Relay House

This article is about the 19th century hotel, for the private club, see Relay House club.

The Relay House was a two-story, 37-room wood frame hotel built by the Elyton Land Company in 1871 at the corner of Morris Avenue and 20th Street North adjacent to the Railroad Reservation. As a means of restricting the corporation's power under the law, the building and its "necessary outhouses" were the only structures that would be erected by the Elyton Company under its articles of incorporation. Furthermore, by charter, its construction was not to exceed $10,000 in cost. A Mr Masterson was engaged to see to its construction.

The Relay House was actually the new city's second hotel. It served as a train station and gathering place for people doing business. The building's exterior was wrapped with deep verandas which served as waiting and greeting areas for trains. Features of the hotel included bells in each room which sounded in the office, gas fixtures, earth closets and a large cistern.

The hotel was operated by William Ketchum and his wife Jane and by his son-in-law, George Robert Ward, the grandfather of future mayor George Ward, along with his wife Margaret Edith Ketchum Ward. Mrs Ward hosted many of the city's early social events at the hotel.

On November 15, 1883 the hotel hosted hearings of the United States Senate Committee on Relations Between Labor and Capital, at which Mrs Ward was a star witness.

The Relay House was demolished in 1886 to make room for a new L & N Station on the site. Since 1962 the site has been the home of the landmark Two North Twentieth building.

References

• White, Marjorie Longenecker, ed. (1977) Downtown Birmingham: Architectural and Historical Walking Tour Guide. Birmingham: Birmingham Historical Society.