Birmingham Ditches Ensley Tower Plan for Library After Developer's Death Stalls It

More than a decade after neighboring businesses first sued over a crumbling tower in downtown Ensley, Birmingham is abandoning its plan for a five-story commercial building at the Ramsay-McCormack site and proposing a public library instead. The pivot comes after the death of the developer leading the project and years of missed construction deadlines, with a circuit court judge now giving the city 60 days to return with an update on its new plan.

Mayor Randall Woodfin has proposed the library, which would be designed by the same architects behind the Irondale library, according to WBRC. Woodfin said the city plans to present the new concept to the city council and intends to retrieve the property from Ensley District Developers, the firm the city had hired to redevelop the building. He added that architectural design and public bidding will take at least six months, and that the city now expects vertical construction to be underway by the fourth quarter of 2027.

A Building That Began Crumbling in 2019 The city bought the original Ramsay-McCormack building from U.S. Steel back in 1986, per the article, and the structure began to crumble in 2019. Neighboring businesses, represented by plaintiffs' attorney Antonio Spurling, filed suit against the city as early as 2012 seeking renovation or demolition over safety concerns, according to al.com. In December 2016, a judge ordered Birmingham to begin demolishing the 10-story, 87-year-old tower by February 10, 2017, though the city and plaintiffs later jointly asked the judge to reconsider after a renovation proposal surfaced, the outlet reported.

By 2018, the city was soliciting residential and commercial redevelopment proposals and had surveyed more than 300 Ensley residents, who said they wanted more shops and restaurants downtown. Birmingham awarded a developer a $4 million contract in 2019 to transform the property, according to WVTM 13. Accounts differ on exactly when the original tower came down — WBRC has reported the demolition happened in 2021, while BirminghamWatch has reported it was torn down in 2020 — but Ensley District Developers, led by Irvin Henderson, ultimately demolished the 10-story structure.

Years of Slipped Timelines and a Developer's Death The replacement project was initially slated for completion in August 2021. By December 2023, developers told WBRC they expected construction to begin the following spring with the building finished by summer 2025. That timeline slipped again: by March 2025, the developer's attorney said financing should be finalized that month, construction would start within six to eight weeks, and the building would be complete by fall 2025 if things held together, per the earlier WVTM 13 report on the project's progress.

None of those deadlines held. Ensley District Developers struggled to raise capital to start construction on the estimated $20 million project even as the city provided up to $10 million in cash and incentives. Circuit Court Judge Marshell Jackson Hatcher ordered the developer to begin vertical construction by the end of August. Then, in August, Irvin Henderson died in North Carolina. According to Ken Simon, the surviving partners at Ensley District Developers lacked Henderson's contacts and his detailed knowledge of the tax credits he had been pursuing to finance construction, and the remaining partners planned to step away from the project.

Residents Split on the New Direction Judge Hatcher granted the city 60 days to finalize its plans and return with an update, and has scheduled the next hearing for February 3, 2027. Woodfin has said the city will comply with the court order and build vertically on the site, adding that Birmingham would move forward with construction even without a court mandate forcing its hand.

Not everyone is convinced a library is the right fix. Ranesha Cooper, who moved her business, Revive Lux Salon, from Irondale to a location across Avenue E from the site, said the redevelopment plans had drawn her to Ensley in the first place. She said she was disappointed the original project was abandoned after 10 years and millions of dollars, but added that she enjoys being part of the community and does not regret the move. Cooper said she wants the city to continue with a project she believes would help the area grow.

Thaddeus Campbell, who made t-shirts for South Hampton K-8's STEM team, urged the city to find another developer rather than build a library merely for its own sake. His father, Sylvester Campbell, a former Parker High School football coach, owns the building where the t-shirts were boxed. Spurling, who has sued the city multiple times on behalf of neighborhood businesses, remained skeptical that a library would deliver real benefit and said he is intent on compelling the city to follow through. He said he does not trust statements from the mayor's office or the mayor's integrity.

Birmingham City Attorney Nicole King is representing the city in the ongoing case before Judge Hatcher. For now, the Ramsay-McCormack lot sits empty, a decade after demolition crews were first ordered to act and years after the city and its hired developer promised Ensley a finished building.

Birmingham Ditches Ensley Tower Plan for Library After Developer's Death Stalls It

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