Industry Birmingham Bungalow Company took an empty Crestwood block from blight to just right, with 12 new homes in a historic locale.
By Mary Ellen Stancill
Photography by Beau Gustafson
The city block that today is known as CrestParc has seen many changes over the years. In the early 1900s it was the site of a grand home with the first telephone in the area. Later Woodlawn Hospital, one of the first pay hospitals in Birmingham, was located here. Many of the larger homes surrounding the block were built for physicians who worked at the hospital. By the 1950s the hospital had closed and the building was converted to apartments. In the late 20th century the apartments were condemned, then burned and were eventually torn down. The land was empty until Jones transformed it into CrestParc. —info courtesy of Christopher Jones
Five years ago, Christopher Jones, contractor and owner of Birmingham Bungalow Company, came across an empty city block at the back of the Crestwood neighborhood. A sign said the property was sold, but Jones, seeing the potential in this tract of empty land in a historic locale, called the real estate agent anyway. When the owner agreed to sell, Jones talked to numerous lenders until he found one who believed in his idea—an idea to build 12 new, single family homes consistent with the bungalow style of the neighborhood but with modern amenities for today’s lifestyle. “I knew this was a good neighborhood,” says Jones. “Granted, it was fringe, but it was growing.”
Once the infrastructure was in place, home construction and sales in the CrestParc development moved at a rapid pace. Homeowners could choose from three house plans that they were welcome to modify, creating a “semi-custom home,” as Jones explains. “A home should reflect the homeowners’ lifestyle and how they live,” he says. “There’s not a one fits all house for people.” But Jones is also proud that the newly-built structures blend with their surroundings, both in style and quality. “The founders of the bungalow movement were really the original environmentalists,” explains Jones.
“Conceptually they believed [a house] should be made of materials that every man could afford. It should be of the earth. It was a proper mentality to lead us into the renaissance of the green movement that’s so overly marketed today.”
Jones’ concept fit the bill for Jill Boothby, an interior designer, and her husband, Elbert, owner of Boothby Realty. “We really wanted to live in a historic neighborhood with a freer, younger, more cutting edge lifestyle,” says Jill.
After looking at a house across the street from CrestParc, the Boothbys decided to stop in the model home Jones had open. Jill instantly knew CrestParc was for her. She began working with Jones on her own home and the client/contractor relationship evolved into a business partnership between CrestParc, Boothby Realty and Jill Boothby Design.
As with all the CrestParc homes, the details of the Boothbys’ home are in keeping with the bungalow or cottage style. Wide plank hardwood floors, coffered ceilings, shaker style kitchen cabinetry, five panel ladderback doors, egg shaped knobs, wainscoting and picture molding connect the new homes with the older homes in the surrounding neighborhood. Jill says, “Of course, I came in and put my modern twist on the house, but I still have those lovely, little charming features that make it a cottage style.”
While Jill has built and renovated several homes, she changes her style with each new project. Along the way, she’s come to believe in purchasing big investment pieces with simple lines that are easy to transform when she’s ready for a change. She also has become more sentimental with her design choices, which helps her cull down the endless choices and styles available. “I literally have a green kitchen and a green dining room because that takes me back to my grandmother’s house in Georgia,” Jill says. “Little things like that made the decisions for me in this house.”
The living room has a traditional coffered ceiling and wainscoting is a highlight of the dining room. But ceilings in both rooms are painted an unexpected faint blue.
Instead of windows flanking the living room fireplace, the expected cottage design, Jill requested more modern built-ins, and a Chippendale style stair railing adds a punch to the room. Beach elements are found in the living room and throughout the home, bringing back happy memories for the family. The painting of coral over the fireplace was done by Jill’s mother, Janice Rouse of Albany, Ga.
The kitchen has a customary galley design, but Jill had the floor plan stretched just a bit to allow space for people to gather and talk. A laundry room just off the kitchen is another added bonus for a home in the neighborhood.
At Elbert’s request, the master bedroom was modeled after W Hotels, the hotels the Boothbys prefer to stay in when traveling. To create the illusion of a larger space, Jill painted the ceiling the same blue as the walls and hung the curtains as high as she could get them. After buying the round mirror above the bed, Jill decided to repeat the circle theme in subtle touches throughout the room.
The Boothbys’ completed home, built with quality materials, careful details and personal touches in an eclectic neighborhood, affords them the lifestyle they desired. And the city block, once a neighborhood blight, is now a model for renewal.
Resources:
Builder: Birmingham Bungalow Company, Christopher Jones, christopher@ilovemybungalow.com
Interior Design: Jill Boothby Design, Jill Boothby, jillboothbydesigns@gmail.com
Landscape Design and Installation: Luxury Lawns, Jason Rouse
