SWAC Office Completes Relocation to Birmingham

BIRMINGHAM -- The historic civil rights district of Birmingham, Ala. now has a new tenant.

After months of planning and thousands of dollars of renovations to the building which houses its offices, the Southwestern Athletic Conference has officially completed its relocation from New Orleans to Birmingham. The 79-year-old conference is now headquartered at the A.G. Gaston Building at fifth avenue and 16th street. The moves concludes the NCAA Division I conference's 16-year stay in New Orleans, where it was headquartered at the Louisiana Superdome. It also starts the SWAC's residence in a city which has widely opened its arms to the 10-member league.

"We are absolutely delighted that we have finally completed our move here to Birmingham," stated second-year commissioner Rudy Washington. "Officials of the city, the local fans and everybody else have welcomed us very warmly. We believe our residence here will be a very beneficial one for both the conference as well as the city."

At the A.G. Gaston Building, the SWAC's offices are located on the third floor and includes ample office and meeting space. That phase of the renovation to the building is complete.

The first and second floors of the building are still being renovated. The league's Hall of Fame will be housed on the first floor with the second floor being leased to various local businesses. Washington said the SWAC Hall of Fame is still in the planning process and will be a showcase venue once it is completed.

The conference is planning an open house for the general public at its new headquarters at a date to be announced in the upcoming weeks. For now, Washington and his staff are working to plant their roots in the local community by devising programs that will benefit the residents, especially the youths of the city.

"Besides our regular task of overseeing the athletics programs at our member universities, we believe that we have a responsibility to not just be housed in Birmingham, but to also serve our local community," stated Washington. "I believe that the community will be quite pleased with some of the programs that we will bring here. My staff and I are extremely excited about our plans for the future as it relates to the local community."

While the open house is in the planning stages, individuals are free to visit the SWAC headquarters at any time. The conference office is officially open weekdays from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. The official address is 1527 5th Avenue North, Birmingham, Ala. 35204. The telephone number is (205) 251-7573.

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