National Bank of Birmingham building: Difference between revisions

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[[Image:Linn's Folly.jpg|right|thumb|275px|Early view of the First National Bank building]]
[[Image:Linn's Folly.jpg|right|thumb|275px|Early view of the First National Bank building]]
The original '''First National Bank Building''', commonly called '''Linn's Folly''', was a three-story brick building constructed in [[1872]] and [[1873]] on a $400 lot on the northeast corner of [[1st Avenue North]] and [[20th Street North|20th Street]] for [[Charles Linn]]'s [[National Bank of Birmingham]]. It was the first multi-story commercial building to be built in [[Birmingham]].
The original '''National Bank of Birmingham building''', commonly called '''Linn's Folly''', was a three-story brick building constructed in [[1872]] and [[1873]] on a $400 lot on the northeast corner of [[1st Avenue North]] and [[20th Street North|20th Street]] for [[Charles Linn]]'s [[National Bank of Birmingham]]. It was the first multi-story commercial building to be built in [[Birmingham]].


Masons for the work were brought in from Louisville, Kentucky. Because the $36,000 structure was erected in the midst of a national economic depression, when the prospects for the new city of Birmingham were anything but sure, the building earned the nickname "Linn's Folly".
Masons for the work were brought in from Louisville, Kentucky. Because the $36,000 structure was erected in the midst of a national economic depression, when the prospects for the new city of Birmingham were anything but sure, the building earned the nickname "Linn's Folly".
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* Birmingham Area Chamber of Commerce (1976) ''Century Plus: A Bicentennial Portrait of Birmingham, Alabama 1976'' Birmingham: Oxmoor Press, p. 16.
* Birmingham Area Chamber of Commerce (1976) ''Century Plus: A Bicentennial Portrait of Birmingham, Alabama 1976'' Birmingham: Oxmoor Press, p. 16.
* {{White-1977}}
* {{White-1977}}
* Kilpatrick, Andrew (1996) ''A Legacy of Leadership: The History of AmSouth Bank.'' Birmingham: AmSouth Bank


[[Category:1873 buildings]]
[[Category:1873 buildings]]

Revision as of 22:25, 6 March 2007

Early view of the First National Bank building

The original National Bank of Birmingham building, commonly called Linn's Folly, was a three-story brick building constructed in 1872 and 1873 on a $400 lot on the northeast corner of 1st Avenue North and 20th Street for Charles Linn's National Bank of Birmingham. It was the first multi-story commercial building to be built in Birmingham.

Masons for the work were brought in from Louisville, Kentucky. Because the $36,000 structure was erected in the midst of a national economic depression, when the prospects for the new city of Birmingham were anything but sure, the building earned the nickname "Linn's Folly".

Undaunted, Linn completed the building and organized a lavish "Calico Ball" to celebrate its opening on December 31, 1873. The event is marked as a turning point in the fortunes of Birmingham. Later nicknames for the structure, which was a landmark at the city's commercial center, included Linn's Wisdom or Linn's Fame. The Brown Marx Building now occupies this site.

References

  • Jackson, Harvey H. (2000) The WPA Guide to 1930s Alabama Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, pp. 168-169. ISBN 0817310282
  • Birmingham Area Chamber of Commerce (1976) Century Plus: A Bicentennial Portrait of Birmingham, Alabama 1976 Birmingham: Oxmoor Press, p. 16.
  • White, Marjorie Longenecker (1977) Downtown Birmingham: Architectural and Historical Walking Tour Guide. Birmingham: Birmingham Historical Society.
  • Kilpatrick, Andrew (1996) A Legacy of Leadership: The History of AmSouth Bank. Birmingham: AmSouth Bank
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