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Birmingham Steel Corporation Business Information, Profile, and History

1000 Urban Center Drive, Suite 300
Birmingham, Alabama 35242-2516
U.S.A.

Company Perspectives:

Birmingham Steel will capitalize on new mini-mill technologies ensuring its continued place in the worldwide steel markets. Whether it is through participation in new mini-mill ventures or additional improvements in our current operations, Birmingham Steel Corporation will continue to be on the leading edge, offering quality products and superior service at globally competitive prices.

History of Birmingham Steel Corporation

Birmingham Steel Corporation (BSC) operates seven steel production facilities across the United States. Its mill products are made from recycled scrap metal and include reinforcement bars (used in the construction of concrete buildings and highways) and steel rounds, flats, squares, angles, strips, and channels (used in the manufacture of a variety of products including farm equipment, safety walks, ornamental furniture, and fences). Although the company pays considerable attention to keeping its plants up-to-date and efficient, excess capacity both at home and abroad have made it difficult for Birmingham Steel to turn a consistent profit. After seven years of losing money in the special bar quality market, Birmingham Steel sold off its American Steel & Wire Corp. unit in 2000.

1983 Incorporation

The New York-based venture capital group AEA Investors Inc. incorporated Birmingham Steel in 1983. At that time, the U.S. steel industry was suffering financially from declining construction start-ups and intense competition from newer, more efficient European and Japanese mills. Encumbered by outdated technology, many mills were unable to compete. Throughout the 1970s and into the 1980s, both large and smaller mills eliminated jobs and many mills closed. Birmingham Steel was founded on the belief that some of these smaller mills were greatly undervalued, and if they were purchased and renovated, they could turn a profit. Birmingham Steel was to operate under the 'market mill' concept, a manufacturing and marketing strategy developed as an alternative to that of the large U.S. steel mills. Also known as mini-mills, these new operations were smaller, more efficient, and more specialized than traditional U.S. mills, and were designed to be flexible and responsive to changing market demands.

Birmingham Steel's first acquisition was that of the Birmingham Bolt Co., which operated a pair of rebar and merchant product mini-mills in Birmingham, Alabama, and in Kankakee, Illinois. The investment was risky, saddling the company with $45 million in debt and two mills that were outdated and inefficient. 'We had two of the oldest, meanest, most terrible mills in the nation,' Birmingham Chairman and CEO James A. Todd (formerly chief of Birmingham Bolt) told Iron Age in 1993.

Todd, however, knew how to gain the confidence of investors. He met regularly with Wall Street analysts to apprise them of the progress of his company, and in early 1985 he negotiated a deal in which AEA Investors converted Birmingham Steel's $4 million in bonds to equity and put up another $12 million to fund the acquisition of the Mississippi Steel division of Magna Corp. With the acquisition of Mississippi Steel, Birmingham Steel was able to close its environmentally unsound melt shop in Kankakee and supply the mill with billets from its Alabama and Mississippi plants. Several months later, Birmingham Steel went public on the New York Stock Exchange, raising $28 million, which was used to pay down debt from the Mississippi Steel and Birmingham Bolt purchases and to upgrade existing facilities. In May 1986 the company made a convertible debenture offering that netted another $30 million.

Within three years, Birmingham Steel found itself in a comfortable position to further pay down debt, renovate existing mini-mills, and begin shopping for others. In the summer of 1986, the company acquired Intercostal Steel Corp., a privately held mini-mill located in Chesapeake, Virginia, for $6.5 million in cash. Birmingham Steel began operating the company under the name Norfolk Steel Corp. and announced its intent to capture some of the Northeastern rebar market segment that opened when industry giant Bethlehem Steel Corporation decided to close its Pennsylvania rebar plants. The market looked promising. The new Norfolk Steel had already captured two former Bethlehem accounts, and Birmingham Steel planned to renovate the facilities to increase production fourfold.

Not content to remain a regional producer, Birmingham Steel began searching for other mini-mills to acquire. 'We're still hungry and we still have money,' Todd told American Metals Market after the Norfolk purchase. Birmingham Steel next acquired Northwest Steel Rolling Mills Inc. of Seattle, a mini-mill with a 150,000-ton capacity and annual sales of $40 million. Less than two weeks later, Birmingham Steel purchased Judson Steel Corp. of Emeryville, California. The two mills provided Birmingham Steel with a foothold in the West Coast rebar and merchant markets, generating a total capacity of 300,000 tons per year. The Judson purchase was solidly in keeping with Birmingham Steel's strategy of acquiring undervalued mills: the entire operation had been slated for demolition by its Australian parent company, Peko-Wallsend Ltd., and the land had been earmarked for commercial development.

In the two years after it went public, Birmingham Steel's sales increased fivefold, reaching $218 million in 1987. Its annual steel output hit 648,000 tons, up 49 percent from the 436,000 tons shipped in 1986. Sales of roof support systems also grew at a steady rate, and Birmingham Steel held more than 50 percent of the market.

