Pickwick Place plays big role in Five Points revamp

Five Points South, which celebrated its 130th anniversary in 2017, is seeing lots of change.

There’s a master plan being developed, the Homewood Suites by Hilton hotel opened in 2016 and several other projects have recently been completed or have begun construction, including bars, restaurants and apartment buildings.

Part of this change is taking place at the former Hotel Highland and adjoining Pickwick Place retail development on 20th Street South. The hotel was recently renovated and, in early May, rebranded as Hotel Indigo. 

KH Management is working to fill Pickwick Place with what it believes is a strong tenant mix. And there seems to be a feeling of optimism about the 30-year-old complex, both from KH Management and from some of those new tenants.

They also expressed the belief that new investments being made in Five Points South can help the historic area recover its status as Birmingham’s premier dining and entertainment district.

Pickwick Hotel and Conference Center was created in 1988 out of the former Medical Arts Building. The project, including a retail mall and parking deck, cost $9 million, according to bhamwiki.com, and was named for the former Pickwick Club dance venue once located on Magnolia Avenue.

The property was renovated and reopened as The Hotel Highland in 2008 and was sold to SJP Investment Partners of Atlanta for $3.6 million in 2016, according to media reports.

The hotel then became a Hotel Indigo — one of the first in Alabama — and Maryland-based management company Marshall Hotels & Resorts began running the 63-room property in May. The latest renovation cost $5 million, according to Mike Marshall, president and CEO of the management company.

KH Management is “thrilled” with the Pickwick Place tenants, property manager Evan Miller said. He cited a variety of restaurants, including D’s Tamales, T-Bone’s, Black Market Bar & Grill and Pho Pho, a Vietnamese eatery.

There are watering holes, including Sleek Sports Bar, which also serves food, and the legendary Upside Down Plaza dive bar. D’s Tamales also contains a bar.

Miller calls Pickwick Place a sort of “micro-entertainment district.” Several tenants, including Sleek and D’s Tamales, as well as tech company Vivint and a barber shop called Stephen Gregory, a Men’s Concept, have opened at the development over the last 6 to 8 months.

Maria Patterson, co-owner of D’s Tamales with Daryl Crockett, said they’ve been pleased with the location and the mix of tenants. Sleek owner Ryan Pryor said he’s “thoroughly enjoyed” his location.

“It’s in the heart of Five Points,” Pryor said. “It has history. It has a certain charm. People feel that [Five Points South is] a safe and familiar area to come to.”

Pryor said parking is a downside. “We will start valet parking soon, because parking is horrible,” he said.

“A lot of people don’t even know about the parking deck,” he added.

Stephen G. Carter, president of the barber shop, said he enjoys his spot and that his customers “are able to locate the shop easily.” Unlike Pryor, Carter didn’t express concerns with parking. He said his customers “especially appreciate” having the deck.

The renovation of the hotel is expected to help Pickwick Place tenants.

“The hotel being revamped will help the area as a whole, in my opinion,” Patterson said. “We look forward to the clientele the hotel will attract and the exposure for our business and the other businesses.”

“I’ve noticed significantly more guest traffic in the hotel and parking deck, which is great for our business and the area,” Carter said.

Other tenants will open soon at Pickwick Place, according to Miller, including a hand-rolled ice cream parlor that will offer coffee, tea, smoothies and crepes. Chef Ben Vaughn is opening a pizzeria there in September (as described on page 26).

Three of the 16 spaces at Pickwick Place are available, according to Miller. 

Optimism about Pickwick Place on the part of tenants and management is linked to the prospects for Five Points South as a whole.

Carter said it’s “amazing” for him to see Five Points South “grow and begin to revitalize,” with new restaurants and residential projects on the way.

Given recent investments by developers in Five Points South, as well as strong existing businesses, Miller said that the neighborhood and Pickwick Place “are positioned to reclaim their place as the premier dining and entertainment area in the city.”