Once the birthplace of the Confederacy and the civil rightsmovement, the CBD today is home to the 7,000-seat Riverwalk Stadiumat 200 Coosa St., home to the Montgomery Biscuits Baseball Team.The team's claim to fame is that it is the AA club feeds playersinto its major league team, the World Series Tampa Bay Rays.Nearby, at 355 Coosa St., stands the Riverwalk Ampitheater, whichoffers upwards of 7,000 people for various performances. A newriverboat arrived in early October, which can hold 400 passengersfor cruises.

Then there is the Alleyway. Bordered by Commerce, Bibb, Coosaand Tallapoosa Streets, this two-acre plot is sprouting localrestaurants and entertainment venues. The area also boasts theMontgomery Performing Arts Centre and the adjacent RenaissanceMontgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center. A new courtbuilding has been erected, as has an office building.

As successful as it seems to be, revitalization didn't justappear out of thin air. It took many years, launched by the 2000election of Bobby Bright to city mayor to get the wheels going.Jeff Downes, executive assistant to the mayor says Bright wasfamiliar with the CBD's history, especially that of Dexter Avenue,Montgomery's main street. He then considered the Alabama River andhow it might fit in with a revitalization concept. Then he decidedthe whole thing needed a fresh vision.