Ribbon cutting held for The Waites building

The Waites, a $16.5 million retail and residential project under construction at Seventh Avenue South and Richard Arrington Boulevard, is officially open.

While residents starting moving in about a week ago, The Waites held its official ribbon cutting on Wednesday, June 28. During the ribbon cutting, Chief Development Officer for Retail Specialist Rodney Barstein said that one of the perks of The Waites is its convenience to UAB, which he said will serve a growing student and medical professional population.

They were also aware of the historical significance of the building, Barstein said, and aimed to retain original limestone in the new building. Mayor William Bell also spoke at the ribbon cutting, reminiscing on the time he spent at The Waites while at UAB.

“As a student at UAB during my undergrad days, this is one of the locations I would come to to get something to eat, and it brought back a lot of memories during the groundbreaking,” Bell said.

While it was sad to see the original building torn down, Bell said "as this building rose out of the demolition and the ashes, and then I saw the name of Waites going back on the building itself, it captured everything that I remembered about it, what it brings to this property for the Birmingham of today and the Birmingham of the future.”

The retail shops in The Waites are set to start opening in August, Barstein said, and he hopes that will being "a lot of vibrancy to the corner."