Modernization of its milling equipment was essential to maintain Birmingham Steel's competitiveness in an industry plagued by overproduction, and the company strove to continuously upgrade its production facilities. A new melt shop furnace was installed in its Birmingham plant that increased billet capacity to 275,000 tons; new casters and reheat furnaces in the company's Kankakee plant greatly improved productivity there; and the addition of more efficient rolling equipment at the company's Jackson plant led that operation to ship a record 1,100 tons per employee. More troublesome was Birmingham Steel's Norfolk operation. Production was expanded from 80 hours per week to a full 24-hour cycle in 1987, and management soon realized that the plant's efficiency was greatly in need of improvement. The company made some initial improvements that year and allocated $5 million for new rolling mill equipment in 1988.

Shipments, sales, and earnings reached record levels in 1988, fueled primarily by efficient operation of the Seattle, Jackson, and Birmingham plants. More than one million tons of steel were shipped in 1988, sales grew by 59 percent to $344 million, and earnings reached $24.7 million. The company streamlined operations by selling outdated steel fabricating facilities at its Seattle and Norfolk plants and a rebar coating facility that was part of its Kankakee operations. Capital improvements begun at its Kankakee and Norfolk mills also were completed.

Tough Times in 1989

The next year, 1989, was a difficult one for Birmingham Steel. Share prices rose to $29 on the strength of plans to take the company private through a merger with Harbert Corporation, then plummeted to $14.50 when the merger fell through. Per-share earnings dropped by 58 percent as steel prices slipped and scrap prices remained high. Earnings were further deteriorated by losses due to the troublesome start-up of a new melt shop at the Kankakee plant, costly repairs at the Norfolk plant, and an aborted joint venture to manufacture flat-rolled steel with Proler International Corp. and Danieli & C. officine Meccaniche of Italy. Regarding the decision to terminate the proposed joint venture (which cost Birmingham Steel $1.5 million), Todd reported to Financial World in 1990, 'We'd better take care of what we know how to run before we try to run something that is a new business for us.'

Management regrouped in 1990 and focused on expanding existing facilities. Its Jackson melt shop received a $40 million expansion and plans were made to relocate Salmon Bay's downtown Seattle rolling mill to the site of its suburban melt shop, freeing the Seattle real estate for sale or development. Birmingham Steel began planning the construction of a $125 million mini-mill near Phoenix. The Phoenix plant would replace the company's aging Emeryville mini-mill, the land under the Emeryville plant would be sold, and profits would go toward the construction of the new mini-mill.

For the first time in Birmingham Steel's history, net sales declined over the previous year, from $442.5 million in 1990 to $407.6 million in 1991. The sales drop was caused by recessions in both the West Coast and Northeast markets. This led to a 2 percent decline in steel shipments and a 5 percent drop in the selling price of steel. Earnings were eroded as the company closed its Emeryville and Norfolk plants and a melt shop near Seattle. 'We probably made a mistake when we bought the mill at Norfolk,' Todd conceded to Iron Age in 1993. The northeastern rebar market remained slow throughout the late 1980s, and this factor, combined with ongoing mechanical problems, squeezed profits. 'Economic conditions dictated that the company could not tolerate unprofitable operations,' Todd reported in the company's 1991 letter to stockholders.

Birmingham Steel boosted production at its four remaining mini-mills and opened steel distribution centers on both the East and West Coasts to serve clients who previously had been served by the closed operations. The company also purchased Seattle Steel Inc. and by late 1993 had consolidated its Seattle operations in a new $50 million mill. Plans continued for the new mini-mill to be built near Phoenix, but a site had not been chosen.

Despite strong competition in the steel market, per-share earnings improved greatly in 1992 as Birmingham Steel's continuous modernization program substantially lowered operating costs. The company netted $133 million in a common stock offering, invested $56 million in capital improvements, and reduced its debt by $51 million. By 1992 Birmingham Steel had also begun to sell steel abroad, exporting $24 million worth of steel overseas. In 1993 the company shipped a record 1.6 million tons of steel, 233,000 of which was exported overseas, and sales grew to $442.3 million, but earnings dropped 43 percent from the previous year.

In November 1993, Birmingham Steel purchased American Steel & Wire Corp., an Ohio-based producer of wire and steel rods, for $134 million. American Steel & Wire (ASW), which enjoyed a reputation as the nation's highest-quality producer of steel rods and wire products, provided Birmingham Steel with an entry into the coiled rod and wire (or SBQ--special bar quality) markets of the automotive, appliance, and aerospace industries and also greatly reduced its dependency on the highly competitive rebar market. Birmingham Steel began construction of a $110 million, state-of-the-art rolling mill that would boost ASW's annual output from 500,000 tons to approximately 1.1 million tons upon its completion in late 1996.

