he Roebuck Springs Historic District, which was named to the National Register of Historic Places in Washington, D.C. in 1999, is 11 miles east of central Birmingham.
Developed in the early 1900’s by entrepreneur Robert Jemison, Jr. along with the East Lake Land Company in association with the Roebuck Auto and Golf Club, Roebuck Springs was the first large residential suburb in Birmingham whose planning and development was tied to the automobile, as well as the first community associated with a country club/golf course development.
The District’s 1910 land plan, developed by brothers Tedd, Tom and Scott Joy, was the earliest in Birmingham to have a road system and subdivision scheme specifically designed and engineered to complement the steep, rolling topography. The District’s roads are reminiscent of the narrow country lanes of rural England – there are not curbs and gutters, no sidewalks, and originally no streetlights, though a few have been added. There is an abundance of native vegetation, heavy canopies of trees, terraced hillsides with stone walls, and homes built in such architectural styles as Craftsman Bungalow, English Country, Tudor Revival, and Colonial Revival.