Brown Marx Building

The Brown Mark Building in 2008

The Brown Marx Building (or Brown Marx Tower) is a 193,000 square foot, 16-story, 210 foot tall Chicago-style steel-frame office tower on the northeast corner of 20th Street and 1st Avenue North. From its completion in 1906, until it was eclipsed by the Empire Building three years later, it was the tallest structure in Birmingham.

History

The site of the Brown Marx Building was where Charles Linn built the National Bank of Birmingham in 1873. Known as "Linn's Folly", the building hosted Birmingham's first Calico Ball.

The Brown Marx Building was named for Otto Marx of Marx & Company and Eugene L. Brown of Brown Brothers, early tenants of the structure. (The alternate name, The Eugeneotto Building, was rejected early-on). It was built in two phases beginning with a narrow 16-story tower on the corner (pictured), which was completed in 1906.

The immediate success of that development encouraged iron magnate William Woodward to purchase the building and more than double its overall size over the next two years. His 1908 expansion created a U-shaped plan with an average of about 12,000 square feet per floor and windows providing natural light to every office. A four-story Brown Marx annex was constructed just east of the tower facing 1st Avenue. Its ground floor was leased as an independent space while the upper floors connected with the tower.

The original Brown Marx Building in 1906

The building was financed by the Tennessee Coal Iron and Railroad Company. Both sections were designed by architect William Weston and constructed by John Griffith & Sons of Chicago, Illinois.

The exterior of the building was light-colored brick with rusticated banding and arched windows on the third story, surmounted by a cornice. The ground floor was clad in stone with broad expanses of glass showcasing retail goods. The interior was clad in Alabama marble, and the roof parapet was surrounded by a broad, highly detailed cornice. Most of these details have since been removed. As early as 1930, when the building was again expanded, the rusticated story was covered over with a more "streamlined" art-deco inspired light-colored banding.

The four early Twentieth century skyscrapers at 20th Street and 1st Avenue were billed, at the time, as the "Heaviest Corner in the South." Over the years, that claim was inflated to the improbable "Heaviest Corner on Earth", which remains a popular name for the grouping. In 1985 the "Heaviest Corner on Earth" was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The Brown Marx Building is the only tower of the four not to also be individually listed.

In 1951 U.S. Steel (which had absorbed TCI) moved their Birmingham headquarters from the Brown Marx to the new Flintridge Building in Fairfield. A pool hall was located in the basement for a while. Other tenants included the Southern Building Code Congress. The cornice was removed and replaced by a metal-clad mechanical enclosure at the roofline in the early 1970s. In the 1980s, the building was owned by the Gittlin Companies of Fairfield, New Jersey.

Watts Realty managed the Brown Marx Tower from 1974 until its sale to a new owner in the early 1980s. The realty company relocated its offices to the Arlington Business Center in 1984.

Recent plans

In 2002, Inman Park Properties purchased the Brown Marx Building along with the Empire Building across 20th Street and the Commerce Center at 1st Avenue North and 21st Street. The following year they proposed to convert the Brown Marx into over 100 loft apartments, perhaps in tandem with the Empire Building. In advance of the planned renovation they moved most of Brown Marx's tenants to the Commerce Center. Unable to negotiate a deal with the Birmingham Parking Authority to build a new deck adjacent to the site, they abandoned the renovation.

In 2004 Operation New Birmingham put it on their 12 Most Wanted list of downtown buildings in need of renovation.

In 2006 SAW Holdings LLC, a group of local investors led by former Pride Restaurants owner Arnold Whitmore announced places for a $22 million renovation of the building, including 108 condominiums, a roof-top pool, gym, spa, a top-floor bar, an executive office suite, and ground floor restaurant, office and retail space. The proposal included a 200-space parking deck to be built adjacent to the tower. RealtySouth and Nationwide were jointly marketing the condominiums and opened sales office in the building.

Falling glass from upper-story windows caused the Birmingham Department of Planning, Engineering & Permits to require the owner to protect the sidewalks with covered walkways which were installed in September, 2006. In 2009 part of the metal facade came loose during a strong windstorm. The city entered into an emergency contract to remove the metal in the interest of public safety.

In March 2012, National Bank of Commerce sold the building to Hughes Capital Partners. They opened an office in the adjoining Brown-Marx Annex as they considered possibilities for redevelopment. In 2017 they removed the decade-old sidewalk covers to clean up around the building.

In January 2018 an LLC affiliated with Ascent Hospitality, developer of the Elyton Hotel, purchased the Brown Marx Building for $3.66 million. The company carried out some clean-up and stabilization work during 2019, but made no announcements concerning future plans. In 2023 a crane was set up on 1st Avenue North to replace roof equipment on the building.

In November 2023, Ascent reported it had secured $49.8 million in construction financing from Peachtree Group of Atlanta to convert the building into a Marriott dual-branded hotel: a 190-room AC Hotel marketed to business travelers, and a 148-room Element Hotel featuring extended-stay rooms with kitchens. The hotel is expected to open in 2025.

