E ngl ish assignment with a rel ativ el y q uick turnaround. “English is definitely one of my favorite subj ects,” P atton said in a p rev ious interv iew. “ My thoughts when I heard about the assignment was kind of, ‘ It’ s an interesting top ic that we don’ t tal k about v ery often.’ ” But she began by l ooking back on her time in Mountain Brook, starting when she and her famil y mov ed to the community in 20 0 7 . P atton attended Crestl ine E l ementary , which she cal l ed “ some of the best y ears in my l ife,” in her essay , and credits the el ementary school to hel p ing her grow into who she is today . P atton wrote that as she grew up in Mountain Brook, the community l ed her to giv e back through community serv ice and she fel t a sense of safety , which is shared throughout the v il l ages. S he al so wrote that she is grateful for the sense of camaraderie in the city , and j ust to l iv e in Mountain Brook. “ I j ust kind of l ooked back on my exp eriences from my time that I l iv ed in Mountain Brook,” P atton said about her writing p rocess. W hil e she didn’ t think she was going to win, P atton said she stil l wanted to p ut forth her best effort. “ If I’ m going to do an assignment, I’ m not going to j ust do it hal fway ,” she said. T o cel ebrate her work, the city decl ared P atton as the May or for a D ay and inv ited her to hel p kick off Mountain Brook’ s 7 5 th anniv ersary cel ebrations on May 7 . A t the ev ent, she cut the ceremonial ribbon and met current May or S tewart W el ch, as wel l as p ast may ors of the city . “ Mountain Brook does not hav e many

t e

ess y

tt e

op p ortunities for the entire community to come together, but this ev ent al l owed p eop l e of al l generations to cel ebrate 7 5 y ears of Mountain Brook,” she said. “ Being recogniz ed as one of [ the may ors] was trul y an honor and humbl ing exp erience.” T he fol l owing ev ening, P atton took W el ch’ s seat at the city ’ s bi-weekl y city council meeting for her rol e as May or for a D ay . Before serv ing, she was l ooking forward to l earning more about the inner workings of municip al gov ernment, too. “ I don’ t real l y know what that entail s, so that’ l l be real l y interesting to l earn,” she said p rior to the day . D uring the meeting, she weighed in on v arious top ics that were up for discussion and read a resol ution p rocl aiming May 20 17 as the official birthday month for the city of

t e ess y

’s se t t ty y et t Photo by Lexi Coon.

Mountain Brook. “ I was surp rised by how l arge my rol e was in this day ,” she said. “ I assumed I woul d j ust be there for p ubl icity or p ictures, but I actual l y contributed to conv ersations that were [ hel d] in the p re-meeting and council meeting.” S he was al so giv en a key to the city by W el ch, which she said was “ a great way to end this exp erience.” A nd, ev ery thing hel p ed P atton l earn more about her l ocal gov ernment. “ Many of the behind-the-scenes p arts of gov ernment that I got to exp erience showed me how many p arts of the city gov ernment there are,” she said. “ I was unaware of many asp ects of our city gov ernment simil ar to the maj ority of the students in our community . T his exp erience gav e me a new insight on Mountain Brook’ s gov ernment.”