Birmingham Steel had much to celebrate as it entered its second decade of operation. Sales in 1994 jumped by 59 percent to $702.8 million. Common equity stood at $439 million, and the debt-to-capital ratio was lower than at any time in the company's history. In early 1995, Birmingham Steel sold its mine roof support business to Excel Mining Systems, Inc., a move that permitted the company to focus exclusively on steel production and sales. Birmingham remained committed to capital improvements, outlining a $650 million renovation program through the year 2000. The company was also well positioned to diversify into other markets and continued to investigate potential joint ventures into the flat rolled steel segment.

Upgrading in 1995

In 1995, Birmingham Steel Corporation had almost a dozen construction projects underway, all part of a $675 million plan to make the company more productive by 1999. The company built a new $175 million melt shop in Memphis to make the American Steel & Wire unit self-sufficient in raw steel, which had amounted to 70 percent of ASW's costs. Birmingham Steel's existing melt shop in Birmingham could not provide the quality required by ASW's automotive clients.

Birmingham Steel also decided to build a new rolling mill next to its existing rod mill in Ohio. The new mill would consume the excess capacity of the new melt shop. Sumitomo Metal Industries was brought in from Japan to help design the state-of-the-art mill. Two U.S. firms, Morgan Construction and Kocks Pittsburgh Co., teamed to build it.

Several other existing facilities were slated for renovations. Birmingham Steel aimed to be the lowest cost producer in its market, with a goal of converting steel scrap metal to product for $100 a ton, according to Metal Center News. Other major mini-mills, including Nucor, North Star, Ipsco, and Oregon Steel Mills, also were expanding, laying out a combined $1 billion a year in capital expenditures in the mid-1990s.

Some of Birmingham Steel's units had a banner year in 1996. Nonresidential construction, agriculture, and road construction were some of the best performing areas. Total revenues were $832 million, compared with $442 million in 1990. The company employed 1,600 workers, twice as many as it had ten years earlier.

Robert Garvey, president of North Star Steel, replaced James Todd as CEO in January 1996. Both Todd and the board felt that a younger leader was required to carry out the expansion program Todd had started. Garvey aimed to make Birmingham Steel a $2 billion-a-year company by 2001, even in the face of an excess of capacity in many product lines. While expanding, Birmingham Steel had to become the most efficient provider possible. It soon bought a Georgia mill from Atlantic Steel for $43 million and expanded its raw materials operations. It fired most of the workers at the new mill--the company 'didn't have the luxury of waiting three to four years to change the culture,' Garvey told New Steel. The company also retired a significant amount of obsolescent equipment there.

By the fall of 1999, however, a dissident shareholder group led by two prominent steel executives, former Birmingham Steel Chairman Jim Todd and former Nucor Corp. CEO John Correnti, was attempting to oust Garvey. Stockholders, who had seen the company's share price fall from $17 to $4 in three years, voted Correnti CEO that December. Correnti himself had been forced to resign from Nucor only six months earlier.

Correnti immediately acted to improve the company's cash flow and reduce its debt. Its main problem was its SBQ operations in Cleveland and Memphis, which supplied the automotive industry. Correnti told shareholders an investment of $100 million was required to make them competitive. One of Birmingham's most solid performers was its mill at Kankakee, Illinois; it was slated for expansion in 2001. Even this plant was forced to reduce work hours due to a drop in the price of rebar; American steel mills alleged dumping on the part of several countries.

Birmingham finally sold off its SBQ operations in Cleveland and Memphis in November 2000. The buyer, North American Metals Ltd., had recently been formed to acquire niche companies in the steel industry. Birmingham Steel had conducted its SBQ operations under the American Steel & Wire name.

Principal Subsidiaries: American Iron Reduction, LLC (50%); Birmingham East Coast Holdings; Birmingham Recycling Investment Company; Birmingham Southeast, LLC (85%); Birmingham Steel Overseas, Ltd. (Barbados); Port Everglades Steel Corporation; Richmond Steel Recycling, Ltd. (50%).

Principal Operating Units: Birmingham; Cartersville; Jackson; Joliet; Kankakee; Seattle.

Principal Competitors: Commercial Metals Company; Co-Steel Inc.; Nucor Corporation.

Related information about Birmingham

33°31N 86°48W, pop (2000e) 242 800. Seat of Jefferson Co, NC Alabama, USA; settled, 1813; largest city in the state; airfield; railway; university (1842); canal connection to Gulf of Mexico; leading iron and steel centre in the S; iron, coal and limestone mined; metal products, transportation equipment, chemicals, food products; centre for commerce, banking and insurance; civil rights protests in the 1960s; Alabama Symphony, Sloss Furnaces, iron statue of Vulcan; Festival of the Arts (Apr).

