Brasfield & Gorrie Completes Residential and Retail portion of Historic Pizitz Renovation
April 4, 2017
Contractor completes renovation of 90-year-old landmark building in downtown Birmingham
Birmingham, Ala. (April 4, 2017) – Brasfield & Gorrie today announced that the company has completed the residential and retail portion of a renovation to The Pizitz, a historic building in downtown Birmingham, Alabama.
In the early 20th century, Birmingham’s Pizitz department store was a popular retail destination. Built in 1923, the landmark structure welcomed generations of shoppers, withstanding the economic hardships of the Great Depression and the social upheaval of the Civil Rights era. The store closed in 1987 and sat dormant until 2015, when Brasfield & Gorrie began a major renovation that would help breathe new life into the abandoned structure.
The construction team restored the building’s original façade, overcoming challenges presented by the 90-year-old terra-cotta veneer and concrete structure. The team also modernized the interior, keeping most of the original floors and some interior walls.
The historic gem now serves a new purpose as a eleven-story mixed-use facility with 143 apartments, 13,000 sq ft of modern and co-working office space, and a ground floor. The ground floor features Birmingham’s first open-concept food hall, The Pizitz Food Hall, designed to give best-in-class food entrepreneurs a place to showcase their culinary art. The office space is expected to be completed by late summer.
An anchor landmark, The Pizitz adds to the growing revitalization of downtown Birmingham.
Brasfield & Gorrie teamed with Wisznia Architecture + Development, KPS Architecture, LBYD, Appleseed Golden and Masonry Arts on this project for the ownership team of Bayer Properties, Wisznia Architecture + Development and Stonehenge Capital.
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About Brasfield & Gorrie
Founded in 1964, Brasfield & Gorrie is one of the nation’s largest privately held construction firms, providing general contracting, design-build, and construction management services for a wide variety of markets. We are skilled in construction best practices, including virtual design and construction, integrated project delivery, and lean construction, but we are best known for our preconstruction and self-perform expertise and exceptional client service. Brasfield & Gorrie has 12 offices and approximately 2,600 employees. Our 2016 revenues were $2.4 billion. Engineering News-Record ranks Brasfield & Gorrie 29th among the nation’s “Top 400 Contractors” for 2016.
About Bayer Properties
Birmingham, Alabama-based Bayer Properties LLC specializes in developing, leasing, managing and marketing mixed-use real estate properties nationwide. Bayer Properties currently owns and/or operates retail and office properties totaling approximately 10 million square feet, including The Summit in Birmingham, Alabama, Mount Pleasant Towne Centre in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, and The Summit in Reno, Nevada. New developments include The Summit at Fritz Farm, a mixed-use project in Lexington, Kentucky. For more information, visit bayerproperties.com.
About The Pizitz
The Pizitz Food Hall is home to 13 food stalls, 2 full-service restaurants, The Louis bar, Yellowhammer Creative, and Warby Parker. The Pizitz Food Hall is part of a $70 million renovation project of The Pizitz, which also includes 143 multifamily residences, modern and co-working office space, and the Sidewalk Film Festival offices in addition to two-100 seat theaters, concessions and classrooms. The Pizitz is located along the 2nd Avenue corridor and serves as a connecting point from the bustling business district to surrounding attractions such as the McWane Science Center, Lyric Theatre, Alabama Theatre, Regions Field and Railroad Park.