Colonial Brookwood Village
In 1997, Brookwood Village was purchased for $35 million by Colonial Properties and renamed "Colonial Brookwood Village." Colonial embarked almost immediately on an extensive $50 million overhaul which was completed in 2001. Major additions include a new two-story atrium with a food court on the upper level with a "front entrance" for the mall, facing a new outdoor shopping street, modeled on "lifestyle centers" like the Summit Birmingham. What had been a relatively anonymous interior-facing design was transformed into an attractive outdoor space with a pedestrian bridge over Shades Creek and a shared terrace for two anchor restaurants. This outdoor space also provides outside entrances for several mall tenants, features limited parallel parking, and serves as a valet parking station. The street is also part of a six-mile (10 km) long walking trail which follows Shades Creek from Green Springs Highway to Jemison Park in Mountain Brook.
The enclosed three separate parking areas (East and West 2-level decks and Center Ground Level under the Mall have been connected by ramps. Faux building facades energize the outer walls of the decks. The redesign was conceptualized by Street-Works, an Arlington, Virginia-based urban design firm. HKW Architects of Birmingham served as architect of record and developed the conceptual designs for construction. Gar Muse of Cooper Carry, Inc. planned the interiors and contributed to the overall look, drawing from characteristics of the nearby Mountain Brook and Lakeshore communities. Brasfield & Gorrie were general contractors for the revitalization.
Colonial Properties recently added a 9 story office tower on the western end of the mall to house its corporate headquarters as well as additional office and retail space. Further expansion will include a mix of retail, office, residential condos and possibly a hotel.
In 2005, the Rich's location (which was one of the mall's original anchor stores) was converted to Macy's on March 6 marking Macy's third entry into the Birmingham market.
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