75 Years of Mountain Brook

Starnes Publishing

There’s No Place Like Home MBHS ALUMNA TEACHES A NEW GENERATION

By G RACE THO RNTO N

hen H eather F itch was a student at Mountain Brook H igh S chool , she had a S pa nish teacher who did something she woul d neve r forget — she turned boring subj ect matter into something with which students coul d rel ate. “ W e read l iterature in those cl asses that woul d be so dry , but she woul d be so animated and hel p connect it to our l ive s,” F itch said. “ S he had storyt el l ing skil l s that kept eve ryone engaged and eve n entertained.” T hat S pa nish teacher was E dna Cardwel l , and her pa ssion inspi red F itch to become a teacher. “ S he pa ssed away a few ye ars back, but she has a granddaughter that I got to teach and work with on the dance team,” said F itch, who is now in her 18th ye ar of teaching S pa nish at MBH S . S he’ s getting to pa ss on the gift Cardwel l gave her, and to Cardwel l ’ s famil y no l ess. A nd with that, eve ryt hing came ful l circl e. F itch, born and raised in Mountain Brook, al ways pl anned to l ive and raise her chil dren in her hometown. “ I al ways knew I wanted to l ive here and raise my ki ds here because of what it gave me as far as rel ationships , academics and the community ,” she said. So when she finished up her bachelor’s at Birmingham-S outhern Col l ege and then her master’ s at the U nive rsity of A l abama, she immediatel y s tarted l ooking for j obs in Mountain Brook. S he taught for two ye ars at T he A l tamont S chool ; then she got a cal l from the pr incipa l of her ol d high school . “ W hen D r. [ D avi d] S til es cal l ed, it was a no brainer,” F itch said. “ I got to sit down with two of my f ormer teachers and tal k, and it fel t l ike coming home.” In the ye ars that woul d fol l ow, she taught al ongside “ so many t eachers who meant so much to me al ong the way ,” she said. “ It’ s been the best.” F itch has been abl e to inve st in students and guide them the way t hose teachers did for her. “ H eather F itch is a tremendous l eader in our school and community ,” said A manda H ood, Mountain Brook H igh S chool pr incipa l . “ A s depa rtment chair of our worl d l anguage depa rtment, she is constantl y e ncouraging our facul ty

to l ook at new and innova tive appr oaches that encourage the same tradition of excel l ence that is synonym ous with Mountain Brook H igh S chool . S he is a wonderful exampl e of fol l owing your pa ssion and doing what you l ove in a pl ace you l ove . Mountain Brook is a pa rt of who she is.” A nd F itch said she has been abl e to offer her own chil dren the same expe rience she had. “ T hrough the l ens of the school sys tem, I wanted them to be abl e to expe rience the rel ationships that they c oul d have with these top- notch teachers,” F itch said. “ T hese kinds of rel ationships extend beyond your time at any give n school , and I wanted my c hil dren to know how much their teachers care and want to nurture them to reach their pot ential .” Between F itch and her two ol der brothers — w ho al so move d back after col l ege to raise their famil ies — t hey ha ve had chil dren in three of Mountain Brook’ s four el ementary s chool s ove r the pa st few ye ars. A nd they a ren’ t the onl y one s who fel t the pul l back to their hometown. S eve ral of F itch’ s fel l ow teachers at the high school grew up t here and are now raising their chil dren in Mountain Brook. “ T hat is one of the greatest things about this pl ace,” she said. “ I’ m getting to teach some of my c l assmates’ chil dren. S ome of the pe opl e I graduated with are showing up t o pa rent night.”

Above: Heather Fitch, a MBHS world language teacher, graduated from the high school in 1992. Photo by Sarah Finnegan. e t F t ’s senior yearbook photo. Photo courtesy of Heather Fitch.

F itch al so l ove s the l egacy t hat comes al ong with the Mountain Brook H igh S chool dance team, the D orians, which she spons ors. “ It is so deepl y e mbedded in tradition, and it is j ust real l y f un to be a pa rt of that,” she said. “ W e have many w hose moms were D orians when they w ere in high school .” S o much in Mountain Brook is stil l the same as when she was growing up, i f not eve n better, F itch said. “ G oing to community- wide eve nts l ike the homecoming pa rades, the sense of community i s stil l there and eve n stronger than it was back then,” she said. “ It’ s an amaz ing pl ace to cal l home.”

