By Sarah Kuper
There is no doubt downtown Birmingham is reinventing itself block by block.
City officials, private businesses and activists are investing in green spaces, renovating old buildings and recruiting festivals and entertainment.
One development bringing a new face to areas of downtown is the emergence of urban living, especially luxury loft condominiums.
To showcase the availability and amenities of a more metropolitan lifestyle, H2 Real Estate is organizing a downtown loft tour April 30.
The event will be a self-guided walking tour including 14 downtown residential and business spaces.
“We are seeing a whole new life in downtown. People are building a community down here,” said Louise Kidd, marketing director at H2 Real Estate. “With new attractions like Railroad Park, Regions Field and the Rotary Trail, downtown is becoming the place to be.”
Kidd said there is something for everyone when it comes to urban living, but she is particularly seeing an influx of young people and empty nesters.
She said loft apartments within walking distance to parks, restaurants and entertainment are especially attractive to people craving a flexible and low-maintenance lifestyle.
That way of life is exactly what attracted Lacy and Ben Beasley to buy a loft downtown.
The couple has lived and rented apartments in large cities across the southeast, including Nashville and Atlanta, but they have settled in downtown Birmingham because of the ease and excitement it offered.
“To have all the amenities we desire in an affordable location has made the quality of life we have in Birmingham exceed all our previous experiences,” Lacy Beasley said.
The Beasley’s third floor loft is near the City Federal and the Florentine buildings in Birmingham’s city center. The 1,100-square-foot space has high ceilings and a mixture of concrete, stone, wood and metal industrial-style accents.
Large windows flood the loft with light and allow the couple to watch the city life below.
“Downtown Birmingham has a fantastic energy and the residents have created their own welcoming and open community,” Lacy Beasley said, “It’s wonderful to be a part of the changing landscape with all the public and private investments that have changed the area in a positive way.”
Lacy Beasley is the president and COO of Retail Strategies, LLC, a retail real estate strategy consulting firm.
Though busy with careers, the couple enjoys golf, travel, concerts and new restaurants. They make the most of their downtown life by walking to trendy restaurants, parks and entertainment venues.
If they decide to spontaneously take a trip out of town, their loft location is conducive to their flexible lifestyle.
“We can leave the loft one hour before flight time, making it to the airport and through security in plenty of time to grab a snack at Jim ‘N Nick’s,” Lacy Beasley said.
Because all they need is in walking distance, including their workplaces, the Beasley’s have only one car but three bikes.
Kidd hopes the downtown loft tour will show others the perks of a lifestyle like Lacy and Ben Beasley’s.
In addition to the tour of 14 lofts, the event will bring downtown businesses and vendors together to showcase the many opportunities downtown. In the parking lot adjacent to H2 Real Estate, where the tour begins, food trucks, retail merchants and even a downtown gym will set up to demonstrate what they bring to the urban scene.
Tickets are $20 and can be purchased through H2 Real Estate.
Net proceeds of the tour will go to REV Birmingham, an organization dedicated to working with the business community and city leaders to create sustainable communities throughout Birmingham’s downtown.
Organizers are expecting 300 to 500 attendees.
For more on the event contact Louise Kidd at 583-5007.
