Historic Structures - Urban Exploration of Historic Properties

Southern Pacific Railroad Depot, Yuma Arizona

Southern Pacific Railroad Depot, Yuma Arizona

Yuma has long been a vital link in the main southern transcontinental route. From prehistoric times, Yuma has been the site of the best and most important crossing of the Colorado River, and this elegant depot reflects the importance of the location. The Southern Pacific Railroad Depot at Yuma was completed on the 1^st of April 1926 to replace an earlier depot at a different location. The building was dedicated on April 7^th and was part of a general improvement plan by the company. When the new depot was built, the main line had to be relocated, and a new 400-foot single-span bridge was built across the Colorado River. The levee on the Gila River also had to be raised to

Claiborne Cottage Hotel, Covington Louisiana

Claiborne Cottage Hotel, Covington Louisiana

The history of the Claiborne Cottage Hotel property parallels the rise and decline of St. Tammany Parish's health tourism industry in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries and is the last remaining example of the high-end resorts that once dotted the parish. After serving as the St. Tammany Parish courthouse, a private residence, and a Catholic seminary, the 2-story brick masonry building on the Claiborne Cottage Hotel property was converted by the Jaufroid family in 1880 into a health resort catering to a wealthy clientele, primarily from New Orleans. References to the new Claiborne Cottage began appearing in the St. Tammany Farmer that year; for instance, one enticing letter to the editor reads: From what I hear, Covington will be

Santa Fe, Prescott and Phoenix Railroad Depot, Prescott Arizona

Santa Fe, Prescott and Phoenix Railroad Depot, Prescott Arizona

Prescott was first connected to the Atlantic and Pacific (now the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe) Railroad on December 31^st, 1886. This line, known as the Prescott and Arizona Central Railroad, was constructed by Thomas S. Bullock with the support of Territorial Governor Frederick A. Tritle, and a county bonds subsidy of $292,000. This was possible because Prescott was the Territorial Capital. Six months later, on July 4^th, 1887 the Maricopa and Phoenix Railroad was completed, making Phoenix also accessible by rail. Although the desirability of connecting Prescott and Phoenix was known it had to wait for the development effort of Frank M. Murphy. In 1891 Murphy inherited a substantial interest in the Congress mine northwest of Wickenburg from Joseph Diamond

El Paso and Southwestern Railroad Passenger Depot, Douglas Arizona

El Paso and Southwestern Railroad Passenger Depot, Douglas Arizona

Following the establishment of a nascent railway system in the Arizona Territory in the late 1870's and the 1880's, mineral industries within the territory flourished beyond all-expectations. Of particular importance was the mining of copper which increased rapidly over a relatively short period of time. Mining activity in Arizona, first begun on a small scale in the 1850's, grew enormously in the 1870's due to the discovery of large deposits of copper in the Jerome, Bisbee, Globe, and Morenci districts. The Copper Queen mine in Bisbee, located in the southeastern corner of the territory, became one of the richest producers and yielded over one hundred million dollars worth of ore. In 1885 Phelps-Dodge Corporation, one of the leading copper producers in

Bristow Tower, New Orleans Louisiana

Bristow Tower, New Orleans Louisiana

The Southern Baptist Hospital (SBH) of New Orleans opened its doors in 1926, with Dr. Louis J. Bristow as superintendent. Bristow was a leader in the development of hospitals by the Southern Baptist Convention and a member of the Southern Baptist Hospital Commission. He remained superintendent at SBH New Orleans until 1947. He died in the city on November 15^th, 1957. The construction of the apartment building named in Dr. Bristow's honor was part of an overall expansion program for the hospital campus. A master plan by architects Mathes, Bergman and Associates and consultants Ellerbe and Company is dated July 1^st, 1961. Preliminary sketches showing the proposed construction were issued early in the summer of 1962. In July 1962, a contract

El Paso and Southwestern Railroad Depot, Tucson Arizona

El Paso and Southwestern Railroad Depot, Tucson Arizona

The El Paso and Southwestern (EPSW) Railroad Depot was built during the boom period of growth in Tucson's central business district. It was a competing railroad system, albeit short-lived, to the Southern Pacific railroad, whose depot was located on the opposite side of the central business district. The railroad was built by the Phelps-Dodge Corporation, whose copper mining operations defined the economy of southern Arizona at the turn of the 20^th Century. Because of its own disagreements with the Southern Pacific Railroad regarding rates and access to their mining centers, Phelps-Dodge decided to create its own railway system to support their increasingly profitable mining operations. Originally, Phelps Dodge had intended to build the rail line from El Paso to San Diego

Barton Academy, Mobile Alabama

Barton Academy, Mobile Alabama

Barton Academy, completed in 1836, was the first public school in the State of Alabama. The school was named for Willoughby-Barton, a member of the Alabama Legislature and sponsor of the act which created the Board of School Commissioners for Mobile County, Alabama's first local board of education. The land for the building, a part of the Price Tract, was acquired on May 25^th, 1830. Henry Hitchcock, Alabama's first attorney general, headed the committee appointed to secure plans and establish the school. A large part of the money used to construct the building came from Hitchcock's private fortune. Private and denominational schools were held in Barton Academy from 1836 to 1851. The Mobile School Commissioners appropriated money to these Catholic, Methodist,

