The construction equipment left no doubt that the ground had already been broken behind the former Carraway Hospital.

But the lack of virgin soil took nothing away from the celebratory feel of the ceremonial groundbreaking Monday morning for the planned amphitheater that’s coming to Birmingham’s Druid Hills Neighborhood.

About 100 people were on hand at the intersection of 15th Avenue and 24th Street North. They heard from elected officials, and they saw representatives of various groups holding shovels near a trough filled with dirt, signaling crews already have begun preparing the site for the construction that’s to come.

Birmingham Jefferson Convention Complex representatives, along with city officials and amphitheater operator Live Nation, ceremonially broke ground to officially begin construction of the 9,380-capacity amphitheater.

“This is a day that’s made possible by the hard work and commitment of so many individuals and leaders in our community,” BJCC CEO Tad Snider said. “We’re proud of the collective effort put into building a new entertainment venue that will serve local residents and give visitors yet another reason to come to Birmingham.”

The specter of a lawsuit that’s been filed to halt construction did nothing to diminish enthusiasm. The Black Contractors Association of Alabama sued alleging the Birmingham Jefferson Civic Complex Authority has not complied with an agreement to increase minority participation in the project. But Snider and Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin each said those standards have been met.

“The BJCC, Birmingham Jefferson Civic Center Authority, has an agreement with the city and that mirrors the civic center authority’s goals as well,” Snider said. “We feel very confident we’ve met every one of those obligations under the agreement and that’s what I’ll say at this point.”

Said Woodfin: “I’m glad to say that the numbers for this project meet the desire of all of us in the community, particularly Black contractors, as well as women contractors and businesses. When we say we want to do a project, you want to make sure there’s real participation, not just token, and I think the numbers for this project overshoot, if that’s a word I can use, and meet what we desire as it relates to participation. We’re really excited about that.”

As part of Birmingham’s Uptown Entertainment District, the amphitheater will host a variety of events and concerts while contributing to the economic vibrancy of Birmingham. The amphitheater is expected to host about 20 shows each summer concert season, and the venue will accommodate a variety of festivals, community gatherings, special events and other activities.

The $50 million amphitheater is being built near the former Carraway site, which has been idle and deteriorating since the hospital closed in 2008. It is an important anchor in Corporate Realty’s larger redevelopment plan that will bring other entertainment, dining, retail and residential options to the Druid Hills neighborhood.

“As excited as we all will be to have a new place to see concerts, I’m most excited about what this will do for all of our Northside neighborhoods,” Woodfin said. “This will be an anchor that will spur other development that will improve the quality of life for residents in the area and for the city as a whole.”

The amphitheater, expected to be completed next summer, follows historic investments in BJCC venues, including a major upgrade to Legacy Arena and the construction of Protective Stadium.

“The amphitheater rounds out the venues in the state’s largest entertainment district, and it will bring more people to enjoy the amenities across the county,” said Jefferson County Commission President Jimmie Stephens.

“They say it takes a village to raise a child, but it also takes a village to make something like this happen,” said state Sen. Jabo Waggoner, R-Vestavia Hills, who is also a member of the Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau Board. “Without the assistance of state tourism leaders and the CVB, we literally wouldn’t be here today.”

As the amphitheater is built and other development occurs, it is expected to spur economic and tourist activity that will pay dividends for the community overall.

“We know that our investments in community infrastructure like this creates a ripple effect that adds new life and vitality to our city,” said Darrell O’Quinn, president of the Birmingham City Council. “They also generate new resources for city services and investments that touch all corners of the city and county.”

The chair of the BJCC board of directors said the addition of the amphitheater comes at a time of historic success for the complex.

“We have broken every kind of record in recent months, thanks to the community’s support and investments in our facilities and the hard work of our staff,” BJCC board Chairman Michael Keel said. “The BJCC is a community asset in every sense of the word, and the amphitheater will ensure that we can serve our community even better in the future.”

Birmingham has a long history as a destination for live music. County Commissioner Lashunda Scales took pride in recalling that her father, John Ray, was an entertainment promoter for years in Birmingham.

“The extra sense of pride that I have about this amphitheater is not only having a venue that promoters such as Live Nation can be able to pitch to other organizations for them to bring type A and B entertainment,” she said. “More importantly, I look forward to us having the maximum amount of minority or Black-owned business participation because we do know that a lot of the foundation that was laid came not only through BJCC and those in past and present management, but in addition to that, John Ray and Tony Rufino were also minorities who helped to change the entertainment spectrum of Jefferson County.”