75 Years of Mountain Brook

Fall 2017

Educational Excellence

By ERICA TECHO

t the time of Mountain Brook’ s incorpor ation, there were two school s within the city a nd fewer than 1,00 students. In the l ast 75 ye ars, that number has grown to six school s and more than 4,0 s tudents. D espi te starting with smal l er numbers, the city of Mountain Brook chose to create its own school sys tem onl y 17 ye ars after incorpor ation, in 1959. T he school sys tem sepa rated from Jefferson County S chool s, starting off with three school s — C restl ine and Mountain Brook el ementary school s and Mountain Brook Junior H igh, which had been buil t in 1956. A s the city’ s popu l ation continued to grow, espe cial l y t oward the south pa rt of town, the Mountain Brook Board of E ducation chose to buil d its third el ementary s chool — B rookwood F orest — w hich was compl eted in 1965. T he high school ope ned the next ye ar, in 196 6, a nd Cherokee Bend E l ementary ope ned in 1969. O ve r the more than 50 ye ars since its creation, the Mountain Brook City S chool s sys tem has aimed for a high l eve l of education for its students. “ It’ s been j ust continual growth,” said S upe rintendent Dicky Barlow. “When I first got here in 1996, i t was a great school sys tem. It’ s not l ike I came here and some other pe opl e came here and brought it out of the ashes. Mountain Brook’ s got a strong history of j ust being a phe nomenal school sys tem, not j ust here in the state, but in the S outheast and national l y .” Barl ow started as a vi ce pr incipa l at MBH S in 1996, be came pr incipa l in 2001 a nd was appoi nted supe rintendent in 2009. W hil e the qua l ity of education has not changed in MBCS , Barl ow said the chal l enge has been keepi ng up with what resources students need, espe cial l y i n the 20 ye ars he has l ed the school sys tem. “ T he difference in education has j ust real l y changed ove r the l ast 20 ye ars,” Barl ow said. “ S tudents have changed, the worl d has changed, what students need for the future — i t’ s not the same as it used to be.” T eachers face the task of incorpor ating eve r-changing technol ogy , offering higher l eve l s of engagement and ul timatel y “ pr epa ring students for j obs that don’ t eve n exist today ,” Barl ow said. A nd whil e those changes pos e a chal l enge, Barl ow said the resources of MBCS — t he pe opl e of MBCS — have hel pe d them meet that chal l enge.

Crestline Elementary teacher Tracey Berringer works with a group of kids during MathMania, a weeklong summer program designed to help kids reinforce their math skills over their summer vacation. The Mountain Brook school system offers a multitude of educational programs outside of regular school hours. Photo by Sarah Finnegan.

“ W e have real l y s mart students who appr eciate education,” Barl ow said. “ W e have a community of pa rents who va l ue education, and what I tel l pe opl e is when students come to our school , their pa rents have usual l y r ead to them eve ry da y , for 30 m inutes or more, eve ry da y s ince they w ere 1. S o we have this phe nomenal resource cal l ed our students.” T hose students and pa rents, pa ired with a community t hat va l ues education and a teaching staff that aims to excel , form a winning combination, Barl ow said. “ T he thing I’ m most pr oud of are the pe opl e who work here,” he said. “ W e j ust have a l ot of pe opl e who are committed and l ove students and l ove this community . F rom our custodians to our central office staff, and I’ve already talked about our teachers.” T hose resources have l ed to the district receiv ing the “ 2016 D istinguished D istrict A ward” from the International S ociety f or T echnol ogy i n E ducation, Barl ow said. T he district has al so pr oduced 639 N ational Merit F inal ists since 1968, according to the school sys tem’ s website. A s they m ove forward to the next 50 ye ars, Barl ow said the school sys tem has set out a few goal s: increase engagement with students; create a cohesive sys tem, “ where eve rybody ha s ownership i n what we do; ” communicate more

“

effective l y; and pr epa re students for a dive rse worl d. T hrough new ideas and strategic pl anning, Barl ow has no doubt they w il l accompl ish those goal s. “ T here are so many gr eat pe opl e who are pa rt of this school sys tem and this community , that whil e it’ s qui te a task to educate the students of Mountain Brook, we’ re real fortunate to be a pa rt of it,” Barl ow said. “ A nd that’ s our goal . W e want our students to be abl e to go to the col l ege of their choice, and we want them to be as successful as they c an be in l ife.”

... that’s our goal. We want our students to be able to go to the college of their choice, and we want them to be as successful as they can be in life. DICKY BARLOW

75 Years of Mountain Brook

Fall 2017

Why I Love Mountain Brook It takes a village to raise a child, and for the kids of Mountain Brook, they have the community’s support behind them day in and day out. Many have grown up in one of the villages, participating in athletics, academics, activities, extracurriculars and neighborhood get-togethers, Recently, Village Living was able to sit down with some younger Spartans to find out w at t ey lo e ost about t eir city. While they may grow and move on to adventures outside of the city, they’ll always have lasting memories of Mountain Brook.

> Third grade > Brookwood Forest Elementary “I love how we have a library. I like how there’s a bunch of different books on each level, not just the harder levels and the easier levels.”

Photos by Lexi Coon.

75 Years of Mountain Brook

Starnes Publishing

> Fourth grade > Crestline Elementary “There’s a lot of reasons. It [has] some of the best ice cream … Everyone is nice … and there’s lots of things to do.”

> Third grade > Mountain Brook Elementary

> First grade > Cherokee Bend Elementary

“[I love Mountain Brook] because there are so many good, nice teachers. You can have fun while learning also.”