52°30N 1°50W, pop (2001e) 977 100. City and chief town in West Midlands, C England, UK; part of West Midlands urban area and Britain's second largest city; 175 km/109 mi NW of London; noted centre for metalwork since the 16th-c; developed rapidly in the Industrial Revolution in an area with a large supply of iron ore and coal; heavily bombed in World War 2; railway; airport; motorway complex to the N at ‘Spaghetti Junction’; three universities (Birmingham, 1900; Aston, 1966; Central England, formerly Birmingham Polytechnic, 1992); Aston Science Park; regional media centre for television and radio; engineering, vehicles, plastics, chemicals, electrical goods, machine tools, glass; 18th-c Church of St Philip, Cathedral of St Chad (1839), Aston Hall (1618–35), art gallery, symphony orchestra, theatre, museums, Bull Ring shopping complex, National Exhibition Centre; football league teams, Aston Villa (Villa), Birmingham City (Blues), nearby West Bromwich Albion (Baggies), Walsall (Saddlers); international show-jumping championships (Apr).

font-weight: bolder;">Geography

Status

Metropolitan borough, City (1889)

Region

West Midlands

Ceremonial county

West Midlands

Historic county

Warwickshire
(some suburbs from Staffordshire and Worcestershire)

Area
- Total

Ranked 169th
267.77 km²

Admin HQ

Birmingham

ISO 3166-2

GB-BIR

ONS code

00CN

OS grid reference

SP066868}}

Coordinates

52°29N 1°54W

NUTS 3

UKG31

Demographics

Population:
Total (EnglishStatisticsYear)
Density

Ranked / km²

Ethnicity
(2001 census)

70.4% White
2.9% Mixed
19.5% Asian
6.1% Black
0.5% Chinese
0.6% Other

city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands. please read the Talk page discussions and arrive at a consensus prior to editing it-->and is generally considered to be the UK's second city. The city's reputation was forged as the powerhouse of the Industrial Revolution in Britain, a fact which led to Birmingham being known as "the workshop of the world" or the "city of a thousand trades"Decline of the city of a thousand trades (April 17, 2006) Birmingham Mail. It forms part of the larger West Midlands conurbation, which has a population of 2,284,093 (2001 census) and includes several neighbouring towns and cities, such as Solihull, Wolverhampton and the towns of the Black Country. There is a distinctive Brummie dialect and accent.

Birmingham is an ethnically and culturally diverse city. At the time of the 2001 census, 70.4% of the population was White (including 3.2% Irish), 19.5% British Asian 6.1% Black or Black British, 0.5% Chinese, and 3.5% of mixed race or other ethnic heritage. In this time, it has grown from a tiny Anglo-Saxon farming village into a major industrial and commercial city.Origins of Birmingham Birmingham.gov.uk

The Birmingham area was occupied in Roman times, with several military roads and a large fort. It was first recorded in written documents by the Domesday Book of 1086 as a small village, worth only 20 shillings.

In the 12th century, Birmingham was granted a charter to hold a market, which in time became known as the Bull Ring. As a convenient location for trade, Birmingham soon developed into a small but thriving market town.

By the 16th century, Birmingham's access to supplies of iron ore and coal meant that metalworking industries became established. Birmingham manufacturers supplied Oliver Cromwell's forces with much of their weaponry during the English Civil War. Unlike many other English industrial cities such as Manchester, industry in Birmingham was based upon small workshops rather than large factories or mills.

**Historical population of BirminghamHistoric Population Of Birmingham Population table Bham.de**
Year	Population figure
1538	1,300
1650	5,472
1700	15,032
1731	23,286
1778	42,250
1785	52,250
1801	73,670
1811	85,753
1821	106,722
1831	146,986
1841	182,922
1851	232,638
1861	296,076
1871	343,787
1881	400,774
1891	478,113
1901	522,204
1911	840,202
1912-1967	Records destroyed
1968	900,000

.

Railways arrived in Birmingham in 1837, with the opening of the Grand Junction Railway and later the London and Birmingham Railway the railways soon linked Birmingham to every corner of Britain. And this was soon followed by the Great Western Railway's Snow Hill stationBirmingham UK pages.

In the early 20th century Birmingham Corporation Tramways operated a tramway network which was the largest in the country to be constructed to the narrow gauge of 3'6" rather than the more usual 4'8½". It was linked with the tramways in Walsall, Wolverhampton and the Black Country.

During the Victorian era, the population of Birmingham grew rapidly to well over half a millionHistoric Population Of Birmingham Birmingham.gov.uk and Birmingham became the second largest population centre in England and the third in Britain after Glasgow and then London. Birmingham's importance led to it being granted city status in 1889 by Queen Victoria.

The city built its own university in 1900, The University of Birmingham, which became the first of Britain's Redbrick universities.

Birmingham was originally part of Warwickshire, however the city expanded in the late 19th and early 20th century, absorbing parts of Worcestershire to the south and Staffordshire to the west. The city absorbed Sutton Coldfield in 1974, and at the same time became part of the new West Midlands county.

Birmingham suffered heavy bomb damage during World War II during the Birmingham Blitz, and partly as a result of this the city centre was extensively re-developed during the 1950s and 1960s, with many concrete office buildings, ring-roads, and now much-derided pedestrian subways. As a result, Birmingham gained a reputation for ugliness and was frequently described as a "concrete jungle"Tackling congestion in Birmingham (BBC News) Mentions Birmingham's nickname as concrete jungle .

