IVAN REMEMBERED 5 Years Later
Alabama Gulf Coast Stronger Than Ever
By Clayton Wallace
Five years ago, Hurricane Ivan hit the Alabama Gulf Coast with what many perceived as a knockout blow. The eye of the storm passed over the area, hitting Gulf Shores and Orange Beach especially hard.
In the wake of the storm, condos, homes, businesses and municipalities were left in disarray. The old saying goes that in every storm cloud, there is a silver lining. For many condo and property owners along the beach that silver lining came along as developers sought to purchase many of these hard-hit properties for redevelopment.
The landscape along the beach road that runs through the two cities has yielded many new developments in the past five years. Many long-time fixtures along the road were not rebuilt, but in their place now stand new condos, businesses and attractions. Others were rebuiltÑbigger and better than ever.
If you take a drive east along the beach road, beginning near the Little Lagoon Pass in Gulf Shores, several high-rise condos have been built since the storm. Condo developments like Mustique and Lagoon Tower dominate the landscape. Surrounded by water and single-family homes, these condos rise 20 stories above the beach. Each offers a commanding view of the surrounding area, including the gulf, Little Lagoon and the Bon Secour National Wildlife Preserve.
A couple miles east of the pass is Crystal Towers. Located on the north side of the road, the development offers a beach club for owners and guests on the south side of the road. The condos are connected to the beach club via its most striking amenityÑan elevated, air-conditioned crosswalk that is the first of its kind in Gulf Shores.
Although it is not a condo, another noticeable change is located just north of the main public beach in Gulf Shores. The Hangout is a restaurant and bar that harkens residents and longtime visitors back 45 or 50 years to the beach movies of Annette Funicello and Frankie Avalon in both architecture and fare. The site was the home of a hotel, restaurants, bars and shops before Ivan. Future plans call for a mixed-use development, including shopping and condos, to rise above the site.
Just a couple blocks east of The Hangout sit three condo developments in the heart of Gulf Shores. The San Carlos sits on the former site of the Holiday Inn, which was destroyed during Ivan. Seawind condos are just west of the San Carlos, standing on the former site of Young's By the Sea motel, another landmark of years past in the city. A few lots west of Seawind, the Lighthouse condos sit on the former site of its namesake, the Lighthouse motel. The old motel was one of the landmarks of years past in the city with a faux lighthouse rising several stories with multi-colored glass. The new development doesn't feature the old lighthouse, but it does offer an outstanding view of the surrounding area, standing about 15 stories higher than the top of the old lighthouse.
Moving west toward Orange Beach, the newest reconstruction effort in the area is the Gulf State Park fishing pier. Re-opened on July 23, a crowd of several hundred state and local officials along with business leaders and anglers were on hand as Gov. Bob Riley dedicated the new pier with a ribbon cutting ceremony. This pier replaces the one Ivan destroyed.
Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Chief Engineer Terry Boyd said the dimensions of the new pier are 20 feet wide and 1,512 feet long. The old pier was 14 feet wide and 875 feet long.
Another project drivers along the beach road may notice is just to the east of the pier. The Gulf State Park Hotel and Convention Center was destroyed during Ivan, and the site still lies vacant. Tied up in court for several years, plans are now under way to break ground on a new hotel, and maybe most importantly, a new convention center.
At the east end of the Gulf State Park beach property lies the state's new beach pavilion, which replaces the original destroyed by Ivan. Its unusual architecture, including its upswept roof, is designed to better withstand hurricane winds than the one it replaced.
Approximately a mile east of the pavilion in Orange Beach is the unfinished structure of what will eventually become the largest building on the Alabama Gulf CoastÑthe Phoenix West II condo. At 31 stories and almost 2 million square feet when completed, the structure will dwarf other structures in the area. Developed by Brett-Robinson, the opening is scheduled for 2011.
Continuing east for another half-mile or so brings one to the original Phoenix West I, also developed by Brett-Robinson. Although smaller than its unfinished sibling, it is still huge at 29 stories and 1.1 million square feet. It was opened to great fanfare and a ribbon cutting by Gov. Bob Riley in November 2008.
Less than a mile east of the new Publix on the beach are two more of the largest and most unique looking condos in the areaÑthe two Turquoise Place towers. Developed by Larry Wireman of Caribe fame, these towers represent the height of the luxury condo construction trends of a few years back with asking prices that started at $1.4 million. Turquoise Place consists of two towers that stand well in excess of 300 feet above the gulf, and each is encased in turquoise glass.
Ivan struck the area with a formidable knockout punch five years ago. While the Alabama Gulf Coast may have been knocked down, local hospitality industry professionals, developers, locals and visitors would agree that it was not knocked out. "We've had more than our fair share to rebuild during my term,Ó Riley said at the dedication of the new pier. "One thing I will say is that when we rebuild, we rebuild bigger and better."