Tenants

Retail tenants

• Gold Lion Tea & Lunch Room (1910)
• Zac Smith Stationery Company (1922-)
• Subway Billiard Parlor, W. L. Jackson, manager (1909–1929), Brown-Marx Amusement Co. (1949–1959)
• R. D. Burnett Cigar Co. (1909–1929) Brown-Marx Cigar Company (1930s), Brown Marx Cigar & Soda (1949–1959)
• Brown-Marx Barber Shop (1929–1959)
• Brown-Marx Dry Cleaning Co. (1929)
• Christian Science Reading Room (1990s)
• Southern Railway "City Ticket Office", Brownell Travel / Capital Airlines ticket office (1959)

Rooms

• 2nd floor
  • 201–203: White & Heflin (1909), Mutual Loan Society (1929), Chicago & Northwestern Railway Co. (1949)
    • 201–202: Chicago Northwestern Railway System general agent (1959)
  • 204–212: Marx & Co. investment bankers (1929–1949)
    • 204–209: Jemison Investment Co. (1959)
      • 204–208: Otto Marx & Co. (1909)
      • 209: J. K. Orr Shoe Co. (1909)
    • 210–212: Birmingham Hearing Center (1959)
      • 210: D. H. Brown & Co. / Greensboro Life Insurance Co. (1909)
  • 214–215: Roscoe Chamblee attorney (1929–1949)
    • 214: Edgar Allen (1909)
    • 215: Building Material Men's Exchange / Woodward Labor Co. (1909)
  • 215–220: Saunders System / Saunders Southern Co. auto rentals (1959)
    • 216–219: F. B. Latady & Co. accountants
      • 216–218: Crowell-Collier Publishing Co. (1949)
        • 216: Drennen & Cocke (1909)
        • 218: Patterson & Brandon (1909)
  • 219–221: vacant (1949)
    • 220–221: vacant (1949)
    • 219: Birmingham Ore & Mining Co. / Harry Krouse / Southern Credit Adjustment Co. (1909)
    • 220: Ullman & Winkler / Vulcan Land & Investment Co. (1909)
    • 221: Richard H. Brown feed broker (1959)
  • 222–228: Hugo Marx & Co. investment bankers (1959)
    • 222–223: Fowlkes Insurance Agency / J. B. Rosenstihl (1929), Hugo Marx & Co. investment bankers (1949)
    • 224–228: John Hancock Mutual Life Insurance Co. (1929)
      • 224–226: James A. Evans electrical engineer (1949)
      • 227–228: Earl Fricks accountant / Dixie Realty Co. (1949)
  • 229–230: Life Insurance Co. of Georgia (1949), Jack Wainwrighht / James T. Holland real estate (1959)
    • 230: vacant (1929)
  • 231–233: H. S. Matthews Co. real estate (1929), Avon Products Inc. (1949), Birmingham Association of Insurance Agents / Alabama Association of Insurance Agents (1959)
  • 234–238: Mutual Savings Life Insurance Co. (1959)
    • 234: J. H. Bryan & Co. real estate / Harrison Richardson Building Co. contractors (1929), McKinstry's Flowers office (1949)
    • 235–237: Friedman-Shelby (1929), International Shoe Co. (1929–1949)
    • 238: W. P. Moore insurance (1929), Dixie Wholesale Optical office (1949)
  • 239–242: Brown-Marx store rooms (1949)
    • 239–241: Brown-Marx store rooms (1959)
      • 239: C. P. Leibold / Industrial Supply Co. / W. J. Bush (1929)
      • 240–241: vacant (1929)
  • 242–243: Bigsby Brokerage Co. feed (1929), Samuel Knight accountant / Henry Howze (1959)
  • 243–245: Paul Wright & Co. mechanical engineers (1949)
    • 244–245: Birmingham Jewelry Co. / Cliff's Watch & Clock Repair (1959)
      • 244: Paul Wright & Co. mechanical engineers (1929)
  • 246–249: Atlantic Birmingham & Coast Railroad (1929), Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (1949)
    • 246–247: Goolsby & Walkley accountants (1959)
    • 248–249: Sidney Hart real estate (1959)
  • 250–252: Gulf States Steel Co. (1929), Dixie Wholesale Optical Co. shop (1949)
    • 250–251: vacant (1959)
  • 253–256: Jay Smith Lumber Co. (1929), John Nappi tailor (1949–1959)
• 3rd floor
  • 301–306: Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. sales department (1949)
    • 301–303: Levert-George Realty Co. (1929), Minneapolis-St Paul & Sault Ste Marie Railroad Co. agent / Soo Line Railroad traffic department (1959)
      • 301: Moore & Reynolds / W. J. Dangaix & Co. (1909)
  • 304–315: Ward Sterne & Co. investments / Ward Sterne Dryer Mortgage Co. (1929)
    • 304–306: vacant (1959)
      • 304: Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Co. (1909)
    • 307–308: King-Merritt & Co. wholesalers (1959)
      • 307: F. Y. Anderson / Alabama State Land Co. / Acton Mining Co. (1909)
    • 309–315: International Shoe Co. wholesalers (1959)
      • 310: G. W. Yancey / Realty Building & Loan Association (1909)
      • 314: Bolt Investment Co. (1909)
      • 315: Steel City Labor Co. (1909)
  • 316–318: B. F. Eborn (1909), Dr Mully Optical Co. (1929), Mackle, Eldridge & McIntosh accountants (1959)
  • 319–321: Ebbert & Kirkman Co. manufacturers' agents (1949), Lewis Cato / Henry Welch / David Hicks attorneys (1959)
    • 319–320: American Adjustment Agency collections (1929)
      • 319: North Birmingham Fire Brick & Proofing Co. / American Bonding Co. (1909)
      • 320: Birmingham Typewriting Co. (1909)
    • 321: Brooks Lumber Co. (1909), S. C. Ebbert manufacturers agent / Ebbert & Kirkman (1929)
  • 322–323: Vaughan & Davis attorneys (1929), Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. sales department (1949), State Mutual Life Assurance Co. (1959)
