Legal Issues
Julian McPhillips
The first thing you notice when you walk into the old house on South Perry Street is that there’s some great art on the walls of the McPhillips-Shinbaum law firm. It’s historic and welcoming, but they’re busy, fielding calls and meeting with clients, and there in the waiting area is a small table with three […]
What We Wished We’d Known
You’re buying a house for the first time. Everything seems like a dream: the crown molding, the old floors, the large yard. You can’t believe that someone will help you by lending money to make this your home. If you choose wisely, your home will make you happy every day. You can drink coffee in […]
Remembering Judge Johnson
In the Montgomery airport, there’s a new advertisement for the movie Selma, which was shot partly right here in town. The movie’s advertising slogan reads “One dream can change the world.” That’s catchy, and clearly calls back to Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous speech at the 1963 March on Washington. Unfortunately, it reflects a common […]
Gone Fishin’
So a lot of federal employees are out of work as of today. “I’m not headed to a National Park,” you may say, “so it matters not to me.” Or perhaps your response is that you think a lot fewer federal worker bees is really a good idea. Chances are, you see little (if any) […]
Save 1802 Madison
In the name of branding, the City of Montgomery has declared itself to be “Capital Cool,” a marketing phrase designed to attract people to the state’s capital city. I have another suggestion for attaining that elusive state of being cool: Get on board the 1802 Project. A group of neighbors have come together to save […]
When Life Closes a Window, It Opens a New Window
Almost everyone that has purchased an older home has — at some point — questioned the decision making of a previous owner. In our case, there’s a part of our 1930 house that has been somewhat annoying for a couple of years now. Although it isn’t our least favorite part of our home, one potentially amazing part […]
Knowing What You’re Getting Into
Those of us who are somewhat regular at meetings of the City Architectural Review Board are quite accustomed to seeing someone on the agenda who has begun work (or worse) on their historic district home without the prior review and approval of this important group. And we can almost anticipate the defense: “We didn’t know […]
Demolition of History: Shepard Building
Sometimes, you play the hand you’re dealt. Most people think of Montgomery as a city with a wide variety of historical elements, whether you’re talking Civil War, state government, Hank Williams, or the Civil Rights Movement. And that’s cool — except that we don’t live in a history book. No matter how interesting it is […]
Idea Factory
In 1776, Thomas Paine wrote that inhabitants of our new nation were living in “times that try men’s souls.” For those interested in the future of our city, we’re living in times that try our consciences. It’s hard not to look at the city’s ever-unfolding ambitious plans and wonder if they aren’t part of some […]
Meet the Candidates: Jenny Ives
On March 8th, much of Midtown will go to the polls to elect a new representative for District 7 of the Montgomery City Council. Now that Martha Roby has gone off to Washington to represent Montgomery in Congress, eight candidates qualified for the special election to replace her and seven remain in the race. Midtown […]
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