1941 Bessemer City Hall
Bessemer City Hall, located at 1800 3rd Avenue North, is the seat of government for the City of Bessemer. It was constructed between 1938 and 1941 by the Works Progress Administration on the site of the former 1890 Bessemer City Hall, which was destroyed by fire.
The Art Deco-style building is clad in brick with limestone trim. The building features a tower at the corner of 18th Street where the old City Hall clock was re-installed, and a flagpole over the entrance on 3rd Avenue. The structure includes a Bessemer City Auditorium and spaces designed for retail tenants at street level. Brown fabric awnings were installed later over the entrances to the auditorium and lobby.
The building suffered minor damage from a package bomb which exploded in the office of Public Safety Commissioner Max Williams on May 2, 1979.
In 2012 the Bessemer City Council began evaluating the Zeigler building and the former 1st Presbyterian Church Bessemer as possibilities for relocating city hall, which was described as being "in deplorable state."
References
- Guge, Brett & Danny Ausbun (May 2, 1979) "Bomb in mail rocks Bessemer City Hall; lieutenant killed, two city officials hurt." The Birmingham News
- Burnett, Jason (February 4, 2007) "Bessemer City Hall" Historic Downtown Bessemer
- Norris, Toraine (May 15, 2012) "Bessemer council authorizes mayor to explore purchasing church for new city hall." The Birmingham News