Tuscaloosa,AL

[DruidCity]

With the exception of the last photo, these were taken today:

University of Alabama President's Mansion (1839), probably Tuscaloosa's most photographed building :

Directly across the Quad is the main branch of the extensive (~ 2 million publication) University

of Alabama library system.

Along the south edge of campus is Tutwiler women's dorm. I went to elementary school just on the other side of it, in what is now a surface parking lot. Some of the shops in the foreground, like "The Corner" have been in business since the mid-1940s.

The old neighborhoods between campus and downtown include a sometimes uneasy mix of

well-preserved single-family homes and not--as-well-preserved old homes that are used as student rentals.

The city has, in the last couple of years, changed zoning laws in an effort to keep density down when possible in the better-preserved parts of these old neighborhoods, while allowing higher density in the parts

that are already degraded. This is leading to a "mini-boom" of condo and apartment activity in that area.

Here's a house used as a student rental :

Around the corner from that is this old house, which once belonged to one of my grandmother's closest friends. My mother grew up across the street and down a couple houses from this one.

A year or so ago, the house (which has been in some state of disrepair from use as a student rental) suffered fire damage. The next two houses were smaller and wood and were destroyed.

Since they were destroyed, developers were allowed to put in a multifamily residential development (see right of photo).

Bryant-Denny Stadium will hold well in excess of 90,000 when the $58-million expansion is complete this summer. New video screens will be installed : http://www.daktronics.com/dak_news.cfm?articleID=512

As part of an expansion to Bryant-Denny Stadium, two new video displays, featuring Daktronics proven ProStar

[Mith242]

Nice pics, I can't recall if I've ever seen pics of Tuscaloosa before.

[Southernyank]

University of Alabama. Dont stand between a "Bama" and his football.

[Mith242]

University of Alabama. Dont stand between a "Bama" and his football.

Interesting to hear about the big screen. I don't know the dimensions but I know when they put in the one we have around 5 years ago here at Razorback Stadium, it was the biggest not only in college but pro sports at the time. But as I said that was 5 or so years back, I'm sure more than one stadium has passed up our big screen.

[DruidCity]

Mith242, the jumbo screen at Razorback Stadium is most definitely larger than any of the screens at Bryant-Denny (existing one at middle of south endzone, plus the two new smaller ones being added to the corners of the north end zone). It is just the advertising "ribbon screens" being added along the length of both sides here that will be large for a college stadium.

[Mith242]

Mith242, the jumbo screen at Razorback Stadium is most definitely larger than any of the screens at Bryant-Denny (existing one at middle of south endzone, plus the two new smaller ones being added to the corners of the north end zone). It is just the advertising "ribbon screens" being added along the length of both sides here that will be large for a college stadium.

Oh I see, I misunderstood.

[Okie]

Looks kinda poor and pretty at the same time.

[DruidCity]

Thanks, Okie. That's a good description, really.

To give you an idea, my grandmother's house across from the fire-damaged whitish house in one of the photos sold for just $55,000 around 1990.

Although a lot of the student rental houses in those neighborhoods are in various states of disrepair like those shown, a few of the neighborhoods have bounced back with a vengeance, with a lot of homes in the half-million range. Having downtown, the university, and two grocery stores within walking distance bode well for the future of this part of town.

Although there is a sizable poverty rate, we do have a couple of wealthier, growing areas of town and a consistently low unemployment rate. A new riverfront condo downtown is preselling penthouses for $1.5 million per unit, for instance, and the area of the city north of the river is generally well-to-do (million-dollar homes around the lake) .