Save the Homewood Pink House & Secret Garden

The wrecking ball has plans that aren’t in Homewood’s best interest.

Since 1921 the historic Pink House and its treasured secret garden – located on the corner of Roseland Drive and Edgewood Boulevard – has been a mainstay of our community. In February, it will be razed and leveled to make way for five large new homes, rendering the neighborhood unrecognizable. 

The longtime home of two of Birmingham’s most loved and accomplished artists – Georges and Eleanor Bridges – has been a pillar of community, arts, and hope to the people of Homewood, to the Birmingham arts scene, to the many refugees the Bridges welcomed into their home, and even to Ernest Hemingway, who was a frequent guest!

This much loved place with irreplaceable charm and limitless potential will soon be lost forever… unless we join together to take a stand against the wrecking ball.

When we save the Pink House & Secret Garden, we will take a stand against the short sighted destruction of our town’s charm and history. But even more importantly, we will open the gate to the Pink House and welcome people from all walks of life to cherish what Homewood is all about – a beloved place where everyone belongs.

“Five generations of children have walked past this house and secret garden on their way to school, and I have walked four different dogs past it for five decades. I want my children and my children’s children to be able to do the same.” – Elizabeth Graham

What will it become when we save it?

The saved Pink House will be open to the public and feature a beautifully maintained "secret garden," arts and theatre workshops for children and adults, art exhibitions, art galleries, movies and plays on the lawn, fun family activities, weddings, wedding receptions, and the simple opportunity to read a great book under an old tree (the centuries-old trees will also be destroyed by the wrecking ball). The Pink House will be:

• A place where children and adults will discover and unleash their inner creativity – regardless of their financial means or walk of life. Imagine a child discovering her otherwise dormant love for painting, or acting, or gardening!
• A cornerstone of the community that stands for the shared love of beauty, nature, and the arts.
• A world class community space that says what we know to be true: there is no better community than Homewood.

Homewood, our children, and our children’s children need heroes like you to make this future a reality. Please donate today to save the Pink House & Secret Garden from the wrecking ball and resurrect it as a world class community space!

Be a hero – how to Save the Pink House:

1. Donate! Stand up to the wrecking ball by clicking donate or mailing a check to 904 Forrest Dr. S, Homewood, AL 35029 (made out to Homewood AL Preservation Society).

2. Your donation will be pooled with other fundraising efforts to purchase and fix up the Pink House.

3. Come enjoy the Pink House when it opens to the public!

"This is a treasure that Homewood should be proud of and protect." – Aileene Keeton

Fundraising Details

This MightyCause campaign is one piece of the overall fundraising effort. The Pink House team is also working with generous local benefactors, investors, and national organizations to raise the necessary capital. Through open communication with the involved parties we are confident that a successful blended fundraising effort will enable the purchase and updates of the Pink House. In the unfortunate event that the house cannot be saved, donations will roll over to the Homewood Historical Preservation Fund – an organization dedicated to balancing preservation and growth in order to make Homewood the premiere neighborhood of the south. If you are donating over $1,000 and would like a refund if the Pink House cannot be saved, please donate by check and email info@savethehomewoodpinkhouse.com for further instructions. The Homewood Historical Preservation Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. 

Learn more about the house's history here and here.

This project has been funded in part by a grant from the Gwyn Turner Preservation Fund for Alabama of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.