“[I love Mountain Brook] because I live on a big hill and because we get to go down the hill and I get to ride my bike by the church.”

75 Years of Mountain Brook

Fall 2017

Sports

More Than a Name A 1970 MBHS GRAD RECOUNTS ADOPTING THE SPARTAN MASCOT — AND WHY IT MEANT SO MUCH

By SAM CHAND L ER s P eter P ap p as tel l s it, the story behind Mountain Brook H igh S chool ’ s adop tion of the S p artan mascot doesn’ t begin with its op ening in 19 6 6 . T hat’ s too recent. Instead, he traces its origins to ancient G reece and the Battl e of T hermop y l ae, a seminal ev ent in 4 80 B.C. that saw the ancient S p artans hol d off a massiv e, marauding P ersian army . T he bl oody battl e was famousl y dep icted in the mov ie “ 3 0 0 ,” and many historians identify it as the turning p oint for W estern civ il iz ation and democracy . W hy this is rel ev ant to Mountain Brook’ s mascot sel ection ties directl y to P ap p as, who, l ike many G reek chil dren, was raised on this narrativ e. H e grew up admiring the v al iance of those courageous fighters who risked life and l imb en route to surmounting p eril ous odds. But to P ap p as, a 19 7 0 MBH S grad, the story carries extra meaning. His relatives, who first immigrated from G reece to Birmingham at the turn of l ast century , hail ed from the region of L aconia, which is l ocated in the country ’ s southeastern tip . Its cap ital is S p arta. “ Many of them,” P ap p as said, “ considered themsel v es S p artans.” H e did too, and his heritage was not l ost on him when news broke in 19 6 5 that a high school woul d be formed in Mountain Brook, where P ap p as and his famil y had mov ed a few y ears p rior. H e entered MBH S as a freshman in 19 6 6 , whil e his brother, L ouis, entered as a j unior transfer from S hades V al l ey . Immediatel y , both secured sp ots in the inaugural student gov ernment. P ap p as was el ected freshman cl ass p resident, and his brother l anded a sp ot on student council . T ogether, he said, they l ev eraged their positions to in uence what would become the most recogniz abl e and enduring resul t of their time in office the selection of the Spartan.

’s t s Photo courtesy of Michael Hanich.

It had been l eft to the student body to decide. “ W e l obbied ov ertl y and cov ertl y al l summer l ong until the v ote was to occur,” P ap p as said of the summer of 19 6 6 . “ E v ery body knew that we were going to el ect a mascot, but not many p eop l e cared about it, it didn’ t seem, excep t for L ou and me. It meant a l ot to us to hav e

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S p artans as the mascot.” A handful of chal l engers made it on the bal l ot, but MBH S students made their v oices heard. T hey didn’ t want to be Bears or E agl es or U nicorns — the magical mare used to rep resent Mountain Brook Junior H igh — or T rout.

75 Years of Mountain Brook

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We lobbied overtly and covertly all summer long until the vote was to occur ... Everybody knew that we were going to elect a mascot, but not many people cared about it, it didn’t seem, except for Lou and me. It meant a lot to us to have Spartans as the mascot.

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PETER PAPPAS

o, the first batch of MBHS students wanted to be Spartans, and Spartans they became. “It was no contest,” Pappas said of the vote outcome. “We were thrilled.” The next step after adopting the mascot was choosing school colors, which at first proved more of a balancing act than unifying pact. Scarlet and gold uniforms, like those donned by the niversity of Southern California, topped Pappas’ wish list since the ancient Spartans sported scarlet robes. But the color’s resemblance to crimson didn’t sit well with all stakeholders, particularly those who favored an in-state team that wore orange and blue. Green, on the other hand, emerged as a more accepted complement to gold. The combination resembled what was worn by the Green Bay Packers, who, at the time, drew local interest thanks to the presence of Alabama’s Bart Starr. “That was a little more palatable,” Pappas said. The MBHS football team, of which Pappas was a four-year member, played in white pants with either white or yellow jerseys during its inaugural campaign. Due to the overlapping starts of school and football season, it was the closest match they could find to green and gold. uckily, forging an on-field identity proved an easier task. Pappas said he and his teammates took on a “Spartan mentality” from the get-go as they faced opposing teams. Games were portrayed as battles and, in Pappas’ mind, that meant he would give his all or die trying just like his historical heroes. “The name fit well,” Pappas said. “It was good to be a Spartan.” It still is.