  • 324–326: Bankers Reserve Life Co. (1929), Pilot Life Insurance Co. (1949), Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society (1959)
  • 327–328: Tom Pankey & Co. securities (1929), Electro Metallurgical Co. / Electro Metallurgical Sales Co. (1949), Earl Fricks / Betty Jasperson accountants (1959)
  • 329–333: J. F. Clark & Co. brokers (1929)
    • 329–331: vacant (1949)
      • 329: H. Leroy Thompson consulting engineer (1959)
      • 330: vacant (1959)
    • 332–333: The Maccabees (1949), Watts Realty Co. (1959)
  • 334: vacant (1929), T. Morris Francis consulting engineer (1949–1959) / Thomas Brooks / Richard Cook landscape architects (1959)
  • 335–338: Clyde Steamship Co. (1929)
    • 335–337: Enslen & Co. real estate & insurance (1959)
      • 335–336: Mary Sanford stenographer (1949)
    • 338: Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society (1949)
  • 338–351: James Evans consulting engineer
    • 339–341: C. B. Davis Engineering Co. machinery (1929)
      • 339: Whitehead & Hoag Co. advertising (1949)
      • 340–341: William A. Watts real estate / Hillman-Watts Land Co. (1949)
    • 342–347: Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. sales department (1949)
      • 342–343: Birmingham Mine Supply Co. / Southern Grease & Chemical Co. (1929)
      • 344–345: Magic City Lumber Co. (1929)
    • 346–349: Fenner & Beane brokers (1929)
      • 348–349: Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. store rooms (1949)
  • 350–352: Carl Fox physician (1929–1949)
  • 353–356: Bodeker's National Detective Agency (1929)
    • 353–354: Cook & Garber Inc. investment bankers / Joseph Norman (1949–1959)
• 4th floor
  • 401–403: Otis Elevator Co. / E. W. Moore (1909), Blaw-Knox Co. machinery (1929), George Barnard / Russell Bryan consulting engineers (1949), W. C. Gibbs Co. manufacturers agents (1959)
  • 404–406: J. A. Yates & Co. (1909), C. F. Horst & Co. / Sipsey Coal Mining Co. (1929), Manley Moor / M. E. Moor Co. wholesale coal (1949–1959)
  • 407–408: Perkins & Dupuy (1909), J. W. Perkins / T. P. Vowell dentists (1929), Walter Lass tailor (1949), Jessop Steel Co. sales office (1959)
  • 409–414: Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. plant protection department (1949)
    • 409–412: Marvin Cherner / Louis Fleisher attorneys (1959)
      • 409: L. M. Robertson / Southern Mining Co. (1909), Aetna Life Insurance Co. claims (1929)
      • 410: J. F. B. Baugh / Barrong G. Collier Inc. (1909), A. C. Foster osteopath (1929)
    • 414–416: Brodnax & Knight Inc. investments (1959)
      • 414: J. L. Parry (1909)
      • 415–416: Bessemer Fire Brick Co. (1909), Harry Bradford dentist (1929), Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. cash office (1949)
  • 419–421: Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. (1929)
    • 419: K-S Lumber Co. (1909), vacant (1949–1959)
    • 420–421: Nurses' Official Registry of Alabama / State Nurses' Association (1949–1959)
  • 422–426: Soil Pipe Association (1929)
    • 422–423: Klotz Insurance Agency (1949–1959)
  • 424–428: Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. market research / Universal Exploration Co. (1949)
    • 424–426: S. Palmer Keith Jr / Cas Tyler attorneys (1959)
  • 427–429: East Pratt Coal Co. (1929)
    • 427–428: National Electric Coil Co. (1959)
    • 429: Appleton Electric Co. / National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis (1949), Central Audit Co. bookkeepers (1959)
  • 430–433: Black Creek Coal & Coke Co. (1949), vacant (1959)
    • 431: Black Creek Coal & Coke Co. (1929)
  • 434–439: R. L. Totten Inc. consulting engineers (1929)
    • 434: Westbrook Realty Co. (1949), Westbrook & Co. (1959)
    • 435–437: Otey Realty Co. (1949–1959)
    • 438: Woman's Benefit Association insurance (1949)
    • 439: vacant (1959)
  • 440–441: E. N. Cunningham consulting engineer (1929), Columbian Mutual Life Insurance Co. (1949–1959)
  • 444–446: Estella Mercer / W. Mack Whiteside Jr / Lamerle Lantrip / Jacqueline Lawe accountants / Robert E. Boggs Co. manufacturers agent (1959)
    • 444–445: P. F. Collier & Son Distributing Corp. (1929), Thomas Supply Co. manufacturers' agents (1949)
  • 446–447: R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. wholesale (1949)
    • 446: Otey Realty Co. / W. F. Johnson (1929)
    • 447: Brunswick-Kroeschell Co. machinery / Keeling & White Engineering Co. / Keeling, Meek & Kernan engineers (1929), Lila Gearhart stenographer (1959)
  • 448–449: A. G. Spalding & Bros sporting goods (1929)
    • 448: James Phillips electrical engineer (1949), Robert E. Boggs Co. manufacturers agent (1959}
  • 450–452: Westbrook & Co. Inc. real estate (1949–1959)
    • 450: Alabama State Land Co. (1929)
    • 452: K. P. Warren / R. S. Brown real estate (1929)
  • 453–454: Eugene Aromi real estate (1949), Chapman Coal Sales Co. (1959)
  • 445–446: Murray & Co. Inc. wholesale coal (1959)
