September 2026
As summer winds down, the hard work is just beginning.
The hard work is the renovation of 400 E. Lincoln, where Next will provide programs and services to Birmingham's 50+ community. The City of Birmingham purchased the building in 2023, but the vision and the need for a space designed specifically for seniors took root long before that.
Back in 2013, an Ad Hoc Committee, the Joint Senior Services Commission, identified the same priorities we still hold today: adequate space for programs and support services, a shift from our historic school partnership to a municipal one, and sustainable funding.
When I began at Next in 2014, our board of directors set specific goals: change our name and secure a new facility built for a growing senior population. The name change and rebrand turned out to be the easy part. Securing a new building proved far more elusive.
Next got its start in the late 1970s as an offshoot of the Birmingham Schools, which gave us a place to call home while we, in turn, supported the schools. Moving away from this model has called for a shift in ideology for all of us: municipal government, residents and Next leadership.
After a three-year process, full of starts and stops, the new home for Birmingham's 50+ community is finally taking shape. Architects Neumann Smith have thoughtfully reworked the first floor of 400 E. Lincoln to be bright and welcoming, with room for the more than 270 offerings Next hosts each month.
Funds from the three-year senior millage, approved by 69 percent of Birmingham voters, will turn that first floor into vibrant, usable space with room for lifelong learning and enrichment, fitness and art classes, entertainment, hospitality and plenty of space to simply gather.
One of 400 E. Lincoln's greatest assets is the balance it strikes: added visibility on a well-traveled road, yet still in a quiet setting. Add convenient parking and St. James Park right behind the building, and it's easy to see why this location is such a good fit for Next.
We're on track to move into the newly renovated building in May of 2027. With a fresh, updated space, Next will continue to advance our mission to meet our members’ evolving lifestyles. We will also be able to support more residents with the critical services needed to remain safely in their homes whether they are Next members or not.
Designed for what's Next, life at our new center will build on everything we already offer. Members who are active and engaged, who want to learn, travel, explore and stay curious. Who share their passions, try new things and keep growing. Where friendships form easily, laughter is common and days are full.
The work ahead this fall is really just the newest chapter in a decade-long story, one written by members, volunteers and neighbors who believe Birmingham's seniors deserve a place to belong, and a place to stay connected to their community. Come May 2027, when we open the doors at 400 E. Lincoln, that belief will have an address.
Cris Braun is Executive Director of Birmingham Next
