The contest, Prize 2 the Future, was all about cool ideas to transform Birmingham! And over 1,000 were received. So we’ve been thinking – what makes a good idea better? Well, most often when it becomes a reality or when it stimulates another good idea! So ultimately every idea has to be shared to create value.
“Ideas are cheap. I’ve never had a good idea I didn’t have to cram down someone’s throat”
This is one of Bob Moody’s favorite quotes (not sure where it came from!). It just means to him that good ideas are followed by massive amounts of work! Yes, ideas are cheap and mostly free for the taking by those who are willing to risk all their energy and resources to make them happen, and consistently refute obstacles along the way. Often a good idea develops from one that never happened, or maybe a better one is sparked by the ideas of others. Over the years, Bob has had LOTS of ideas for Five Points South and has spent LOTS of hours trying to sell them. Some are still valid, and maybe it’s better that some were never financed. Nevertheless, there are lessons to be learned from all of them.
So we decided to share some of these, the good AND the not-so-good. Included is a sketch for a mixed-use development that included a mid-rise tower on the corner of 20th and 10th Avenue South now occupied by Chick Fil-A. At one time, we hoped to create a residence over what is now Chez Fon Fon (and which used to be our design offices). Thankfully, the developer was unable to obtain financing and it was never built.
