A new documentary traces the story of Birmingham’s Sloss family, starting with Colonel James Withers Sloss and his vision to move the railroad to Birmingham with the eventual building of Sloss Furnaces.
“Building Birmingham: The Sloss Story,” premiered on Alabama Public Television on Jan. 19. and is now available to stream on the APT website.
Produced by Jacksonville State University’s Longleaf Studios, the documentary chronicles Birmingham’s industrial origins. Colonel James Withers Sloss was one of the entrepreneurs who helped launch the iron and steel industry that made Birmingham Alabama’s largest city. He built Sloss Furnaces and helped attract the railroads to support the industry.
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Sloss formed Sloss Furnace Company and broke ground on Birmingham’s first furnace in 1880. The first blast erupted in 1882 and the facility went on to produce 24,000 tons of premium iron during its first year of operation, solidifying Birmingham as the Iron City. Sloss Furnaces operated as a iron-producing blast furnace until 1971. In 1976, the site was documented for the Historic American Engineering Record. Now a national landmark, Sloss Furnaces hosts metal art classes, tours, festivals, and conferences.
“Building Birmingham: The Sloss Story,” also includes commentary and interviews from sisters Cathy Sloss Jones, Leigh Sloss-Corra, and Carolyn Sloss Ratliff. Cathy Sloss Jones is the president and CEO of Sloss Family Real Estate, which was started by her grandfather A. Page Sloss and has focused on urban development and revitalization under her leadership.
The company was a co-developer of Park Place, a 12-block mixed-use community in downtown Birmingham that replaced an aging public housing project. Jones also helped develop Birmingham’s City Center master plan. In 2000, Jones created the Market at Pepper Place. Other development projects in the Sloss Real Estate portfolio include Sloss Docks, Pepper Place, and Lakeview.
“We are very honored for Alabama Public Television and Jacksonville State University to tell our story,” Sloss Jones said in a press release. “Our company mission is simple and has remained constant: to lift up Birmingham, repurpose its best assets and draw individuals to the City Center. We strongly believe in Alabama’s potential and are proud to continue the work of connecting and strengthening our communities.”
