Bank Saloon
The Bank Restaurant and Saloon, was a bar located at the northwest corner of 20th Street and 1st Avenue North, later the site of the Empire Building.
It was founded in 1883 by E. Solomon and E. H. Levi who came to Birmingham together from Cincinnati, Ohio. The partners also operated the Solomon & Levi wholesale liquor and cigar distributing company next door.
The establishment featured floors of Georgia marble, a large copper chandelier, and a 32-foot-long mirror behind the bar. Bartenders used five silver spigots to serve customers. The entrance featured a swinging door carved from grained oak.
The saloon closed in the wake of Birmingham's first prohibition in 1908. Like other saloons of the era, the Bank Saloon issued tokens to customers which could be exchanged for drinks. These tokens are valued by collectors today.
| Preceded by: ? |
1930 1st Avenue North 1891 - 1908 |
Succeeded by: Empire Building |
Reference
- Dubose, John Witherspoon (1887) Jefferson County and Birmingham, Alabama: Historical and Biographical Birmingham: Teeple & Smith, Publishers; Caldwell Printing Works.
- White, Marjorie Longenecker (1977) Downtown Birmingham: Architectural and Historical Walking Tour Guide. Birmingham: Birmingham Historical Society.