In recent years however, Birmingham has been transformed, the city centre has been extensively renovated and restored with the construction of new squares, the restoration of old streets, buildings and canals, the removal of the pedestrian subways, and the demolition and subsequent redevelopment of the Bull Ring shopping centre, which now includes the architecturally unique Selfridges buildingMajor Development Birmingham.gov.uk.

In the decades following World War II, the face of Birmingham changed dramatically, with large scale immigration from the Commonwealth of Nations and beyondBirmingham's Post War Black Immigrants Birmingham.gov.uk.

Birmingham's transition from an industrial centre to a tourism and services economy is best illustrated by the hosting of the first official summit of the G8 at the International Convention Centre (May 15 to May 17, 1998). The watershed of the River Severn and River Trent can clearly be seen along the Perry Barr area of Birmingham and areas near Erdington where the level and gradient of the land changes significantly.

To the south and west of the city lie the Lickey HillsLickey Hills Country Park, Clent Hills and Walton Hill, which reach 315 metres (1,033 ft) and have good views over the city.

Part of the city centre is located on a sandstone ridge which makes some buildings appear taller than other buildings which are actually taller than them. One of the highest points is located on Broad Street.THE GROWTH OF CITY (British History Online) At footnote 20, there is reference to a sandstone ridge.
Birmingham, United Kingdom

Climate

These are the average and record temperatures as provided by BBC WeatherAverage Conditions for Birmingham, England BBC Weather.

**Celsius**
	Average		Record
Month	Min	Max	Min	Max
January	2	5	-12	13
February	2	6	-9	16
March	3	9	-7	21
April	5	12	-2	24
May	7	16	-1	29
June	10	19	3	31
July	12	20	6	32
August	12	20	6	33
September	10	17	3	27
October	7	13	-2	25
November	5	9	-4	19
December	3	6	-6	14

The weather in Birmingham is quite temperate with average maximum temperatures in summer (July) being around 20C (68F);

Economy

Birmingham is an important manufacturing and engineering centre, employing over 100,000 people in industry and contributing billions of pounds to the national economy. Until 2003, coins for circulation were manufactured in the Jewellery Quarter at the Birmingham Mint, the oldest independent mint in the worldApplegate.co.uk, which continues to produce commemorative coins and medals.

James Watt improved the steam engine while working in the city, and historically the largest manufacturers in the city have been associated with the steam, electric and petrol transport and power industries. The city's workers designed and constructed railway carriages, steam engines, motorcycles, bicycles, automobiles and even – Birmingham was home to two major car factories: MG Rover in Longbridge and Jaguar in Castle Bromwich. -->

The city's products include motor vehicles, vehicle components and accessories, weapons, electrical equipment, plastics, machine tools, chemicals, food, jewellery and glass. Other famous brands from the city include Ariel Motorcycles, Bakelite, Bird's Custard, Brylcreem, BSA, Cadbury's chocolate, Chad Valley toys, Halfords, HP Sauce (but soon to be closed down by its American owners Heinz), Norton Motorcycles, Triumph Motorcycles, Typhoo Tea, Velocette Motorcycles and Valor, the list is extensiveHistory of Birmingham (List of companies of Birmingham) BirminghamUK.com.

Birmingham has over 500 law firms, and has a number of insurance companies. Lloyds Bank (now Lloyds TSB) began in 1765The History of Lloyds Bank and the Midland Bank (now HSBC Bank plc) opened in Union Street in August 1836HSBC History (The HSBC Group in Europe) PDF document.

In recent years Birmingham's economy has diversified into service industries, retailing, tourism and conference hosting, which are now the main employers in the city. Attractions for visitors include Birmingham Museum & Art Gallery, Millennium Point, Bull Ring, Selfridges Building, Cadbury World, Tolkien Trail Tolkien's Birmingham www.virtualbrum.co.uk, Birmingham Royal Ballet, and the National Sea Life Centre. Consequently, relatively few buildings survive from its earlier history.

Traces of medieval Birmingham can be seen in the oldest churches, notably the original parish church, St Martin in the Bull Ring, where a church has stood since at least the 12th centurySt. Martin?s in the Bull Ring Birmingham (Colin Hickman) Virtual Brum.co.uk. A few other buildings from the medieval and Tudor periods survive, among them The Lad In The Lane public house in ErdingtonThe Lad In The Lane , Erdington pub-explorer.com,also The Old Crown public house in DigbethThe Black And White Gem (Brian Matthews) Theoldcrown.com, the 15th century Saracen's Head public house and Old Grammar School in Kings NortonHistory of Kings Norton Birmingham.gov.uk and Blakesley Hall in YardleyBlakesley Hall Through the Centuries Birmingham.gov.uk.