  • 455: David Crawford real estate (1949)
• 5th floor
  • 501–508: Garber Cook & Co. securities (1929)
    • 501–503: Harold VanBaalen accountant (1959)
      • 501: Birmingham Car & Manufacturing Co. (1909), George Witcher Jr (1949)
      • 502–503: Beach Chenoweth (1949)
    • 504–508: Walter Fowlkes Jr / Provident Mutual Life Insurance Co. (1949)
      • 504–506: Provident Life & Accident Insurance (1959)
        • 504: W. T. Berry / J. A. Blue (1909)
    • 507–509: Dent & Corr accountants (1959)
      • 507: W. B. Phillips & Son (1909)
      • 508: T. S. Smith / F. W. Smith / American Box & Veneer Co. / Gate City Chert Co. (1909)
      • 509: Abbott & Daugette (1909), S. M. Adler (1929), Federated Metals division American Smelting & Refining Co. (1949)
  • 510–521: Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. (1929)
    • 510–514: Burlington Lines / Colorado & Southern Railway / Fort Worth & Denver City Railway / Wichita Valley Railway (1949)
      • 510: Washington Life Insurance Co. / W. J. Cameron / John A. Roebling's Sons Co. (1909), American Patriot Life Insurance Co. (1959)
      • 514: F. A. Lupton / E. L. Scott (1909)
    • 515: Life Insurance Society of America (1949), Roscoe Chamblee / Abele & Witcher attorneys (1959)
    • 516: Industrial Lumber & Coal Co. (1909)
    • 519: Monro Warrior Coal & Coke Co. (1909)
    • 520–521: Commercial Casualty Insurance Co. / National Casualty Co. (1949)
      • 521: Douglas Golden accountant (1959)
  • 522-523: Texas & Pacific Railway Co. (1929–1959)
  • 524–528: Brown-Marx Co. real estate (1949–1959)
    • 524–526: W. T. Berry physician / L. O. Hertz dentist (1929)
    • 527–528: L. C. Brown insurance (1929)
  • 529–533: Provident Mutual Live Insurance Co. / W. B. Fowlkes (1929), Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. training bureau (1949)
    • 529: Ed S. Moore / Edwin H. Moore / Harold Bowron insurance agents (1959)
  • 535–539: Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. safety bureau (1949)
    • 535–538: Cox & Sessions insurance (1929)
  • 540: Birmingham Hearing Center (1949)
  • 548: Birmingham Southern Railroad / Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. (1929)
  • 550–552: Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. store rooms (1949)
    • 550: T. F. Batey tailor (1929)
    • 551–552: South Markets Inc. / Southern Association Inc. counselors (1959)
      • 551: P. H. Parker accountant (1929)
      • 552: Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. (1929)
• 6th floor
  • 601–609: E. I. duPont de Nemours & Co. explosives (1929)
    • 601–606: Central of Georgia Railway Co. (1959)
      • 601–603: W. E. Drennen (1909), vacant (1949)
    • 604–608: Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. accounting department (1949)
      • 604: J. A. Allen Jr / R. F. Ashworth (1909)
      • 607: C. A. Fox (1909)
      • 608: General Electric Co. vacuum cleaner and communication products departments (1959)
  • 609–612: Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. sales department (1949)
    • 609: Union Discount Co. (1909), Lee Whidby flour broker (1959)
    • 610–612: vacant (1959)
      • 610: Percy Reid / J. R. Dawson (1909), Federal Phosphorus Co. (1929)
  • 614–621: Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. comptroller's department (1949)
    • 614–620: Illinois Central Railroad Co. traffic department (1959)
      • 614: W. G. Harrison (1909), The Praetorians (1929)
      • 615–619: Dudley Bar Co. steel (1929)
        • 616: T. A. Casey / E. C. Bandy / Hardee Johnston / Frank Walton / J. R. Snyder / H. P. Shugerman (1909)
        • 619: E. M. Robinson (1909)
      • 620: vacant (1929)
    • 621: A. T. Newell (1909)
  • 622–626: Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. metallurgical department (1949)
    • 622–623: Erie Railroad Co. (1929)
    • 624–626: William Morris Jr architect (1959)
      • 624: The Provon Co. chemists (1929)
  • 627–633: Grasselli Chemical Co. (1929), Universal Atlas Cement Co. (1949)
    • 627–628: vacant (1959)
    • 629–633: Downs & Box accountants (1959)
  • 634–638: Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. salary administration bureau (1949)
    • 634: vacant (1959)
    • 635–637: Stanley Lapidus accountant (1959)
    • 638: Alabama Industrial Development Board (1929), vacant (1959)
  • 639: vacant (1959)
  • 640–652: Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. office service bureau (1949)
    • 640–641: Atlas Power Co. / Atlas Explosives Co. (1929), Jacob Solomon accountant (1959)
    • 642–649: Atlas Lumnite Cement Co. / Atlas Portland Cement Co. (1929)
      • 642–643: Alabama Republican Party (1959)
      • 644–645: Schultz & Co. real estate & insurance (1959)
      • 646–647: William Conwell / Griffin & Wilson attorneys (1959)
      • 649: The Falk Corp. machinery manufacturers (1959)
    • 650–651: Gold Branch Coal & Coke Co. (1959)
      • 650: W. A. Gibson / T. S. Brown (1929)
