Birmingham Ledger building
The Birmingham Ledger building was a three-story office building and printing plant for the Birmingham Ledger newspaper on the southwest corner of 1st Avenue North and 21st Street, at the foot of the Rainbow Viaduct.
It was constructed in 1902 with a concrete and steel frame with brick and terra-cotta cladding. Large plate-glass windows gave the public a view of the printing presses. In addition to its three above-ground floors, the building had a two-level basement and its foundations and columns were designed to allow for as many as nine more floors to be erected above.
The Ledger was acquired by The Birmingham News in April 1920, but the building was not part of the sale. It was subsequently acquired by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and was named the B. of L. E. Building, housing the offices of the brotherhood and of the B. of L. E. Bank & Trust.
The Protective Life Insurance Company later purchased the building and, with the help of architects Warren, Knight and Davis, built the 14-story Protective Life building using its frame as the base.
References
- The Book of Birmingham and Alabama (1914) Birmingham: The Birmingham Ledger
- "Birmingham Ledger Sold" (April 18, 1920) The New York Times
- Polk's Birmingham City Directory (1926) Birmingham: R. L. Polk & Co.
- White, Marjorie Longenecker (1977) Downtown Birmingham: Architectural and Historical Walking Tour Guide. Birmingham: Birmingham Historical Society.