Heaviest Corner on Earth - Birmingham, Alabama
N 33° 30.860 W 086° 48.341
16S E 518046 N 3708325
At the beginning of the 20th century, four of the tallest buildings in the southern U.S. were constructed nearly simultaneously at this intersection in dowtown Birmingham.
Waymark Code: WM4KZB
Location: Alabama, United States
Date Posted: 09/04/2008
Views: 19
THE HEAVIEST CORNER ON EARTH
At the turn of the 20th century, Birmingham was a small town of two and three story buildings with a few church steeples punctuating the skyline. During the industrial boom from 1902 to 1912 which made Birmingham the largest city in the state, four large buildings were constructed at the intersection of the city's main streets. The Woodward Building (now National Bank of Commerce), constructed in 1902 on the southwest corner, was the city's first steel-frame skyscraper. A good example of the Chicago school style of architecture, it brought a dramatic change to the vertical scale of the existing Victorian city. In 1906 the 16-story Brown Marx Building rose on the northeast corner; In 1908 an addition more than doubled its size. Long the South's largest office building, its principal tenant was United States Steel Corporation. The Empire Building (1909, northwest corner) and John A. Hand Building (1912, southeast corner) completed the "Heaviest Corner". Sheathed in marble, limestone, and terra cotta, they exemplify the more ornamental neoclassical style. Along the cornice of the Empire Building (now Colonial Bank), "E's" stand for the Empire Improvement Company, which built the tower.
Street address:
1st Ave. No & 20th Street
Birmingham, AL USA
County / Borough / Parish: Jefferson County, Alabama
Year listed: 1985
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering
Periods of significance: 1900-1924
Historic function: Commerce/Trade
Current function: Commerce/Trade
Privately owned?: yes
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
Hours of operation: Not listed
Secondary Website 1: Not listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
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