The Finest Women's Apparel Store in Alabama was Located in this Structure


Burger Phillips Building - Crittenden Building, Birmingham Alabama
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Date added: January 20, 2025
Front Elevation (1980)

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The Burger Phillips Store was one of the finest women's apparel stores in Alabama. Because it was locally owned, it made a major contribution to the business community in Birmingham and played an important role in the history of retail merchandising in the city. The new store, opened in 1933, was one of the first stores in the South to have electric eye doors, air conditioning, scientific storage vaults and high-speed elevators. To speed up customer transactions, a charge card credit operation with a complex pneumatic tube system was implemented.

The Burger Phillips Company began in 1894 as Burger Dry Goods Company, a railroad salvage firm. From this local origin, it soon became one of the finest apparel stores in Birmingham and the Southeast. Because of its rapid growth, the Burger Phillips Company planned the building of a third new store on 4th Avenue and 20th Street. But instead, in 1933, the management bought and remodeled the Crittenden Building at 1914 3rd Avenue, North.

Built in 1924 at a cost of $1,250,000 the structure was designed by the architect Harry Wheelock. The high style Art Deco design of the remodeled storefront was done by Taylor, Thompson & Smulski, architects, of Atlanta, and Miller, Martin & Lewis Associates, engineers, of Birmingham. The galleria featured in this design, is notable.

Building Description

The Burger Phillips Building is an important commercial structure located midway along the 3rd Avenue North retail block between 19th and 20th Streets. A 3 x 4 bay structure, it is of reinforced concrete and brick infill shear wall construction.

The building is comprised of ground-floor retail space with a partial mezzanine and five upper floors of retail/office space. The appearance of the original 1924 brick building was altered in 1933 when it was remodeled with a high-style Art Deco limestone storefront.

The storefront design exemplifies the simple, two-dimensional geometric ornament of the Art Deco Style particularly in the design of the inset panels in Indiana limestone. The panels are decorated with incised carvings of alternating flat medallions and abstracted triglyphs. Below these panels are simple recessed bronze awnings bar hangers which maintain the uncluttered appearance of the facade. The brick upper part of the facade is original to the building. Tripartite in form, it has a recessed central bay crowned by the building sign. The masonry facade is finely proportioned, consisting of terra cotta spandrels with patterned brickwork between attenuated brick pilasters. The steel sash windows, grouped vertically and arranged within 3 inset planes, are the commercial projecting type.

The redesigned storefront incorporates a grand vestibule with a vaulted galleria lined with commodious display cases. The galleria features a variegated travertine marble floor, a dark green, veined Florentine marble base, bronze and plate glass showcase windows, and cast bronze bas relief sculpture over the doorway. The bronze doorway frames double glass doors which were originally electronically operated.

The interior has few significant original features. Most interior finishes have been altered, or have deteriorated such as the gridded terrazzo floor, unadorned plaster walls and cove-corniced ceiling at the ground level. A large bronze-framed mirror over the door, inverted ziggurat-shaped niches to either side, stylized brass grilles and conical light pendants date from the 1933 remodeling. The partial mezzanine or balcony was a later addition from the 1940's.

Burger Phillips Building - Crittenden Building, Birmingham Alabama Front Elevation (1980)
Front Elevation (1980)

Burger Phillips Building - Crittenden Building, Birmingham Alabama View Down 3<sup>rd</sup> Avenue (1980)
View Down 3rd Avenue (1980)

Burger Phillips Building - Crittenden Building, Birmingham Alabama Rear Elevation (1980)
Rear Elevation (1980)

Burger Phillips Building - Crittenden Building, Birmingham Alabama Detail of Cornice & Sign (1980)
Detail of Cornice & Sign (1980)

Burger Phillips Building - Crittenden Building, Birmingham Alabama Interior, Looking Toward South Wall (1980)
Interior, Looking Toward South Wall (1980)

Burger Phillips Building - Crittenden Building, Birmingham Alabama View of Doorway (1980)
View of Doorway (1980)

Burger Phillips Building - Crittenden Building, Birmingham Alabama View of Interior Looking toward 3<sup>rd</sup> Avenue (1980)
View of Interior Looking toward 3rd Avenue (1980)