    • 652: Realty Investment Co. / Fulton Springs Manor Corp. / J. S. Fannin attorney (1929), General Combustion Co. industrial equipment (1959)
• 7th floor
  • 701–703: Niles-Bement-Pond Co. (1909), Allis-Chambers Manufacturing Co. machinery (1929), Union Pacific Railroad Co. freight & passenger agent (1949–1959)
  • 704–706: Harbison-Walker Refractories Co. fire brick (1929)
    • 704: Equitable Life Assurance Society / G. T. Sibley (1909), H. H. Robertson Co. building supplies (1949), George L. Morris Agency insurance / Riverside Clay Co. (1959)
  • 707–708: vacant (1929)
    • 708: Thomas Lauderdale accountant (1959)
  • 709–712: Julius Plotka accountant (1959)
    • 709: Orkin Exterminating Co. (1929), John R. Whie & Co. merchandise broker (1949)
    • 710–712: YMCA state committee / T. M. Francis consulting engineer (1929), David Solomon attorney (1949)
      • 711: Southern Railway general freight office (1909)
  • 714: Marshall Kerchner & Co. foundry supplies (1959)
  • 715–719: Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Co. (1959)
    • 715: Brown Oil Co. (1929), Marshall Kerchner & Co. foundry supplies (1949)
    • 716–718: North Birmingham Land Co. / Empire Coal Co. (1909), Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. sanitary engineering (1949)
      • 716: D. H. Brown Coal Co. (1929)
  • 719–720: Chain Belt Co. / Lincoln Electric Co. / D. O. James Manufacturing Co. (1929), Employees Insurance Club (1949)
    • 720: Missouri Pacific Railway (1909), Walker Mattison real estate (1959)
  • 721: National Life & Accident Insurance Co. (1909), Manufacturers Selling Agency / S. F. King (1929)
  • 722–728: Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. sales division (1949)
    • 722–723: Louisville & Nashville Railroad passenger agent (1929), F. W. Nichols & Co. (1959)
    • 724–726: H. H. Robertston Co. roofing / Nixon-Hasselle Co. manufacturers agents (1929), Earl Hendon attorney / Southern Chemical & Equipment Co. (1959)
    • 727–728: E. M. Ivy & Co. wholesale lumber (1929), Provident Mutual Life Insurance Co. of Philadelphia (1959)
  • 729–734: Adams, Rowe & Norman Inc. wholesale coal (1929–1949), Yolande Coal & Coke Co. (1949)
    • 729–733: vacant (1959)
    • 734: Kansas City Southern Lines / Louisiana & Arkansas Railway general agents (1959)
  • 735–738: Davis Creek Coal & Coke Co. / J. B. McClary wholesale coal / Yolande Coal & Coke Co. (1929)
    • 735–737: Moses Ullman (1915), Birmingham Southern Railroad Co. car service department (1949), Fuller Co. conveyers (1959)
    • 738: Electric Controller & Manufacturing Co. (1949), David Thurlow marine engineer (1959)
  • 739–751: Murdoch Meriwether / Alf Walker Jr / Little Cahaba Sales Co. wholesale coal (1949)
    • 739–740: Lawrence Whitten architect (1959)
      • 739: Electric Controller & Manufacturing Co. (1929)
    • 740–741: Mary Sanford stenographer (1929), Blaw-Knox Co. fabricators (1949)
    • 742-743: Union Pacific System (1929), vacant (1949)
    • 744: McCormick Lumber Co. (1929)
    • 745-749: Brookside-Pratt Mining Co. (1929)
    • 746–747: Retail Credit Co. (1949)
  • 750-752: Smith Coal Sales Co. (1959)
    • 750–751: Bankhead National Highway Association / Dixie Manufacturer, Rountree Publishing Co. / U.S. Good Roads Association / U.S. Good Roads Bulletin (1929)
      • 750: Southern Building Code Congress / Southern Building Official journal (1949)
      • 751: Engineers Club of Birmingham (1949)
    • 752: Jefferson County Druggists Association / J. D. Rhodes manufacturers agent / J. Hungerford Smith Co. (1929), Johns-Manville Sales Corp. (1949)
• 8th floor
  • 801–803: Delmar Coal Co. / Panama Coal & Iron Co. (1909), J. R. Dawson / C. M. Rudolph physicians (1929), Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. sales department (1949), vacant (1959)
  • 804–811: Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. paymaster (1949)
    • 804–806: Lamkin & Howle pensions / Griffin Lamkin attorney (1959)
      • 804: A. C. Cameron / H. E. Pressly (1909)
      • 805–806: Birmingham Pressed Steel Co., Frank Nelson Estate (1929)
    • 807–808: R. J. Emmerson attorney (1929), St Louis & San Francisco Railway Co. executive office (1959)
      • 807: Corona Coal & Iron Co. / Alabama Coal Co. (1909)
    • 809: A. G. Douglass (1909), Peerless Explosives Co. (1929), Mississippi Central Railroad Co. (1959)
  • 810–812: G. R. Mueller manufacturers agent / The Okonite Co. (1929), National Life Insurance Co. of Vermont ( 1959)
    • 810: A. C. Foster (1909)
  • 812–821: Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. industrial engineering department (1949)
    • 814–821: National Life & Accident Insurance Co. (1929)
      • 814–820: Jefferson Standard Life Insurance Co. (1959)
        • 814: Big Cahaba Coal Co. / Braehead Coal Co. / J. E. Donelson (1909)
        • 815: Farm Realty Co. (1909)
        • 817: Cordova Coal & Coake Co. / Hobson Coal & Coke Co. / Export Pratt Coal Co. (1909)
