Florentine Building

Corner of the Florentine Building in 2004

The Florentine Building or Sims Building is a two-story, terra-cotta clad building on the southeast corner of 2nd Avenue North and 21st Street. It was built between 1925 and 1927 for the Club Florentine by Henry Upson Sims. Architect David O. Whilldin designed the foundations to support an eventual 10-story building, but only the lower two floors were ever completed, and the club was never a success.

The Italianate style is highly decorated with colored terra-cotta ornament framing two arcades supported by marble columns. Cast iron lanterns and shop windows enhance the decorative scheme. The eaves are crowned by a short red-tile roof. At the time it was said to have been the most costly building constructed in the city (by the square foot.) Legend has it that Sims built the exuberant structure to honor a much-loved schoolteacher, Hannah Elliott, who had taken him and his classmates on a tour of Italy. (White - 1986)

For a while the building's main floor was the home of Jefferson County Savings Bank. Other tenants have included the Alabama Acceptance Corporation and Brunswick Billiards and armed forces recruitment offices. Currently Shelby Finance, Tony's Terrific Hot Dogs & Sandwiches, and Loretta's Alterations Shop operate out of the ground floor. The upper level has housed a succession of nightclubs, including Focus Phase II and Club 21.

The building was purchased in 1966 by R. D. Thompson, who repaired some of the facade details.

References

• White, Marjorie Longenecker, editor (1977) Downtown Birmingham: Architectural and Historical Walking Tour Guide. Birmingham: Birmingham Historical Society. p. 76
• Satterfield, Carolyn Green (1976) Historic Sites of Jefferson County, Alabama. Birmingham: Jefferson County Historical Society. p. 38
• Keith, Walling (October 17, 1966) "Preserve some of past." Birmingham News. Daily Magazine.
• White, Marjorie Longenecker, conversation with James Rodger Alexander (September 27, 1986) cited in Alexander's exhibit catalogue Terra Cotta Facades of Birmingham Architecture (1986) Birmingham: UAB Visual Arts Gallery.

External links

• Keily, Alfred C. (April 29, 1949) Photograph of Sims Building at the Birmingham Public Library Archives Digital Collections. Alfred C. Keily Collection, No. 820