A piece of Birmingham’s history gets a new lease on life.

The Merchants and Manufacturer’s Terminal was designed in 1927 to help meet the demands of a rapidly-developing Birmingham. It featured 22 reconfigurable bays that allowed efficient adaptation for shippers and was an important part of the railroad’s infrastructure. It was eventually abandoned and left to deteriorate before FRED joined with the development firm Third and Urban to create a new brand for its revitalization. The site has now become a mixed-use office, retail and residential property.

FRED renamed the building after the original architecture firm – Denham Van Keuren Denham (D. VK. D.) – to pay homage to the designers of some of Birmingham’s most beautiful buildings, including the original Denham Building in 1927. The new brand identity positions the renovation of the building as a solid and lasting cornerstone in the revitalized Parkside neighborhood, embracing its past innovations in commerce, while looking to the future in Birmingham’s continued growth.

The Denham building is physically located near the site of one of Birmingham’s largest railroad switchyards. Today, that switchyard is known as the award-winning Railroad Park. The Denham property is uniquely shaped by the curve of the railroad lines which weaved into the switchyard. This “turning point” in the railroad served as inspiration as FRED created a tagline to position the Denham Building.

The message speaks to an audience who is at a time and place in life where they have come into their own. They seek a modern live/work environment rich with amenities within a neighborhood as progressive as their mindset. The tagline targets this intent and presents Denham as the place where change may be realized.