Century Plaza remembered: Vintage photos of demolished Birmingham mall
Updated Jan 06, 2021;
For generations of Alabamians, it is forever Christmas inside the walls of Birmingham’s Century Plaza.
From memories of last-minute shopping, to whispers in Santa’s ear, to Jingles the Talking Bear, mentioning the now-gone shopping mall on Birmingham’s eastside inevitably brings up visions of Yuletide cheer for longtime residents and those who came to the Magic City to find the right gifts.
And so, it’s probably appropriate - if a bit melancholy - that the end of the 2020 holiday season also saw the completion of demolition at Century Plaza. And there were more than likely a few stunned people to find that, when crews tore down the walls, there weren’t still strings of lights and Santa’s throne inside, and a Poinsettia Christmas tree, waiting for shoppers who would never return.