The city grew rapidly from Georgian times and a number of buildings survive from this period. Among them are St Philip's Cathedral, originally built as a parish church, St Paul's Church in the largely Georgian St Paul's Square, Soho House in Handsworth, the home of Matthew Boulton, Perrott's Folly in Ladywood (which is said to have later inspired J. Major public buildings such as the Law Courts, the Council House (see picture) and the Museum & Art Gallery were constructed, many under the auspices of Joseph Chamberlain's reforming mayoralty. Saint Chad's Cathedral, built in 1839 by Augustus Pugin, was the first Roman Catholic Cathedral to be built in the UK since the Reformation. The characteristic materials of Victorian Birmingham are red brick and terracotta, and many fine Victorian buildings have been retained on New Street and Corporation Street in the city centre. Across the city, the need to house the industrial workers gave rise to miles of redbrick streets and terraces, many of back-to-back houses, some of which were later to become inner-city slums.

Continued population growth in the interwar period, saw vast estates of semi-detached houses being built on greenfield land in outlying parts of the city such as Kingstanding and Weoley Castle, but the coming of World War II and the Blitz claimed many lives and many beautiful buildings too. However, the destruction that took place in post-war Birmingham was also extensive: dozens of fine Victorian buildings like the intricate glass-roofed Birmingham New Street Station, and the old Central Library, were razed in the 1950s and 1960s and replaced with modernist concrete buildings. In inner-city areas too, much Victorian housing was redeveloped and existing communities were relocated to tower block estates like Castle Vale.

The planning decisions of the post-war years were to have a profound effect on the image of Birmingham in subsequent decades, with the mix of ring roads, shopping malls and tower blocks often referred to as a 'concrete jungle'. There has been a lot of new building in the city centre in recent years, including the award-winning Future Systems' Selfridges building, an irregularly-shaped structure covered in thousands of reflective discs (see picture), the Brindleyplace development and the Millennium Point science and technology centre. Following a reorganisation of boundaries in June 2004 it has 120 councillors representing just under one million people, in 40 wards.

After the election of 4 May 2006, there is no overall control, with the 120 seats being divided between the Labour, (44 councillors), Conservative (41) and Liberal Democrat ("Lib Dem", 33) parties, with 2 OthersElection 2006 - Results Birmingham.gov.uk.

In the 2006 elections, when a third of the council was up for re-election, Labour lost a net total of two seats, the Conservatives made a net gain of one, the Liberal Democrats had no change, and Respect won a seat. It initially appeared that the British National Party had also gained a seat, but it soon transpired their candidate's election had been caused by a counting error and was subsequently overturned in favour of the previously third-placed Labour party candidate following an election petitionBNP never won seat on city council, The Birmingham Post, Jul 27 2006.

There is a Conservative/Lib Dem coalition, with Conservative group leader Mike Whitby as Leader of the council and Lib Dem group leader Paul Tilsley as Deputy Leader.

Birmingham's eleven parliamentary constituencies are represented in the House of Commons by one Conservative, one Liberal Democrat, and 9 Labour MPs.

Law enforcement in Birmingham is carried out by the West Midlands Police and fire and rescue by the West Midlands Fire Service.

Birmingham is also the seat of the Government Office for the West Midlands region. It contains collections of archaeological findings, ethnography, natural history and social history and also hosts exhibitions in adjacent halls.

The Birmingham Thinktank is one of the newest museums in the city which replaced the Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery Science Museum. It is part of the Millennium Point complex in the Eastside area of Birmingham.

Aston Hall is a large hall in Aston built between 1618 and 1635. They are decorated in different time periods to give visitors an idea of what living in each house was like during different decades.

The Jewellery Quarter in Hockley is the largest concentration of dedicated jewellers in Europe and the Museum of the Jewellery Quarter shows the history of the area and the building it is situated in. This makes the mill a favourable destination for fans of the author.

Blakesley Hall is a Tudor style house in Yardley which has been preserved as an attraction along with the gardens and a visitor centre.

The Gun Quarter was once the foremost gun manufacturing community in the UK and now contains a wide range of Victorian style buildings. Villa Park (Aston Villa Football Club) and St Andrews (Birmingham City Football Club). The other development was the Birmingham Bull Ring which replaced an older shopping centre which had became disliked by the public.

Another modern shopping centre is The Mailbox which features many expensive designer stores as well as offices and apartments next to the canals.

The Convention Quarter features many broadcasting companies and radio stations in the city centre. The National Sealife Centre is located alongside the canals next to the main square at Brindleyplace.

Outside of the city centre is Star City which is a major entertainment complex which houses a large cinema, casino and restaurant area.

Other areas of interest are:

Town Hall which is located next to Victoria Square and Chamberlain Square.
Birmingham University
National Exhibition Centre (The NEC) which is a major music and exhibition venue near the airport.

Famous residents

Joseph Chamberlain, Neville Chamberlain, J.

For a larger list see List of famous residents of Birmingham

You can also browse the list of Blue Plaques erected by The Birmingham Civic Society to the city's eminent citizens

Transport

Due in part to its central location in England, Birmingham is a major transport hub on the motorway, rail, and canal networksCanals in Birmingham Birmingham.gov.uk.

Roads

Birmingham is served by a number of major roads, including the M5, M6, M6 Toll, M40, and M42 motorways.

