Norwood tours shows

In its heyday more than a half century ago, the Norwood neighborhood just northeast of downtown was a premiere address in Birmingham. Its Victorian and Elizabethan-influenced mansions sit among cozy craftsmen cottages and stately American four-square homes, centered on a central boulevard that served as a promenade for residents.

The folks who live there today, decades after urban flight started a downhill transition among the mansions on the hill, are determined to restore the neighborhood to its original charm. An influx of people, from gay and straight couples to young black and white professionals to a smattering of architects, has been buying and renovating the old homes.

Next Saturday, May 2, residents plan to reintroduce the new and improved Norwood to the rest of Birmingham with the 2009 Historic Norwood Home Tour, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For $10, tour-goers get to visit 10 houses - some fully restored and decorated, others in various stages of renovation. That's why it's nicknamed "the Hard-Hat Tour," Norwood resident and home tour committee member Tom Creger says.

"A lot of what's going on here is a process, and we wanted to invite people to see the process. It will also give people a chance to see other houses that are available. Some may look like they can't be saved, but if a house is standing, there is hope," Creger says. Houses now sell from about $30,000 for a fixer-upper to $130,000 for a finished property, he says.

Neighborhood president Robert Gilmore, along with the Norwood Seniors, will be greeting folks and selling tickets at the old trolley stand at Norwood Boulevard, near the intersection of 15th Avenue and 32nd Street North. The Norwood Walk Club will be strolling the neighborhood, giving directions to the tour houses, including the fully restored Nygren House at 1501 27th St. North. The house, built in 1926 by Swedish immigrant Leander Nygren, now serves as the office of the Norwood Resource Center, which addresses social and physical needs of the community.

The tour also stops at Bell-Hanbury House, 1615 31st St. North, home of James and Shontay Wilson and their young children. James Wilson, an architect, moved three walls to make the kitchen the hub of the house and also add room for a master bath.

The Prairie-style Westley House, at 1623 31st St. North, belongs to Peace Corps alum James Clark and his partner, Robert Christian. The two secured a HUD loan to finance the home's total rehabilitation. Robert added a garden.

Architect Doug Shaddix is working on his bungalow, the Johnson-Ozley House, at 1317 32nd St. North. Shaddix hired a contractor to replace the major systems but is doing the rest of the work himself, including repairing the original plaster.

Shaddix will be sharing what he's learned with visitors. In fact, each house will have a renovation theme, from how to work with an architect or contractor to how to do a green renovation or get a HUD loan.

"We're really pushing the renovation thing," Creger says. "We're not the Hollywood Tour of Homes, or the Forest Park tour. We have some showplaces that are beautifully appointed. But we have some with saw horses in the middle of the living room.