        • 818–820: Standard Lumber & Manufacturing Co. / H. F. Wood (1909)
  • 822–852: Warrior & Gulf Navigation Co. steamship line / Birmingham Southern Railroad Co. accounting department (1949)
    • 822–839: Birmingham Southern Railroad Co. general offices (1949)
      • 822–838: Deramus, Fitts, Johnston & Mullins attorneys (1959)
        • 822–823: Mississippi-Warrior Service railroad (1929)
        • 824–826: Warrior River Terminal Co. (1929)
        • 830: Shook & Fletcher Supply Co. manufacturers agents (1929), Inland Water Ways Corp. / Warrior River Terminal Co. / Federal Barge Lines (1949)
        • 834–837: Laumer-Griffith Lumber Co. (1929)
    • 840–849: Equitable Life Assurance Society (1929)
      • 842–849: Life Insurance Society of America / Reliant Life Insurance Society (1959)
    • 850–851: Hillman-Watts Land Co. (1929)
    • 852: Anchor Insurance Agency (1959)
• 9th floor
  • 901–908: Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. (1929)
  • 901–907: Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. comptroller's division (1949)
    • 901–906: vacant (1959)
      • 901–903: Dayton Hydraulic Machinery Co. / C. D. Smith & Co. / G. B. Turner (1909)
    • 907: The Pullman Co. (1909)
  • 909–921: Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. traffic department (1949)
    • 909: Republic National Life Insurance Co. / Watkins Insurance Agency (1959)
    • 910–913: New York, Chicago & St Louis Railroad Co. (1959)
      • 910–912: Birmingham Coal & Iron Co. (1909)
        • 910: J. F. Webb (1909)
    • 914–915: Clyde Roddam attorney (1959)
    • 916: vacant (1959)
    • 918–919: Birmingham Engineering Co. (1909)
    • 920: Wyatt Heflin (1909), vacant (1959)
    • 921: James Graham flour broker (1959)
  • 922–926: Monsanto Chemical Co. (1949)
    • 922–923: Wabash Railroad Co. freight & passenger agents (1959)
    • 924–926: Canadian National Railways / Grand Truck Railway System (1959)
  • 927–952: Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. tabulation bureau (1949)
    • 927–928: Erie Railroad Co. general agent (1959)
    • 929: Blaw-Knox Co. (1959)
    • 930: Federal Phosphorus Co. / Federal Abrasives Co. / Federal Carbide Co. / Federal Fertilizer Co. / Southern Manganese Corp. (1929)
    • 934: W. H. Hassinger (1929), vacant (1959)
    • 935–939: Federal Phosphorus Co. (1929)
      • 935–937: Francis Latady accountant & attorney (1959)
    • 939–941: Charles H. Moses & Son accountants / Charles Moses Jr attorney (1959)
    • 940–949: Georgia Cement & Products Co. / National Cement Co. (1929)
      • 942–945: Silberman & Silberman attorneys (1959)
      • 946-949: Hartford Accident & Indemnity Co. / Hartford Fire Insurance Co. (1959)
    • 950–952: James W. Lee / Elbert Jones accountants (1959)
      • 952: Federal Phosphorus Co. (1929)
• 10th floor
  • 1001–1013: Gulf States Steel Co. (1929)
    • 1001–1008: Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. public relations department (1949)
      • 1001–1006: vacant (1959)
        • 1001: Williamson Iron Co. / J. B. Simpson Audit Co. (1909)
        • 1004: R. C. Foster & Co. (1909)
      • 1007: Montevallo Mining Co. / Hillabee Gold Mining Co. (1909)
      • 1008: E. L. Penruddocke (1909), Ewen Crunk accountant (1959)
  • 1009–1021: Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. sales promotion division (1949)
    • 1009–1010: Pennsylvania Railroad / Long Island Railroad district sales managers (1959)
      • 1009: H. C. Selheimer (1909)
      • 1010: Marbury Lumber Co. (1909)
    • 1014–1020: Steel City Lumber Co. (1929)
      • 1014: R. C. Foster Co. (1909), vacant (1959)
      • 1015: Continental Casualty Co. (1909), W. H. Curtin & Co. laboratory supplies (1959)
      • 1016–1018: Ernest Woods / Edgar Simpson accountants (1959)
      • 1019–1029: Finance Management Co. bookkeepers / Cupples-Hesse Corp. envelope manufacturers (1959)
  • 1021–1054: Gulf States Steel Co. (1929)
    • 1021: Allen & Co. / G. H. Davis & Co. / T. B. Taylor (1909), vacant (1959)
    • 1022–1030: E. I. duPont de Nemours & Co. explosives (1949–1959)
    • 1034–1052: Benners, Burr, Stokely & McKamy attorneys (1949)
      • 1038–1052: Burr, McKamy, Moore & Thomas attorneys (1959)
• 11th floor
  • Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. (1929–1949)
    • 1101–1103: Southern Airways sales & executive offices (1959)
      • 1101: Birmingham Terminal Co. (1909)
    • 1104–1108: Dan Barber, William Beckwith Jr, David Haigler attorneys / The Wall Street Journal (1959)
      • 1107: Pratt Consolidated Coal Co. (1909)
    • 1109–1112: Adams-Rowe & Norman Inc. wholesale coal / Black Creek Coal Co. (1959)
    • 1114: vacant (1959)
    • 1115: John Herlon accountant (1959)
    • 1116–1119: Southern Building Code Congress / Southern Building Magazine (1959)
    • 1120–1121: Raymond Potter accountant (1959)
    • 1122–1123: Southern Employment Services (1959)
    • 1124–1126: Preferred Life Assurance Society (1959)
    • 1127–1128: Sirote, Permutt, Friend & Friedman attorneys (1959)
