Photo courtesy of Vestavia Hills Baptist Church archives.
Before it was a church, the site where Vestavia Hills Baptist Church stands served as a lavish estate for Vestavia Mayor George Ward, who was known to have an affinity for Roman architecture.
Perched high on Shades Mountain, Vestavia Hills Baptist Church sits where peacocks once roamed and former Mayor George Ward hosted lavish parties in the shadows of a Roman Temple known to most as the Temple of Vesta.
Today, however, the site stands as a pillar of faith.
“It’s a great place to call home,” said Merryl Cooper, who has been a member of the church for her entire life and helps lead the congregation in several capacities.
This year, Cooper said, is especially meaningful for the church as it marks its 60th anniversary. Aside from the church’s picture-perfect location on the mountain, Cooper said VHBC is known for creating community in Vestavia Hills through outreach and worship.
Before the church’s charter members moved into the building on 2600 Vestavia Drive, Cooper said they gathered in the city’s town hall. The building’s location — which was first pioneered by Ward and later became a restaurant — was officially purchased by the church in 1958. Some of the church’s first sermons were delivered from a dining room-turned-sanctuary.
“If you look throughout the building, you can still see some remnants of what it used to be,” Cooper said as she pointed to a section of portico from the structure’s inception.
The building that first stood on the property, commissioned by Ward as an opulent estate, acted as somewhat of a Birmingham landmark for many years, Cooper said. The two and a half story circular structure was modeled after the Temple of Vesta in Rome. Photos of the original building line the church’s interior, giving a nod to its past.
The estate’s former gardens used to expand toward the bluff, meandering into a small domed gazebo modeled after the Temple of Sibyl in Tivoli. That structure, which has since been removed, has become somewhat of a calling card for Vestavia Hills, Cooper said. That same temple now stands on a bluff overlooking the intersection of U.S. 31 and Shades Crest Road. Cooper said she can remember playing basketball at the former site of the gazebo.
“He was fascinated with all things Rome,” Cooper said of Ward, who — local legend has it — had a penchant for colorful birds and parties.
Today, the site has changed purposes and appearance to fit a growing congregation, she said. However, symbolism still runs strong throughout the church, which was extensively remodeled some years after its purchase.
If you look closely at the sanctuary, Cooper said, you can pick up on subtle cues that point to the intention of the church’s architecture.
“The architecture, even though it’s modern and contemporary, is symbolic,” she said, pointing to the three beams that led to the cross in the sanctuary, which is framed by 12 windows on each side. The steel cross outside the building, which overlooks the bluff, also gives a nod to the booming industry of Birmingham’s past, she said.
Today, the church opens its doors to all people from all walks of life, Cooper said. Anyone who needs to find a spiritual home in Vestavia is welcome, she said.
“I have a million memories here,” she said, surveying the walls that still boast the same stone that Ward once brushed up against decades ago. “Now seeing my kids go through youth group here like I did, it’s something special.”
