Memories of Downtown Birmingham
Memories of Downtown Birmingham

Author: Tim Hollis

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing

Published: 2014-03-18

Total Pages: 154

ISBN-13: 1625846975

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The bright lights of Birmingham's theater and retail district have shone over the Magic City for nearly one hundred years during the good times and the bad. During the early 1900s, small businesses, largely founded by immigrants who arrived in Birmingham with almost nothing, exploded into immensely popular shopping and entertainment destinations. The stories of entrepreneurs and immigrants like Louis Pizitz and his business rival, Adolph Loveman, exemplify the kind of rags-to-riches tales that make up much of the city's character. The theaters in the district, some with themed restrooms, inspired the head of Paramount Pictures to dub Birmingham's Alabama Theatre the "Showplace of the South." Author Tim Hollis celebrates and revives the spirit of the beloved department stores and famous theaters from the era of silent movies to the days of integration and change to today.

Remembering Birmingham
Remembering Birmingham

Author:

Publisher: Remembering

Published: 2010-05

Total Pages: 134

ISBN-13: 9781683368113

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With a selection of fine historic images from his bestselling book Historic Photos of Birmingham, James L. Baggett provides a valuable and revealing historical retrospective on the growth and development of Birmingham. By the mid nineteenth century, the city of Birmingham was a vibrant cultural center of the South. Through the late 1800s, the Roaring Twenties, two world wars, and into the modern era, Birmingham has continued to grow and prosper by overcoming adversity and maintaining the strong independent culture of its citizens. Remembering Birmingham captures this journey through still photography from the finest archives of city and private collections. From the Reconstruction era to the building of a modern metropolis, Remembering Birmingham follows life, government, education, and events throughout Birmingham's history. The book captures unique and rare scenes through the original lens of more than a hundred historic photographs. Published in vivid black-and-white, these images communicate historic events and everyday life of several generations of people building a unique and prosperous city.

Vintage Birmingham Signs
Vintage Birmingham Signs

Author: Tim Hollis

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing

Published: 2008-04-21

Total Pages: 132

ISBN-13: 1439635544

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Most people do not stop to realize how many of their fond memories involve advertising signs. Although these neon spectaculars, billboards, and even signs painted directly onto brick walls were created expressly to persuade customers to buy products or patronize businesses, many such signs remained in place for so long that they became beloved landmarks in their own right. For Images of America: Vintage Birmingham Signs, Tim Hollis has scoured the archives of Birminghams former sign companies, as well as other private collections, to compile some of the best remembered or most obscure signs that dotted the urban and suburban landscape. Here readers will again see the Buffalo Rock bottle pouring its ginger ale into a glass, the Golden Flake clown smiling down at passersby, the Barbers milk clock at the Five Points South intersection, and many more. Through these vintage photographs, readers can once again visit such once-thriving destinations as Eastwood Mall, Burger in a Hurry, and the Kiddieland amusement park.

Brummie Kid
Brummie Kid

Author: Graham V. Twist

Publisher:

Published: 2010-02

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780752453910

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Brummie Kid is a fascinating recollection of the experience of growing up in the slums of Nechells and Aston. All the harshness of daily life is remembered here by local author Graham Twist. Despite hard living conditions and a distinct lack of money, a strong community spirit prevailed and families and neighbourhoods were close-knit. In these tough times you hoped nobody noticed you going to the 'pop shop' to pawn precious valuables, siphoning petrol from cars under the nose of the local bobby, or sneaking into the flicks without paying - though everyone was more or less in the same boat. Here are more funny, heart-warming stories from the backstreets of Birmingham which are sure to rekindle old memories. 'Me and my mate used to go to the George Street Baths - our moms would give us a tanner and a piece of soap and off we would go. Because we were only small we'd share a bath. The attendant let you into the bathroom and you had about half an hour to do your bit. For me, who had only ever had baths in our oval galvanised tin effort (and after everybody else in our house, so that the water was tepid and grey coloured), to have real hot water and as much as you liked was sheer luxury.'

Vintage Birmingham Signs
Vintage Birmingham Signs

Author: Tim Hollis

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing

Published: 2008

Total Pages: 132

ISBN-13: 9780738553764

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Most people do not stop to realize how many of their fond memories involve advertising signs. Although these neon spectaculars, billboards, and even signs painted directly onto brick walls were created expressly to persuade customers to buy products or patronize businesses, many such signs remained in place for so long that they became beloved landmarks in their own right. For Images of America: Vintage Birmingham Signs, Tim Hollis has scoured the archives of Birmingham's former sign companies, as well as other private collections, to compile some of the best remembered or most obscure signs that dotted the urban and suburban landscape. Here readers will again see the Buffalo Rock bottle pouring its ginger ale into a glass, the Golden Flake clown smiling down at passersby, the Barber's milk clock at the Five Points South intersection, and many more. Through these vintage photographs, readers can once again visit such once-thriving destinations as Eastwood Mall, Burger in a Hurry, and the Kiddieland amusement park.