    • 1129–1133: Acacia Mutual Life Insurance Co. (1959)
    • 1135–1137: Kansas City Life Insurance Co. (1959)
    • 1140: vacant (1959)
    • 1142–1149: Sirote, Permutt, Friend & Friedman attorneys (1959)
    • 1150–1151: vacant (1959)
• 12th floor
  • Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. (1949)
    • 1201–1209: Berkowitz Lefkovits & Paden attorneys (1959)
    • 1201: Bessemer Coal, Iron & Land Co. (1909)
    • 1204: W. H. Hassinger (1909), American Steel & Wire Co. (1929)
    • 1210–1221: Southern Steel Co. (1909), F. W. Nichols & Co. accountants (1959)
      • 1210: J. C. Long / P. T. Whilden (1909)
    • 1222–1230: Travelers Indemnity Co. / Travelers Insurance Co. / Charter Oak Fire Insurance Co. (1959)
    • 1227–1238: Percy, Benners & Burr attorneys (1929)
    • 1239–1250: Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. (1929)
      • 1240–1243: Mutual Life Insurance Co. of New York (1959)
    • 1252: H. F. Jernigan insurance (1959)
• 13th floor
  • Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. (1929–1949)
    • 1301–1306: Protective Life Insurance Co. (1909)
      • 1304: Provident Life & Accident Insurance Co. group department (1959)
    • 1307: Fruit Dispatch Co. (1909)
    • 1308–1309: Provident Life & Accident Insurance Co. accident department (1959)
    • 1310–1314: Ft Worth & Denver Railway Co. / Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad / Colorado & Southern Railway (1959)
      • 1310: Hinds Peevey / H. H. Goldstein (1909)
      • 1314: R. D. Johnston Jr (1909)
    • 1315: Tidewater Development Co. (1909), Railway Specialties Co. supplies (1959)
    • 1316–1319: Silver & Douce Co. advertising (1959)
    • 1320: W. A. Chenoweth (1909), vacant (1959)
    • 1321: Birmingham & Gulf Railway & Navigation Co. (1909), Leo Lukasik accountant (1959)
    • 1322: The Comptometer Corp. / The Comptometer School (1959)
    • 1327–1328: Paul Penney real estate (1959)
    • 1329: United States Steel Supply Co. (1949), Cooper, Mitch, Black & Crawford attorneys (1959)
    • 1335–1337: J. Rush Blankenship / Joseph Bryson / Dorothy Blankenship accountants (1959)
    • 1338–1349: Travelers Insurance Co. claims department (1959)
    • 1350: Kohinoor Watch & Diamond Co. (1959)
    • 1351: Pennzoil Southern Division (1959)
• 14th floor
  • Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. (1929–1949)
    • 1401–1403: J. Richard Humphrey real estate / Franklin Life Insurance Co. (1959)
      • 1401: J. V. Allen / Alabama Coal Operators Association (1909)
    • 1404–1409: T. U. Crumpton & Co. / Allan Woodward Jr securities (1959)
    • 1406: Hammond-Byrd Co. (1909)
    • 1407: Crocker Wheeler Co. (1909)
    • 1408: George Walter investments (1959)
    • 1409: W. H. Moore Lumber Co. (1909)
    • 1410–1414: Dumas, O'Neal & Hayes attorneys (1959)
      • 1410: W. H. Johnston & Co. / P. T. Whilden (1909)
      • 1414: E. G. Cole (1909)
    • 1416: Shelby Iron Co. / Coosa Pipe & Foundry Co. / Imperial Coal & Coke Co. / Gray Ore Iron Co. / Gadsden Pipe & Fittings Co. (1909)
    • 1420: H. W. Canning & Co. / Murphy Iron Works (1909)
    • 1422–1423: Chesapeake & Ohio Railway Co. general agent (1959)
    • 1424–1426: Chicago & Eastern Illinois Railroad Co. (1959)
    • 1427–1429: vacant (1959)
    • 1434–1437: Reynolds Metals Co. (1959)
    • 1438–1441: Massachusetts Protective Association / Paul Revere Life Insurance Co. (1959)
    • 1442–1451: Steel City Lumber Co. (1959)
    • 1452: Cain Agency insurance (1959)
• 15th floor
  • Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. (1929–1949)
    • 1501–1508: Ralph Sanderson accountant (1959)
      • 1501: Lathrop Lumber Co. (1909)
      • 1507: J. C. King (1909)
    • 1509–1512: American Meter Co. (1959)
      • 1509: J. G. Edwards (1909)
    • 1510–1515: Yolande Coal & Coke Co. / Ashby Brick Co. / New Connellsville Coal & Coke Co. / Black Crow Coal Co. / Abernant Coal Co. / J. L. Davidson (1909)
      • 1510: S. A. Hobson (1909)
      • 1514: Bill Brown Brokerage Co. (1959)
    • 1516–1519: Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad Co. division office (1959)
      • 1516: Aetna Life Insurance Co. / G. C. Oliver (1909)
      • 1519: J. B. Robinson (1909)
    • 1520–1521: Dexter Walker / Northwestern Life Insurance Co. (1959)
      • 1520: Meade & Huey (1909)
    • 1522: Professional Men's Association of Alabama (1959)
    • 1524–1526: Praetorian Mutual Life Insurance (1959)
    • 1527–1531: AT&T division office (1959)
• 16th floor
  • Revolute Blue Print Co. (1909), Tennessee Coal Iron & Railroad Co. (1929–1949)
    • 1601–1609: Watson Alexander commercial photography (1959)
    • 1620: vacant (1959)
    • 1634–1637: Wiilliam Lacefield electrical engineer (1959)
    • 1638–1640: Westinghouse Electrical Corp. electrical division (1959)
    • 1642: Henry Sprott Long / Jack B. Smith / Nelson Smith architects / Thomas Smith III civil engineer (1959)
    • 1650–1651: Goldman Advertising Co. (1959)

