Hood-McPherson building
- This article is about the building on 4th Avenue North in Birmingham. For the building on Avenue F Ensley see Hood-McPherson building (Ensley). For other uses, see Hood-McPherson Furniture.
The Hood-McPherson building is the former Hood-McPherson Furniture showroom located at 2013-15 4th Avenue North in downtown Birmingham.
The six-story, 44,000 square-foot building was designed by Harry Wheelock and built by the Carroll Blake Construction Co. in 1914. The structure is steel and reinforced concrete. The cream-colored terra cotta facade is divided into two triple-window bays with moulded spandrels and a deep cornice. A vertical neon sign is attached to the pier between the bays.
The ground floor was modernized with marble panels and bronze letters as part of a 1964 remodeling. The $250,000 project also provided air conditioning and wall-to-wall interior carpeting.
The building was connected to Hood-McPherson's former location at 2016 3rd Avenue North by a covered walkway spanning the alley. It was demolished in 2011 following the sale of the buildings.
The long-vacant building was auctioned on February 3, 2011. Artist Murray Hiam purchased the main building for $125,000 and neighbor Standard Furniture bought the 3rd Avenue annex for $56,000.
The building was subsequently purchased by Auburn University, which developed plans to renovate it for use by the College of Architecture, Design and Construction;s Urban Studio, as well as for the Harbert College of Business. Williams Blackstock Architects designed the renovations.
References
- White, Marjorie Longenecker (1977) Downtown Birmingham: Architectural and Historical Walking Tour Guide. Birmingham: Birmingham Historical Society.
- Diel, Stan (January 13, 2011) "Downtown Birmingham's Hood McPherson building on the block." The Birmingham News
- Swant, Martin (February 3, 2011) "Birmingham's Hood McPherson building, adjoining property sell at auction." The Birmingham News
- Swain, Sharron (June 30, 2022) "Auburn University is bringing new life to the historic Hood-McPherson Building downtown." Bham Now
External links
- Hood-McPherson building on Emporis.com