Peter Zinszer's Mammoth Furniture House
Peter Zinszer's Mammoth Furniture House (sometimes spelled Zinzer) was a furniture dealer located at 2115-2117 2nd Avenue North. It was founded in 1884 by Peter Zinszer and constructed a massive four-story store with a modern cast-iron and glass facade in 1889. The business sold furniture, carpets, stoves, and household items, delivered by mule-drawn carriage to all parts of the city.
Zinszer died in 1894 and his widow, Rosa Zinszer, continued to operate the store as one of Birmingham's prominent business women.
In 1904 the business was owned by Mrs. W. H. Wilder and managed by A. G. Miller with Joseph Zinzer as buyer. The store sold furniture, carpets, matting, stoves and home furnishings wholesale and retail.
The building, considered to have the finest of the two surviving examples of Victorian cast-iron facades in Birmingham, was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 23, 1980.
| To left: Spencer building |
2nd Avenue North, south side 2115-17 |
To right: parking lot |
References
- White, Marjorie Longenecker (1977) Downtown Birmingham: Architectural and Historical Walking Tour Guide. Birmingham: Birmingham Historical Society.