75 Years of Mountain Brook

Fall 2017

Spartan Excellence A MOUNTAIN BROOK HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETICS TRADITION By Sam Chandler Tucked next to the gymnasium at Mountain Brook High School is a trophy case that more closely resembles a trophy room. Behind a transparent glass fa-

cade, its rows gleam under warm spotlights. A forest of blue, Alabama-shaped hardware resides on stacked shelves that pack the enclosure from front to back.

Since opening its doors in 1966, MBHS has captured 160 of these coveted maps, which are awarded annually in each sport to the state champion.

75 Years of Mountain Brook

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Many pr ograms have attempt ed to hol d pa ce with the S pa rtans’ rapi d accumul ation of accol ades. F ew have been abl e to keep up. W il l iam G al l oway , a 2017 M BH S grad who serve d as the school ’ s spo rts information director from 2015 t o 2017, be l ieve s he has an expl anation as to why t hat has been the case. “ I think what makes Mountain Brook spe cial and how it’ s been so successful is this: W e may not have the best athl etes, but we have our athl etes at their best,” G al l oway s aid. “ Coaches are abl e to extract eve ry a thl ete’ s maximum pot ential because they’ re wil l ing to work so hard to be successful .” G al l oway’ s theory s tems from the traditional notion of “ S pa rtan excel l ence,” which he said refers to a col l ective mindset that pe rmeates both campus and community . P receding generations of athl etes and coaches have set a standard. S ucceeding generations are expe cted to uphol d and raise it. Consistentl y , that pa ttern has unfol ded.

TRADITIONAL TITANS

A handful of MBH S pr ograms l aid the foundation for future athl etic success. A l l of them continue to thrive . The girls cross-country and track and field teams have accounted for more than a third of Mountain Brook’ s trophy t otal , havi ng won 5 state champi onships between 1973 a nd today . A t times, the S pa rtans have been unstoppa bl e. T he cross-country t eam won 19 of 22 titl es from 1994 t o 2015 w hil e compe ting in the state’ s highest classification. Thirteen of those crowns came in consecutive fashion during a dominant stretch spa nning 200315. “ I think we al l have seen what’ s expe cted at Mountain Brook, and we’ re wil l ing to work hard and make sure it keeps going,” said Michael McG ove rn, a 1991 M BH S al umnus and former distance athl ete who has serve d as the head cross-country and track and field

coach since 2015. T he boys , too, have taken the idea of S pa rtan excel l ence and run with it. Between cross-country and track and field, they have collected 17 state titl es, with their l ast triumph c oming in the fal l of 201 1. Col l ective l y , the boys and girl s have secured 72 c hampi onships on the course and the track. McG ove rn said the community , which is filled with former Spartans like himself, plays a critical rol e in pe rpe tuating his teams’ success. In Mountain Brook, running is pr omoted, pr aised and popu l ar. “ I think Mountain Brook is one of those rare pl aces where track is considered an el ite spor t too,” McG ove rn said. “ It gets j ust as much fanfare as footbal l , basketbal l and basebal l . T rack athl etes are va l ued j ust as much.” T hat’ s exactl y t he recept ion D onna Robinett hope d tennis woul d one day r eceive when she took ove r as the MBH S head boys and girl s coach in 1992. S he wanted to popul ariz e the sport and redefine what it meant to play for Mountain Brook. S ure, the S pa rtans had al ways enj oye d success, but she aspi red to take them to another l eve l . D uring her 13- ye ar reign, she pr eached team unity a nd attention to strategy . Mountain Brook won 18 of its 53 s tate champi onship s under her pr ovi sion. “ I wanted pe opl e to want to work hard al l ye ar l ong to make the tennis team,” Robinett said, “ and then when it got to where we were havi ng l ots of pe opl e for tryout s and we were winning champi onships , of course, I wanted to win.” T hat l egacy ha s survi ve d, as the S pa rtans swept the 2017 s tate titl es. It was the third consecutive and 26t h ove ral l triumph f or the Mountain Brook boys . T he girl s have l aid cl aim

See SPORTS HISTORY | page 56

Above left: The 1975 Mountain Brook girls cross-country team. Above right: John Flynt, a member of the 1985 boys tennis team. Photos courtesy of Mountain Brook High School. Opposite page: The Mountain Brook boys basketball team claims the state championship title over Auburn High School on March 4, 2017, at Legacy Arena in Birmingham. Photo by Sarah Finnegan.

