In early March, the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham will move its headquarters to the Nextec building at 1531 Third Avenue North. Since its 1959 founding, the Community Foundation has invested more than half a billion dollars back into the community through grantmaking, innovative initiatives, and philanthropy, and the new location will further empower its mission as a catalyst for transformational change.
“In 2016, we began searching for a location to better support our organization’s evolution as a change agent and catalytic funder in our community,” said Christopher Nanni, CEO and President. “We aspire to be a foundation with boots on the ground, and the Nextec location, situated between the Switch and Civil Rights Districts, allows us both visibility and accessibility to our various constituents. We are truly excited about our next chapter and the opportunity it affords us in the future.”
The approximately 65,000-square foot Nextec building first opened in 1928 as the home of the Edwards Motor Company and served as a dealership until 1944. The restored and renovated building was the vision of Michael Mouron, chairman emeritus of Capstone Development Partners, and is a public/private partnership with REV Birmingham, an economic development 501c3 nonprofit with a mission to revitalize and create vibrant commercial districts.
“As the developer and owner of Nextec, I am thrilled to have the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham as a tenant in the building,” said Mouron. “The stated purpose of Nextec is to serve as a ‘catalyst’ to attract and retain companies in the northwest quadrant of the city, which includes the Switch and Civil Rights Districts. With its long history of serving the Greater Birmingham community in so very many positive ways, I cannot think of a more appropriate entity than the Community Foundation to occupy Nextec’s most prominent corner.”
Previously located in the Landmark Center for 20 years, the Foundation’s new open-concept office suite includes 19 offices, three meeting rooms, two collaborative workstations, and a central break room. The building exterior will feature Foundation branding on the windows facing both Third Ave. N. and 16th St. N. as well as an illuminated sign on the corner. The Nextec building is just a block from Innovation Depot and two blocks from the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and Birmingham’s theatre district.