Local public transport

Local public transport is by bus, local train and tram (the Midland Metro light railway system between the city centre and WolverhamptonTravelmetro.co.uk).

Railways

The city's main station, Birmingham New Street, is at the centre of the national rail network, whilst Birmingham International railway station serves Birmingham International Airport.

Education

Birmingham has three universities: the University of Birmingham, Aston University and the University of Central England (UCE). It also has two other higher education colleges (Newman College and the Birmingham College of Food, Tourism and Creative Studies). The conservatoire planning to move from their current location in Adrian Boult Hall to a site in the Eastside which was first intended for a large library.

The city council is England's largest local education authority, directly or indirectly responsible for 25 nursery schools, 328 primary schools, 77 secondary schools Birmingham City Council Primary and Secondary and 29 special schools Birmingham City Council Special Needs Schools.

Sport

A cricket club was in existence in Birmingham as early as 1745, and today the city is home to Warwickshire County Cricket Club whose ground at Edgbaston is also a venue for international Test matches. International athletics meetings take place at the open-air Alexander Stadium in Perry Barr, the home of Birchfield Harriers athletic club, which numbers many Olympic medallists among its past and present members. The NIA has also hosted the All England Open Badminton ChampionshipsThe Yonex All England Open 2006 from 1994 onwards and the British Indoor Rowing Championships since 2000Brunel University.

The first ever game of lawn tennis was played in Edgbaston in 1859; The world's first professional football league was founded at a meeting in Aston on March 22 1885 under the auspices of William McGregor, a director of Aston Villa. they did so by winning the European Cup in 1982.

Birmingham also has a professional Rugby Union side, Moseley RFC, and there is professional basketball team called the Birmingham Bullets as well as professional boxing, hockey, skateboarding, and greyhound racing in the city.

Birmingham has a large concentration of Martial Arts Clubs and is thought by some to have the highest concentration of Martial Artists in the UK.

Birmingham is also home to the sportswear manufacturer Epsc with the founder of the company having attended The University of Birmingham.

Birmingham was the first city to be awarded the title National City of Sport by the Sports Council. Birmingham - 'The National City of Sport' BBC Where I Live Birmingham: European City Of Sport - Concept2

Food & drink

Birmingham based Breweries included Ansells, Davenports and Mitchells & ButlersBirmingham Breweries. Perhaps Birmingham's most famous street for nights out is Broad Street which also has a cinema and many restaurants on itBID Broad Street.

Famous food brands from Birmingham include Typhoo tea, Birds custard, Blue Bird Toffee, Bournville cocoa, Cadbury chocolate, and HP Sauce which is based within Aston.

Alum Rock, Saltley contains the largest concentration of take-away businesses in Birmingham.

Ladypool Road, Sparkhill contains the largest concentration of restaurants in Birmingham and possibly the UK.

The Wing Yip food empire first began in the city and now has its headquarters in the Chinese QuarterTaste of the Orient sweet for Wing Yip The Birmingham Post Midland Rich List 2006. The Balti was invented in the city and has since received much gastronomic acclaim for the 'Balti Belt' of restaurants in the Sparkhill, Sparkbrook, Balsall Heath and Ladypool areas. The Balti Belt is also known as the Balti Triangle among localsThe Balti Triangle Birmingham.gov.uk.

The city boasts two Michelin starred restaurants: Simpson's and Jessica's, both in Edgbaston.

The BBC Good Food Show takes place at The National Exhibition Centre, and is Britain's biggest food eventBBC Good Food Show.

Culture and arts

Popular music

Birmingham has had a vibrant and varied musical history over the last century.

In the 1960s, the "Brum Beat" era featured blues and early progressive rock bands such as The Fortunes, Spencer Davis Group, Traffic, The Move and The Moody Blues.

The city is often described as the birthplace of heavy metal musicBang Your Head: The Rise and Fall of Heavy Metal, David Konow, Three Rivers Press, 2002 (ISBN 0-609-80732-3), with Judas Priest and Black Sabbath coming from Birmingham. Robert Plant and John Bonham came from nearby towns, and played in local Brum Beat bands before forming one half of Led Zeppelin.

In the 1970s members of The Move and The Idle Race formed the Electric Light Orchestra and Wizzard. The 1970s also saw the rise of reggae and ska in the city, with Steel Pulse and later on UB40, The Beat and Musical Youth. Singer-songwriter Joan Armatrading had many hits during this decade.

The 1980s brought Duran Duran, possibly the most successful new romantic group, and Dexy's Midnight Runners, and the 1990s the Charlatans, Dodgy and Ocean Colour Scene. Recent chart success has come from Mike Skinner (also known as The Streets), R&B singer Jamelia, Fyfe Dangerfield (singer/songwriter) of the Guillemots (band), Mistys Big Adventure and the Editors.

Jazz is popular in the city, and the annual Birmingham International Jazz FestivalBirmingham Local Events (BBC) is the largest of its kind in the UK.

Party in the Park, a popular chart music event, is Birmingham's largest music festival.

