The People's Street

     That's what Dexter Avenue is sometimes called...home to the State Capitol Building and the Dexter-King Memorial Church, site of hundreds of protests and celebrations.
     Two years ago a controversy was brewing over the plan by RSA's David Bronner to "save" the building that was home to the State Supreme Court for a half-century. The building had been vacant for years, and Bronner proposed encapsulating the existing building with a larger, much taller office building.
     Preservationists complained that the view down the "people's street" to the Capitol would be ruined by the boxy shape and the 12 story height of the new structure.
     Two years later, the construction is still underway, and so far, so far, the view doesn't seem to have been harmed. You can see the site

   

 But the front of the $200-Million new building is to be comprised of massive glass walls surrounding the old court building. And it's that part of the structure that may or may not ruin the view. In the coming weeks, as more of that front part is assembled, and the huge glass walls that will allow passersby to see the old building are finished, we'll know for sure.
     Meanwhile, just down the street, the "new" Alabama Supreme Court building is surrounded by construction crews and vehicles. They're trying to fix the persistant leaks than have cause the lower level garage to become a lake when it rains. And all that water is also damaging other parts of the building too. The building was designed  by Barganier, Davis, Sims Architects Associated of Montgomery and Gresham, Smith, and Partners of Birmingham. It cost of almost $35-Million and opened less than 20 years ago.