(WXYZ) — Birmingham's iconic Community House, a century-old institution, will close its doors next year as it transitions to become the Birmingham Area Community Foundation. The change has left families and brides scrambling to find alternatives.
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The Community House announced operations at the building will conclude on June 30, 2026, canceling all scheduled events after that date, including weddings and childcare services.
"I mean, it's like super upsetting," said Emily Goldvekht, who had recently booked her wedding at the venue for Labor Day Weekend 2026.
Goldvekht had just put down a deposit of around $2,000 last week when she received an unexpected email announcing the closure.
"It came at a complete shock. I got an email yesterday, like mid-morning, just stating 'Dear Valued Customer'. It wasn't even a phone call or, 'Hi, Emily. We're super sorry,'" Goldvekht said.
The email informed customers that "The Community House will be evolving to become the Birmingham Area Community Foundation...As part of this transition, operations at our building at 380 S. Bates will conclude on June 30, 2026. All events scheduled to take place after June 30, 2026, will be canceled."
The sudden announcement has created significant challenges for those who had made plans at the venue.
"We are hoping to still have that date, but we have family from out of the country that booked travel, we printed our save the dates, we've spent a lot of money. Literally this week, we were about to put down almost $20,000 for outside catering, which is insane that it costs that much to feed people, but it does," Goldvekht said.
The Community House confirmed that 10 events will be impacted after the June closure date, and all deposits will be fully refunded.
In a statement, they said: "We've made the decision to evolve The Community House thoughtfully and with careful consideration. While we know some individuals, families and patrons will be impacted we are sharing this news now to provide ample time to explore other options and make any alternative arrangements."
The Community House will become The Birmingham Area Community Foundation with a focus on supporting non-profits providing scholarships for students, and a large physical space is no longer required. The site will officially close on July 1, 2026 and the new owners, yet to be determined, will decide what's next for the space.
The transition will also affect the Early Childhood Center, which will complete its current session, which concludes in May 2026, impacting families who depend on the childcare service.
"We heard this morning that they're actually closing, and now we have to find somewhere for our 4-month-old in the spring," said Agata Bodie, a Birmingham resident.
Bodie said she had waited five months to secure a spot for her daughter, who just started in the program on Tuesday, only to learn about the upcoming closure.
Despite the disappointment, those affected are trying to remain optimistic.
"Yeah, we're pretty upset, but we'll figure it out, and we're looking pretty positive at it," Goldvekht said.
The Birmingham Area Community Foundation will host a series of discussions about the transition. Those are scheduled on the following dates and registration is required.
Wednesday, Dec. 10: 1 - 2:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 10: 5:30 - 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 11: 8:30 - 10:00 a.m.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