Fall 2017

75 Years of Mountain Brook

SPORTS HISTORY

CONTINUED from page 55 to 27 vi ctories, 17 a head of the school ’ s third most successful girl s spor t, gol f. “ Mountain Brook H igh S chool and the community ha ve been so suppor tive of the tennis pr ogram,” Robinett said. “ W ithout that suppor t, it neve r woul d have been so successful .”

EMERGING POWERS

W hil e its traditional titans have sustained steam, Mountain Brook has recentl y f orged its own bl ossoming identity i n two marque e spor ts: vol l eyba l l and boys basketbal l . U nder former coach H ave n O ’ Q uinn, who was hired away t his pa st winter to head the pr ogram at Birmingham-S outhern Col l ege, the S pa rtan vol l eyba l l team cl inched three straight state champi onships from 2014- 16. P revi ousl y , it had neve r won a titl e. Boys basketbal l has expe rienced a nearl y identical va ul t. F or most of the school ’ s history , that too seemed impr obabl e. “ N o one eve r thought Mountain Brook basketbal l coul d be the N o. 1 pr ogram in A l abama,” said head coach Bucky M cMil l an, a 2002 M BH S graduate who once starred on the hardwood.

Sophie Jane Knott competes in the AHSAA ss st te t t e championship May 5, 2017, at the Gulf Shores Sportsplex, where the Mountain Brook girls placed second. Photos by Sarah Finnegan.

Mountain Brook volleyball prevailed over McGill-Toolen, 3-1, at the AHSAA volleyball s s t e se sO t 26, 2016, at the Birmingham CrossPlex to continue on to the state championship against Hoover, which it won.

“ T hat’ s what we have .” T he S pa rtans have appe ared in four of the pa st five state championship games and have won three of them. Their first breakthrough, which

occurred in 2013, e nded a champi onship dr ought that dated to the school ’ s ope ning. P ersistence fuel ed the pr ogram’ s steady r ise from middl e of the pa ck to king of the court.

75 Years of Mountain Brook

Mountain Brook impr ove d from 8-19 t o 18-12 during McMil l an’ s initial ye ar guiding the pr ogram in 2008- 09. H is teams have since ave raged around 27 w ins pe r season and have eve n garnered a U S A T oday top 25 na tional ranking. “ T his isn’ t a story a bout me. T his is a story about the pr ogram,” McMil l an said. “ T his is about the coaches who came before me and buil t it and buil t it.” But the transformation trul y s hifted gears upon McMil l an’ s arriva l . T he team’ s evol ution from underdog to top dog s tarted with a vi sion. McMil l an wanted to restructure Mountain Brook’ s styl e of pl ay f rom reactive to pr oactive . He longed for his team to fire s, push the pace and get in its opponent’s face. The free- owing appr oach took hol d. Soon, games that once ended with final scores in the 0- to 50-point range reached the 60s , 70s and 80s . T hat’ s p recisel y w hat he had envi sioned. “ W hat that did was it created a l ot of excitement, and it made basketbal l popul ar,” McMil l an said. “ T hen, al l of a sudden, the best pl aye rs wanted to pl ay , the best pl aye rs wanted to be basketbal l pl aye rs. N ow, al l of a sudden, you have great tal ent.” T hey’ re at their best more often than not. T hat’ s S pa rtan excel l ence.

75 Years of Mountain Brook

Fall 2017

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75 Years of Mountain Brook

Fall 2017

Directory CITY OF MOUNTAIN BROOK OFFICES 56 Church St. 802-2400 mtnbrook.org Mayor Stewart Welch [email protected] 802-3800

CITY COUNCIL Members Virginia Caruthers Smith, council president Billy Pritchard, council president pro tem Alice Womack Lloyd Shelton Philip Black

Steven Boone Director of Finance/City Clerk [email protected] 802-3825

Contact All council members can be contacted through the city manager.

