Roman Gary, Vice President of CCR Architecture & Interiors, is a service-minded leader driven by a desire to improve his hometown and rebuild blighted neighborhoods.
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Roman grew up in Ensley and attended Birmingham City Schools. While attending Auburn University, he spent a semester back in Birmingham studying at Auburn’s Urban Studio. During this time, he visited Ensley and was shocked to find that he no longer recognized the neighborhood of his youth. Roman decided to come back to Birmingham and use his talent to rebuild the city he loved. From public to non-profit to ecclesiastical work, Roman pursues projects that bring a sense of community to the users of his spaces.
In his nearly 20 years at CCR, Roman has completed many projects that have impacted Birmingham and beyond.
The renovation of the YMCA Youth Center in downtown Birmingham created a place for children who reside in the City Center to exercise, learn, and socialize. In addition to the renovation of an existing gym, the project included the addition of classrooms, exercise areas, locker rooms, a kitchen, canteen, a climbing totem, a pool, playing fields, and a garden.
The YWoodlawn community, a 34-unit housing renovation for YWHomes, established a family-friendly environment for transitional housing in a previously unsafe neighborhood.
As the local representative on a team led by Ohio-based firm MKSK, Roman provided neighborhood architecture, preservation, and community character services for the Master Development Plan for the Northwest Quadrant of Downtown Birmingham. This area is home to two districts that are critical to the economic and cultural future of Birmingham: the Civil Rights District and The Switch (Innovation District). This project builds on recent planning projects including Freedom Walk and the City Center Master Plan to create a clear road map for implementing the community’s vision for these urban districts and adjacent neighborhoods.
Roman’s work with the Housing Authority of the Birmingham District, Jefferson County Housing Authority, Jefferson County Commission, Montgomery Housing Authority, and Tuscaloosa Housing Authority has created numerous affordable housing options and community spaces throughout the state of Alabama.
Notably, the McKenzie Court development in Tuscaloosa added a public library, 144 multifamily housing units, and a community center that includes large multi-purpose spaces and classrooms for neighborhood residents.
When asked why he chose to return to Birmingham after college, Roman stated: “I get the opportunity to rebuild and reinterpret old landmarks which meant something to Birmingham. I get to establish new landmarks for Birmingham which did not exist before. I get the opportunity to break preconceived stereotypes people have about the State of Alabama and Birmingham. Though it’s not an easy way of life to rebuild and break stereotypes, it gives day-to-day life meaning.”
Some of Roman’s current projects include the 16th Street Baptist Church Visitor Center, the renovation of the Northeast YMCA in Roebuck, the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center in Panama City, Florida, and the renovation of the historic Howard-Linton Barbershop on the Tuscaloosa Civil Rights Trail.
