At the corner of 5th Avenue North and 21st Street, 14 stories rise above you to a height of 160 feet. Named for Birmingham’s Red Mountain, the Redmont is the city’s second oldest hotel still in use and today operates as a 120-room boutique hotel and conference center under the Curio Collection by Hilton. It’s owned by Bayshore Company of Tampa, Florida and managed by Rhaglan Hospitality LLC.
Step back in time: the hotel opened on May 1, 1925, from plans by Atlanta architect G. Lloyd Preacher as a 200-room showpiece — unusual then for providing a private bath in every room, chilled water, and ceiling fans. In 1937 the Rainbow Room lounge debuted here and became the watering hole for an informal circle known as the “Knothole Gang. In 1946 hotel magnate Clifford Stiles bought the Redmont, and in 1947 he transformed the entire top floor into a New York–style penthouse complete with terraces, a private elevator, and even a lawn for pets.
Somewhere above you, the top floor still holds the outline of that penthouse lawn Clifford Stiles built for his pets.