The bright lights of Birmingham's theater and retail district have shone
over the Magic City for nearly one hundred years during the good times
and the bad. During the early 1900s, small businesses, largely founded
by immigrants who arrived in Birmingham with almost nothing, exploded
into immensely popular shopping and entertainment destinations. The
stories of entrepreneurs and immigrants like Louis Pizitz and his
business rival, Adolph Loveman, exemplify the kind of rags-to-riches
tales that make up much of the city's character. The theaters in the
district, some with themed restrooms, inspired the head of Paramount
Pictures to dub Birmingham's Alabama Theatre the Showplace of the South.
Author Tim Hollis celebrates and revives the spirit of the beloved
department stores and famous theaters from the era of silent movies to
the days of integration and change to today.