When the Medical College of Alabama was moved to Birmingham from Tuscaloosa in 1945 and the medical center was in its infancy, faculty and staff needed a place to live. UAB — which was not UAB in name at the time, just the separate medical center and University of Alabama Birmingham Extension Center — bought the former Cullom Apartments at the intersection of 20th Street and University Boulevard for employee and student housing, shown here in November 1945.
Later, the buildings housed various campus entities, such as the Urban Affairs Institute and offices for anthropology, art, chemistry, biology and natural sciences. When the Cudworth Building was built in 1962, several of the buildings were demolished to make room; the remaining ones were razed in 1969 for the construction of the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel.
Earlier this year, the UAB Educational Foundation purchased the DoubleTree and began renovations on the guest rooms, public areas and restaurants, complete with UAB-green accent walls, artwork and throw pillows. In addition to continuing as a public-use hotel, the DoubleTree also is a short-term residence for some UAB Medicine patients and their caregivers since the closing of UAB TownHouse (on the opposite corner), which for several decades housed certain patients receiving medical care.