In 1998, Birmingham was the host city for the Eurovision Song Contest, which took place in the National Indoor Arena in the City Centre.

Birmingham has also been synonymous in the development of the British electronic music scene. The recitals are temporarily being held in St. Philip's Cathedral, until the Town Hall organ opens again after restoration in 2006.

The equally world-renowned Birmingham Royal BalletBirmingham Royal Ballet Birmingham.gov.uk also resides in the city as does the world's oldest vocational dance school, Elmhurst School for DanceElmhurst School for Dance's website.

The Birmingham Triennial Music Festival took place from 1784The Town Hall, 1865 Birmingham.gov.uk - 1912 and was considered the grandest of its kind throughout Britain. Music was written for the festival by Mendelssohn, Gounod, Sullivan, Dvo?ák, Bantock and most notably Elgar, who wrote four of his most famous choral pieces for Birmingham.

Albert William Ketèlbey was born at 41 Alma Street, Aston in 1875Naxos.com.

Birmingham's other city-centre music venues include The National Indoor Arena (NIA), the CBSO Centre, Adrian Boult Hall at Birmingham Conservatoire and Birmingham Town Hall (currently closed for refurbishment). The four largest professional theatres are the Alexandra Theatre ("the Alex"), Birmingham Repertory Theatre ("The Rep"), the Birmingham Hippodrome and the Old Rep. The mac and Drum Arts Centre also host many professional plays.

The Fierce Festival teams with the Birmingham Repertory Theatre annually to present a series of quirky performances from local and national companies.

Literature

Literary figures associated with Birmingham include Samuel Johnson , J. Tolkien, Arthur Conan Doyle, Louis MacNeice, Washington Irving, David Lodge, W. For a fuller list of art galleries in Birmingham, see Arts in Birmingham.

Other famous Birmingham artists include David Cox, David Bomberg, and various Afro-Caribbean artists including Pogus Caesar, Keith Piper and Donald Rodney.

Graffiti (or "spraycan art") culture appeared in the early 1980s, and graffiti art competitions are still regularly held.

The construction of the Bull Ring Shopping Centre allowed local and international artists to display their work. These included three light wands which were erected at the main entrance, a huge mural on a glass facade located at the entrance facing New Street station and three fountains in St Martin's square in the shape of cubes, which are illuminated at night in different coloursArtwork of the Bullring BBC. The currently biennial Caribbean- style Birmingham International Carnival was originally the Handsworth Carnival, held in Handsworth Park from 1984, but now takes place in the August of odd- numbered years, parading through the streets of Handsworth to Perry Barr Park.

Newspapers

Birmingham is unusual in supporting two local newspapers - the Birmingham Post and the Birmingham Mail - as well as the Sunday Mercury, all owned by the Trinity Mirror, who also produce The Birmingham News, a weekly freesheet distributed to homes in the leafy suburbs along with Forward (formerly Birmingham Voice), the Birmingham City Council's free newspaper distributed to homes and via community centres and public buildings.Newspapers in Birmingham Birmingham.gov.uk

Birmingham is also the hub for various national ethnic media, including The Voice, The Sikh Times, Desi Xpress, The Asian TodayNewspapers in Birmingham Birmingham.gov.uk and Raj TV (based in the MailboxRaj TV contact).

Film

The Electric Cinema on Station Street is the oldest working cinema in the UKThe Electric Cinema website, and Oscar Deutsch opened his first Odeon cinema in Perry Barr during the 1920s. The Birmingham Film Festival takes place annually, and the Birmingham School of Acting won a Royal Television Society award for their short film 'Soul Boy'Television Award for BRUMMIEWOOD film BSSD.ac.uk.

Television

The BBC has its regional headquarters, BBC Birmingham, in the Mailbox, in the Convention Quarter (where they relocated from Pebble Mill), and many television and radio programmes are produced in the city, including the world's longest running radio soap opera, The ArchersBBC Birmingham Features. The networks' original representatives were Associated Television (ATV) who served the area during the week and Associated British Corporation who broadcast at the weekends. The ITV Central and BBC studios are famous for many shows, including Tiswas, Crossroads, Dalziel & Pascoe, Bullseye, Midlands Today, the BBC Asian Network.

In 1969, ITV Central had the honour of being one of only two stations (the other being ITV London) to show the original broadcasting of Gerry Andersons' series, The Secret Service.

Radio

Local radio stations include BRMB, Galaxy, Heart FM, Kerrang! 105.2, New Style Radio 98.7FM, Saga 105.7FM, and BBC WM.

Preclub bars are common in varying themes and music t

Chronology

Key Dates:
1983: AEI investment firm incorporates Birmingham Steel.
1989: Proposed Harbert Corporation merger collapses.
1992: Birmingham ships steel abroad.
1993: American Steel & Wire Corp. is acquired.
1995: Birmingham Steel upgrades several facilities.
1999: Proxy fight puts Correnti in CEO's seat.
2000: Money-losing ASW is sold off.

Additional topics

Company HistoryConstruction Materials

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