Forbes Building

The Forbes Building is a 5-story, 35,000 square-foot commercial building at 1914 4th Avenue North. It was constructed in 1912 for the Forbes Furniture Co. and E. E. Forbes & Sons Piano Co., which remained there until 1996. Other tenants have included the John Broyles Furniture Co. in 1941 and the Alabama Barber College.

The building was sold to Burr & Forman attorneys in 1996 and remodeled as their headquarters office until they moved to the SouthTrust Tower. The firm sold it to Forbes Building LLC, registered to John Lauriello, for $321,000 in 1999. It was later used by Lightfoot, Franklin & White.

In 2019 the building was acquired by an investment group which included Colliers International and Capstone Real Estate Investments for $2.2 million. Their renovation of the building qualified for $851,250 in Historic Preservation Tax Credits, and also qualified for tax benefits as part of an Opportunity Zone under the U.S. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

Williams Blackstock designed the renovations, which were completed by RaderMcCary. The project included a new roof, elevator, restrooms, mechanical systems, and new windows in the side walls.

Tenants

• Alabama Barber College
• Burr & Forman (1996–)
• EdFarm (2020–)
• Small Magic
• Forbes Piano Company (1912–1996)

References

• Godwin, Brent (March 4, 2019) "Renovation project to bring new office space to Birmingham's city center." Birmingham Business Journal
• Van der Bijl, Hanno (September 4, 2019) "Local group completes $1.7M renovation of Fourth Avenue office project." Birmingham Business Journal