Cullman Downtown Commercial Historic District - Cullman, AL
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 34° 10.580 W 086° 50.453
16S E 514663 N 3781719
Old central business district, can be confusing, for there are 4 2nd's - two streets and two avenues. The St. and Ave. is as important as the SW NE NW and SW attached to street designations.
Waymark Code: WMPWQB
Location: Alabama, United States
Date Posted: 10/31/2015
Views: 2
County of district: Cullman County
Location of district: 4th and 1st Aves., 2nd and 5th Sts. SE , Cullman
"The Cullman Downtown Commercial Historic District is a historic district in Cullman, Alabama. Cullman was founded in 1873 by John G. Cullmann, who purchased land from the Louisville and Nashville Railroad. Most early commercial buildings were constructed of wood, with the first brick building, a hotel and restaurant across from the L&N depot, completed in 1881. Most of the early wooden buildings burned, including the C. A. Stiefelmeyer Storehouse in 1892, which was replaced with the current Stiefelmeyer's building. A new post office building was constructed in 1910, at the same time as a major boom in construction. Following a lull during World War I, construction continued in the 1920s, including the First United Methodist Church in 1923. The majority of the 58 contributing structures in the district are one- or two-story brick buildings in basic commercial styles, some influenced by the Chicago School. Notable exceptions are the wooden Italianate Stiefelmeyer's building, the stone Gothic Revival First Methodist Church, and the Neoclassical Federal Building and German Bank building's corner cupola.
The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985" ~ Wikipedia
"The Cullman "Downtown" Historic District has historically been the city*s commercial center. The district contains two complete city blocks and sections of other blocks for a total of approximately 11 acres. The district is located roughly between 4th Avenue SE &5th Street SE.
There are 58 buildings within the district. 51 or 88% contribute to the character of the district; 7 or 12% do not-contribute to the character of the district; Of the 58 buildings in the district, all are of commercial or business use with the exception of the First United Methodist Church (#3), the Old Federal Building (#19), and the Masonic Lodge (#15).
The district is divided into two sections by the 1910-1914 L & N Railroad cut. Prior to the cut, the railroad tracks ran at street level parallel to 1st Avenue SE and 1st Avenue SW with the L & N Depot located on 1st Avenue SE between 3rd Street SE and 4th Street SE. The tracks were lowered thirty feet below street level in order to halt the traffic stoppage through downtown, and the old L & N Depot was removed and replaced by a new depot several blocks from the downtown area.
The majority of the early commercial buildings found within the district were of wooden construction. Stiefelmeyers (#22) with its Italianate influence is the last remaining wooden commercial building in the downtown district and is representative of the type buildings which formed the early commercial area." ~ NRHP Nomination Form