The Parliament House
The last of the great city-center hotels, The Parliament House in its heyday was Birmingham's finest.  Its architecture boggled the mind, however; it looked as if someone picked up the building, as is, from the Daytona Beach coastline, and plucked it down on Birmingham's southside.
 

1960s

2005

As time passed, the Parliament house eventually fell on hard times, and went through periods as chain hotels -- Ramada Inn and Holiday Inn -- before returning to its roots, so to speak, using the name Parliament Hotel & Suites.
 
(LEFT) The abandoned hotel's final name, Parliament Hotel & Suites.  What's interesting here is, the property carrieed remnants of both its past chain affiliations: Holiday Inn (look at the sign!), and (BELOW) Ramada -- look closely at the crown; the lights were there to illuminate the word RAMADA - of which a label scar was faintly visible.

For years, the mighty Parliament House sat vacant.  But WHY?  Postcard collector, and visitor/contributor J. D. WEEKS offered this explanation: "Over the years it has been sold, once for a dollar and assume the debt.  One of those people promptly sold the land in back (the rest of the block that was the parking lot) for a ton of money and then bailed out.  They have not one single parking space ... which as you know is needed for a hotel!  So, it sits.  I wondered many times if it was possible to rip out the first two floors and put parking underneath the hotel.  Hmmmmmmmmmm, most likely not doable!"

In June 2006, UAB purchased the property, and plans were to raze the structure and use the site for future expansion.  And in February 2008, the Parliament House was brought to the ground.

1960s postcard courtesy of Tim Hollis
2005 photos by Allen Huguley


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UPDATED 03/07/2008 -- 104 AM EST
10/02/2005 -- 717 PM EDT