Sam Gaston City Manager [email protected] 802-3800

PUBLIC SAFETY

Dana Hazen City Planner [email protected] 802-3821

Fire Department Fire Chief Chris Mullins firedept tnbroo or Station 1 and Fire Administration > 100 Hoyt Lane > 802-3838 (non-emergency) Station 2 > 3785 Locksley Drive

Station 3 > 4277 Old Leeds Road

3579 East St. Cahaba Heights, AL 35243

Police Department Police Chief Ted Cook > [email protected] > 101 Tibbett St. > 802-2414 or 879-0486 (non-emergency)

Public Works 802-2390 Waste Management 841-2740

MUNICIPAL COURT

After-hours emergency 802-2414

56 Church St. [email protected] 802-3828

REVENUE DEPARTMENT

BUSINESS LICENSES AND PERMITS 802-3805 [email protected]

PUBLIC WORKS DEPARTMENT Ronnie Vaughn, Public Works Director [email protected]

56 Church St. Phone: 802-3805 Jack Bankston, Revenue Examiner [email protected]

ANIMAL CONTROL Preston Sloan, Animal Control fficer [email protected] 802-3844

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75 Years of Mountain Brook

BUILDING INSPECTION SUPERINTENDENT 56 Church St. 802-3812 le ercha t il i fficial [email protected]

CITY ARBORIST Don Cafaro [email protected] 802-3874

EMMET Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;NEAL LIBRARY Director Lindsy Gardner 50 Oak St. 445-1101 [email protected]

MOUNTAIN BROOK PARKS AND RECREATION 3698 Bethune Drive Shanda Williams, Superintendent [email protected] 802-3879

MOUNTAIN BROOK ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION Mbathletics.website.siplay.com Brad Hart [email protected] 414-3854

COMMUNITY AND NEIGHBORHOOD PARKS Jemison Park 2615 Mountain Brook Parkway Nature Trail 3344 Overbrook Road Watkins Trace Trail 2400 Mountain Brook Parkway Irondale Furnace 4143 Stone River Road Overton Park 3020 Overton Road Crestline Tot Lot 3781 Jackson Blvd. Canterbury Park 2750 Canterbury Road Mountain Brook Presbyterian Church 3405 Brookwood Road Cahaba River Walk

3503 Overton Road

MOUNTAIN BROOK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Executive Director Suzan Doidge 101 Hoyt Lane 871-3779 [email protected] mtnbrookchamber.org

BOARD OF EDUCATION Superintendent Dicky Barlow 32 Vine St. 969-0109 Mtnbrook.k12.al.us

MOUNTAIN BROOK CITY SCHOOLS Brookwood Forest Elementary School Principal Nathan Pitner 3701 South Brookwood Road 414-3700 Mtnbrook.k12.al.us/bwf Cherokee Bend Elementary School Principal Betsy Bell 4400 Fair Oaks Drive 871-3595 Mtnbrook.k12.al.us/cb Crestline Elementary School Principal Laurie King 3785 Jackson Blvd. 871-8126 Mtnbrook.k12.al.us/ces Mountain Brook Elementary School Principal Ashley McCombs 3020 Cambridge Road 871-8191 Mtnbrook.k12.al.us/mbe Mountain Brook Junior High School Principal Donald Clayton 205 Overbrook Road 871-3516 Mtnbrook.k12.al.us/mbjh Mountain Brook High School Principal Amanda Hood 414-3800 Mtnbrook.k12.al.us/mbhs

ALL IN MOUNTAIN BROOK Leigh Ann Sisson, President Allinmountainbrook.org [email protected]

75 Years of Mountain Brook

Fall 2017

Celebrating 75 YEARS OF MOUNTAIN BROOK

Community members gathered in front of City Hall in May for the celebration of one very special birthday: Mountain Brook’s. The city turned 75 on May 24, and the Chamber of Commerce, Emmet O’Neal Library and Mountain Brook Schools planned activities throughout the entirety of May to celebrate, starting with the Kick-Off Celebration on May 7.

The event featured live local music from Kate and the Howlers and i erbend, ayfield s i e cream and Maggie the Cow, a dunk tank, a bounce house and, of course, birthday cake. Guests were also encouraged to participate in a city-wide scavenger hunt throughout the month. “I think [the event] is a really friendly atmosphere,” said Laura Rais-Bahrami. She and her family

attended the event looking forward to ice cream, cake and the bounce house, which she said her 2-year-old loved. Although Rais-Bahrami said they are relatively new to the area, having only lived in Mountain Brook for a few years, she said it was nice to spend time at the event. “It feels nice to be a part of the Mountain Brook tradition.”

