The Building
The Birmingham Macaroni Company manufactured Eagle Brand macaroni, spaghetti and grits in Birmingham from a three-story 50 foot by 100 foot plant at 14th Street and Avenue D on Southside. The company was owned by P. J. Serio and kept its offices in the Empire Building with C. S. Simmons as secretary and treasurer.
When described in 1911, the Birmingham Macaroni Company produced 6,000 pounds of pasta a day using 30 barrels of flour. The plant was staffed by 20 employees, many of them native Italians and was equipped with modern machinery.
In 2015 the UAB Educational Foundation purchased the property from Lillian Coyle for $600,000. Three years later, it sold the building to Macaroni LLC for $810,000. The company, which includes Kathy Okrongley of Southpace Properties, initially proposed a 20-unit condominium redevelopment, dubbed Macaroni Lofts. During development, the scale of the project was increased to 35 units, with a new connecting wing to be built on an adjacent lot. Recent enthusiasm for the project spurred an additional seven units to be added, for a total of 42, including three penthouses.
Vision
What does it take to turn an almost 12 decade old dilapidated pasta plant into an upscale loft complex? First of all, it takes vision. When Kathleen Okrongley, developer for the project, was asked why she decided to purchase the run-down building, she replied, “The potential. It’s an overlooked building because of the state it’s in. The windows are blocked in but when you enter the building you see the potential to open up those windows and bring it back to its original beauty and character.”
In addition to the potential beauty of the building, it is in a great location and has “good bones”, being very structurally sound.
Solid Team
A vision remains nothing without the means to bring it to fruition. Transforming a macaroni plant that is well over a century old into a modern condominium complex is no small task. It takes a team of experts, each with their own unique strengths and qualifications. View our Development Team page.
Transformation
Pre-Construction
The Vision Realized
