Negro Southern League Museum Not Up To Code: Councilman Asks Why

BIRMINGHAM, AL — Just four years ago, the Negro Southern League Museum opened behind Regions Field in the Parkside District. But the building is reportedly not up to code, and members of the Birmingham City Council want to know why.

Councilman Clinton Woods is calling on an investigation into the issue, and other council members are asking the same questions regarding the building.

As the city is working with Michael's restaurant to open inside the museum, issues with the building were discovered this week, including leaks, and the fact that the elevator doesn’t go all the way to the top of the building.

A WBRC report said contractors didn’t leave behind as-built sketches of what work was finished. Mayor Randall Woodfin and his staff say they need almost $300,000 to finish the project and bring the museum and restaurant together.

"We didn’t inspect it to make sure there were leaky joists and etc...all of these other laundry list of problems?" Councilor Hunter Williams asked. Williams said the $300,000 Woodfin is requesting is a waste of money.

"This is a gross waste of taxpayers’ dollars," Williams said. "We’re supposed to be stewards of taxpayer dollars. It sounds like there was a failure at every point of this."

The council eventually approved $290,000 this week needed to finish the work at the museum. Woods said he would like to know more about what happened during the initial construction within the next 30 days.

The museum focuses on the famed Birmingham Black Barons and showcases important moments in baseball history. Exhibits in the 15,000-square-foot museum tell the history of the Negro Southern League as well as that of black Alabamians in baseball after the major leagues integrated. The museum is also a research center that focuses on preserving African-American baseball history. The city of Birmingham funded the two-story museum with $3.6 million.