References

• Jefferson County Historical Commission. (1998) Birmingham and Jefferson County, Alabama Images of America Series. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing. ISBN0752413465
• Nicholson, Gilbert (July 25, 2003) "100 lofts will fill Brown-Marx". Birmingham Business Journal
• Tomberlin, Michael (February 12, 2006) "Brown-Marx joins hot condo market". The Birmingham News
• Prouty, William F. (1916) "Preliminary Report on The Crystalline and Other Marbles of Alabama". Bulletin 18. Geological Survey of Alabama.
• Satterfield, Carolyn Green. (1976) Historic Sites of Jefferson County, Alabama. Prepared for the Jefferson County Historical Commission. Birmingham: Gray Printing Co.
• White, Marjorie Longenecker, ed. (1977) Downtown Birmiingham: Architectural and Historical Walking Tour Guide. Birmingham: Birmingham Historical Society
• Sims, Bob (December 9, 2009) "Metal facade blows loose from Birmingham building, closes road." The Birmingham News
• Tomberlin, Michael (February 13, 2011) "Downtown dreams: Renovation slow for prominent buildings." The Birmingham News
• Tomberlin, Michael (March 31, 2012) "Downtown Birmingham's Brown-Marx Tower has a new owner." The Birmingham News
• Poe, Ryan (August 3, 2012) "Apartments planned for historic Brown-Marx" Birmingham Business Journal
• Godwin, Brent (January 23, 2018) "Brown-Marx tower gets new owner." Birmingham Business Journal
• Edgemon, Erin (February 12, 2018) "96-room luxury hotel planned for downtown Birmingham high-rise." The Birmingham News
• Coen, Andrew (November 28, 2023) "Peachtree Group Lends $50M on Birmingham Hotel Development." Commercial Observer website
• Thornton, William (December 1, 2023) "$49.8 million hotel project announced for downtown Birmingham landmark." AL.com

External links

• Heaviest Corner on Earth NRHP application