A Short History and Description of Our Building
The dedication of our new church in November 2003 was the culmination of ten years of planning and work by virtually the entire congregation. In a sense, it was made possible by the foresight and wisdom of the church's founders and charter members more than 50 years ago.
How We Got Here
In the mid-1950s, after meeting in the Mountain Brook library, the church purchased 11 wooded lots adjacent to the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. They built a beautiful church consisting of a large A-frame, which held the sanctuary on the upper level and religious education classrooms on the lower level, and a small A-frame, which served as a multipurpose meeting room.
This building, totaling 6600 sq. ft., facilitated growth over the years but never beyond a ceiling of approximately 200 members. Most troubling was the downstairs RE space, which was plagued by water leakage, unpleasant odors and low light. This resulted in a negative first impression for many visitors with children.
In 1993, the Long Range Planning Committee solicited a new mission statement from the congregation, which expressed a strong desire for growth, especially in the RE program.
The Space Needs Assessment Committee studied the building's ability to accommodate growth and the programs desired by the congregation and concluded that it was inadequate.
The Expansion Committee was formed to study the possible solutions to this problem. The committee looked at nine options, four of which were focused on expanding on its current site, which was an ideal location in every way except for one very important one. It was only 1.6 acres and was essentially land-locked. The committee, headed by Grady Nunn, concluded and recommended to the congregation that we sell the property and use the proceeds to purchase a standing building or property on which to build our own church.
By an 80% margin, the congregation voted to approve the committee's recommendation and authorize a new Expansion Committee to sell the church and find new property. The major catalyst behind this heart-wrenching decision was the recognition that the future of the church resides with our children and that they deserve adequate classroom space to learn and grow.
The new Expansion Committee, headed by Bob Koehler, searched for more than a year, ever mindful of the congregation's desire not to join the “white flight” to the suburbs and stay in or close to the Birmingham city limits. It finally found 12.5 acres on the side of the Red Mountain, which it bought from the University of Alabama for $340,000.
At the same time, the committee was marketing the Mountain Brook property and succeeded in positioning two developers in a “bidding war” for that very highly desirable real estate. The winner gave us $1.7 million up front and allowed us to stay on the site for 18 months while we built our new building. That initial investment by the church founders proved to be a wise one indeed, one that provided over half the funding for the entire cost of the project.
With the help of UUA consultant Dave Rickard, a capital campaign was held in conjunction with our annual fall canvass. Dave's assessment of the congregation was very positive and he predicted that the congregation would pledge in excess of $1,000,000 to the capital fund drive. However, just before the campaign kicked off, the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and Washington, DC occurred. In spite of the ensuing economic downturn and uncertainty in the market, the campaign was still considered a success, resulting in pledges totaling over $600,000. The combination of this commitment and member loans that were eventually forgiven allowed us to finance the entire project with only $195,000 in mortgage. (A member loan drive is currently underway to pay off the mortgage and is close to its goal.)
Our New Building
We hired a firm of three architects, who worked with us to design a building that would fill our needs and accommodate future growth. The initial design was our “dream” church, with “green” features that we hoped with result in a LEEDS rating. However, the first pricing by our contractor was way over budget. The casualties of the more fiscally realistic design were many of the green features, as well as the fellowship hall and commercial kitchen.
After more than a year of site preparation and construction, the church was ready for occupancy. On the Sunday before the Thanksgiving of 2003, the congregation gathered at the old church and caravanned to the new building, where the first service was held.
Our new church is a source of pride for our congregation, offering an inviting and attractive facility for visitors and adequate space for children and adult programming. Its 14,400 square feet is divided equally between two levels and situated on the side of a hill, allowing lots of light for all spaces.
The upper level houses the sanctuary, a large narthex, an office suite, a nursery, a parlor and a kitchenette. Downstairs, there are seven large classrooms, a large meeting room, a resource room/library and a small RE office/storage room.
Besides including large windows in the sanctuary, the congregation instructed the architects to design a sanctuary that would be suitable for both music and spoken word.
The architects included in their plan provisions for Phase II expansion. Two large closets on the upper level will serve as hallways to reach the future fellowship hall and commercial kitchen at the east side of the building. Phase II also includes additional classrooms.
The playground and outdoor classroom are the result of efforts by RE parents and a Chalice Lighter grant.
The original Memorial Garden at our previous location was the brainchild of long-time church member and architect Marilyn Sheffield. She single-handedly designed, raised funds and oversaw the construction of our new garden. Shortly after its completion, however, Marilyn died suddenly. The wrought iron gate at the entrance of the garden was dedicated to her memory, commemorating her life and her dedication to the church. It is known as Marilyn's Gate.
There are several “named” rooms in the church. The Volker Room is named after Dr. Joseph Volker, who, with his wife Juanita, founded our church shortly after coming to Birmingham to serve as President of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Originally a library/classroom/meeting room in the old church, the large meeting room on the lower level now bears his name. The nursery in the new church was similarly honored with a plaque from the previous nursery.
Money was donated anonymously to name the small parlor off the narthex after Rev. Eugene Pickett, former minister of the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Atlanta and former President of the UUA. He and his wife Helen came to Birmingham for the dedication of the church and their room.
Future Projects
In addition to hope for the realization of Phase II in the near future, there has been talk about other projects as well. Research has begun into the possibility of an outdoor pavilion atop the wooded knoll north of the church to hold picnics, receptions, etc. The Justice Committee is looking at converting the Phase II parking area into a community garden, whose produce would be donated to local food banks.
Many thanks to Barbara Koehler for writing this history of our building.
Unitarian Universalist Church of Birmingham
A Welcoming congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Association
Location: 4300 Hampton Heights Drive · Birmingham, Alabama · 35209 · U.S.A
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 19786 · Birmingham, AL 35219
Phone: (205) 945-8109 · Fax: (205) 945-8111
E-mail: office 'at' uucbham.org
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