Above: Tess Patton, center, cuts the ceremonial ribbon at an anniversary celebration. Opposite page, middle left: local band Riverbend; middle t y e ’s et e tt et e t sses tt e t e e t eys e ee y e tt t y te t e s ts t e y s et te e s t Photos by Lexi Coon.

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75 Years of Mountain Brook

Fall 2017

Crestline Elementary sixthgraders Connor Nafbauer, left, and Wingate Davis raise the t t e s Photo by Sarah Finnegan.

Looking Ahead By Lexi Coon What started as a vision of one man, Robert Jemison Jr., nearly 90 years ago has since grown to become a thriving city nestled in the mountainside of Birmingham.

Mountain Brook, albeit a smaller city compared to its neighbors, as rown and e ol ed si nificantly since its start 75 years ago. e first settler in t e area,

James Rowan, purchased property in 1821; within 15 years, the community had nearly tripled in size both geographically and numerically.

75 Years of Mountain Brook

Starnes Publishing A ccording to the U .S . Census Bureau, 20 ,5 9 0 p eop l e cal l ed Mountain Brook their home in 20 16 — a number that has been rel ativ el y steady for at l east the l ast decade. P op ul ation growth has not been a huge factor in the ev ol ution of the city , but for good reason: it’ s l andl ocked and can’ t exp and much further. “ It’ s hard, because we j ust don’ t hav e room to grow excep t up I guess … I don’ t see high rises, that’ s j ust not the Mountain Brook feel ,” said Chamber of Commerce P resident L ori S mith. City Manager S am G aston said that the city doesn’ t hav e many “ l arge tracts of l and” that are av ail abl e for dev el op ment, adding that there are l imited op tions for annexations, ev en if it was something in which Mountain Brook was interested. “ I’ m sure if the city did annex some l and, it woul d be v ery sel ectiv e annexations,” he said. So what could the future either in five or 75 y ears — hol d for the community ? “Our future definitely is through infill development and redev el op ment,” said G aston. Because there’ s l ittl e l and that is av ail abl e to the city or residents to buil d on, it’ s more l ikel y that ol der buil dings and areas wil l be renov ated or rebuil t to freshen the city . G aston said in the up coming y ears, residents wil l be abl e to enj oy the comp l etion of L ane P arke, which is an examp l e of the redev el op ment that the city is l ooking to accomp l ish. “ O ur future is going to be the second p hase of L ane P arke, and then of course y ou’ v e got both sides of Office Park are in Mountain Brook, and there might be redev el op ment on the east side,” he said. S uz an D oidge, executiv e director of the Chamber of Commerce, agreed. “ I think we’ re going to be v ery much the same. I think we’ l l l ook the same, but better,” she said. “ A nd what I mean by that is kind of back into that infill development.” She believes a redevelopment of Office Park in Mountain Brook Village, which was the first organized office park in the country, is in the future, too. “ I can see that being may be the next big dev el op ment,” she said. “ May be not in my l ifetime, but in the future.” A s far as transp ortation goes, the city is al ready working on comp l eting a roundabout p roj ect in Mountain Brook V il l age and adding ev en more sidewal ks to its neighborhoods. T here are 4 5 mil es of sidewal ks and wal king trail s in Mountain Brook, and G aston said their existence has hel p ed increase the q ual ity of l ife for residents of al l ages. “ Bel iev e it or not, there are a number of retirees that are mov ing to our community ,” D oidge said. “On Euclid, there’s five or six people that hav e sol d their big houses and mov ed to a smal l er house … but they can wal k to the grocery store, they wal k to dinner, they wal k to the l ibrary .” Through the sidewalk master plan, officials are in the p rocess of p l anning more segments that

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woul d connect existing sidewal ks. T he roundabout p roj ect l ooks more toward vehicular traffic, which has been a concern in Mountain Brook for many y ears. “As far as traffic, we have probably the best maintained roads in the area by far, but at the same time we do have a lot of traffic that cuts through Mountain Brook,” G aston said. T he city has p rev iousl y l ooked at eight or nine intersections and made adj ustments accordingl y , and now they hav e ap p l ied for a second A P P L E

grant to determine how to better manage congestion for residents. Regardl ess of the outcomes of the Mountain Brook’ s v arious p roj ects, G aston said the city — and the resources, community , municip al gov ernment and l ocal school s that accomp any it — hop es to continue to be known as “ a p remier city in A l abama and the nation.” – Erica T echo and Emily Featherston contributed to this article.