Inside The Yeilding, a new historic redevelopment coming to Birmingham in 2026

1 day ago 3

On President’s Day, the co-founders of Gladstone Equity Partners invited Bham Now for a special sneak peek inside the Yeilding Building at 2129 2nd Avenue N, near popular spots like The Collins Bar, Canary Gallery, The House of Found Objects and more.

Later this year, a joint venture between Gladstone Equity Partners, Friedman Realty and Harbert Realty Services will begin an adaptive reuse redevelopment project in the building, dubbed The Yeilding.

Read on to learn more about the Yeilding Building’s history, redevelopment plans, renderings and photos inside the building.

Yeilding’s — Your Friendly Department Store

Nowadays, if you want a new outfit or bedding, you’ll have to head out to The Summit, Riverchase Galleria or another shopping center out in the suburbs.

But it wasn’t that long ago that Birmingham’s city center was populated by several local, family-owned department stores like Loveman’s of Alabama, Blach’s, Parisian and Pizitz. Although these local department stores have long since folded or been absorbed into national chains, several of their former flagship locations have been renovated for modern use.

The downtown Loveman’s of Alabama building was repurposed and reopened as the McWane Science Center in 1998.
The downtown Blach’s building was renovated as residential lofts in 2007.
The flagship Pizitz building was redeveloped as a mixed-use project—The Pizitz—with residences, commercial space, a food hall and even a home for the Sidewalk Cinema in the basement.

However, one prominent former flagship building has been vacant for over 30 years.

Founded in 1876—just five years after the city of Birmingham’s own founding—Yeilding’s was the Magic City’s first department store. Yeilding’s offered everything you’d expect from an early-20th-century department store: clothing, furniture, linens, appliances, uniforms, housewares and more.

In 1911, the store moved to a new flagship location at 2129 2nd Avenue N. The three-story, 40,000-square-foot commercial building was designed by Miller, Martin and Lewis, the architecture firm responsible for several notable local projects, including the Linn-Henley Research Library building, the Sibyl Temple and the Loveman’s building (now McWane Science Center).

Yeilding’s operated the downtown location from 1911 until 1980, when it moved all operations to a new location in the old Eastwood Mall.

The Yeilding brings new commercial + residential space to downtown Birmingham

(Fifth Dimension Architecture + Interiors, LLC)

Earlier this year, a joint venture between Gladstone Equity Partners, Friedman Realty and Harbert Realty Services purchased the Yeilding Building from Ladd Real Estate. The group plans to utilize Historic Tax credits to preserve and transform the long-vacant, historic building into an adaptive reuse redevelopment for both residential and commercial use.

Dubbed The Yeilding, the project will include:

A mix of 42 studio- and one-bedroom residential units ranging from 400-700 square feet with 15′ ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows and Class-A finishes.
A variety of amenities, including a rooftop terrace with an outdoor kitchen, fire pit, a resident lounge, fitness center, in-unit smart home packages and more.
Bewteen 6,000-12,000 square feet of commercial space available

The group is currently working with design group Fifth Dimension Architecture & Interiors, and is looking into general contractors for the build. The project is expected to start in Q3 of 2025 with a 15-month build time—meaning The Yeilding is expected to open in Q4 of 2026.