Como Plantation, Weyanoke Louisiana

Como Plantation, Weyanoke Louisiana

Como Plantation, located near the mouth of Como Bayou, is the only plantation home in south Louisiana with an unobstructed view of the Mississippi River. Unlike other riverfront plantations in Louisiana, there is no levee between Como Plantation and the river. Como is also the only riverfront plantation house in the project area between Tunica Bayou and Iowa Bend. According to David King Gleason, Como Plantation was named after Lake Como in Italy. The original antebellum home burned sometime in the late nineteenth century and a replacement house was constructed about 1890. The original plat consisted of 1800 ac, but erosion from the Mississippi River and the subdividing of the original landholding has diminished the original property size. Como Plantation was

Battle House Royale Hotel, Mobile Alabama

Battle House Royale Hotel, Mobile Alabama

The Battle House Hotel is the fourth hotel to occupy this site and the second to be known as the Battle House. Designed by F. M. Andrews and Company of New York, it was one of the earliest buildings in the state to make use of steel framed construction. The first hotel on the site was known as the Franklin House. The owner Daniel White moved his Inn from Cahaba to Mobile on flatboats after the severe flood in 1825 almost destroyed the state capitol. Next to the Franklin House, an inn known as the Alabama Hotel was constructed, but both hotels were destroyed by fire in 1829. That same year a larger hotel, the Waverly, took their place and served

Gulf, Mobile, and Ohio Passenger Terminal, Mobile Alabama

Gulf, Mobile, and Ohio Passenger Terminal, Mobile Alabama

The Gulf Terminal Building was constructed shortly after the turn-of-the-century and is one of only two large scale railroad stations in the state. Completed in 1907 at a cost of $400,000, the massive and ornate building reflects the importance of railroads and the City of Mobile in this era. The Neo-Spanish Colonial Building is one of the earlier and finer examples of the style in the city and was designed by P. Thornton Marye. The Mobile and Ohio Railroad was one of the most important transportation ventures in ante-bellum Alabama. The road, charted by the Alabama legislature in 1848 was an ambitious project to connect Mobile with the Mississippi River at Memphis and with the railroads of the Midwest and the

Wadley Railroad Depot, Wadley Alabama

Wadley Railroad Depot, Wadley Alabama

The Wadley Railroad Depot was constructed in 1907 by the Atlanta, Birmingham, and Atlantic Railroad to serve the new town of Wadley, planned and developed by the Callaway Development Company of LaGrange, Georgia. The company abandoned its plans in 1910 and the lofty expectations for the town's growth and potential went unrealized. Still, Wadley had established itself by that time as a small regional trade center, a role it has continued to play ever since. The Wadley Railroad Depot was a central element of the community's economic and social life until it closed circa 1964. The Depot was the principal train depot for the town of Wadley from 1907 until circa 1964. The Callaway Company conceived Wadley as a planned model

Arlington Mudd-Munger Plantation House, Birmingham Alabama

Arlington Mudd-Munger Plantation House, Birmingham Alabama

Arlington is the oldest structure in Birmingham and Jefferson County, one of America's youngest metropolitan areas and one of the most heavily industrialized cities in the South. Sometimes called the Birthplace of Birmingham, Arlington is the only Greek Revival structure of mansion proportions to survive the War Between the States, Union Army raids and the phenomenal 1890-1950 growth of the Magic City, the South's leading steel industry center. This mansion is almost unique in Alabama for large square supporting pillars, a complete upstairs veranda, and an impressive 1840 facade enclosing an unpretentious 1820 home. While the house itself, as it appears today, dates back to 1842, records pertaining to the land go back as far as 1820. On July 1^st of

Ideal Department Store Building, Birmingham Alabama

Ideal Department Store Building, Birmingham Alabama

The Ideal Department Store Building, with its ornamental terra cotta facade, typifies one of Birmingham's most popular early 20th-century commercial styles, which reached its fullest expression in the 1920s. It was characterized by the use of terra cotta, either gleaming white or richly colored, and the incorporation of such Renaissance Revival details as cartouches, bas-relief arabesques, and denticulated cornices. The lavishness of the ornament and materials exemplified the prosperity of the 1920s throughout the country. In addition to its stylistic importance, the Ideal Building represents the most noteworthy period in the long career of prominent Birmingham architect D.O. Whilldin. During the 1920s he designed some of downtown Birmingham's most decorative commercial buildings: The Florentine Building, 111 19^th Street North, 1920 2^nd

Southern Railway Terminal Station, Bessemer Alabama

Southern Railway Terminal Station, Bessemer Alabama

The Bessemer Southern Railway Terminal is an excellent example of a small town railroad terminal constructed in the early 1900s. Built by the Alabama Great Southern Railroad as the result of a direct order by the Railroad Commissioner, the building stands as a monument to the importance of Bessemer, one of the early industrial towns of Alabama. Bessemer was founded in 1887 as a result of the iron and steel making boom in Jefferson County. The town founder, Henry Debardeleben, noted that the coal and iron beds which lay in close proximity to the town were intended by nature to feed some great creature. He was correct, and the town prospered. Around the turn of the century, Bessemer, which had a

Southern Railroad Depot, Leeds Alabama

Southern Railroad Depot, Leeds Alabama

The Southern Railroad Depot at Leeds, originally the Georgia Pacific Railway Company Depot, is a representative example of late 19^th century, small town railroad depots. Like others such structures, it incorporates the freight and passenger depots into one simple frame building with deep overhanging eaves supported by oversized and curved brackets. The depot is closely associated with the early history of Leeds and with the Georgia Pacific Railway Company. Leeds was founded as a rail stop on the Georgia and Pacific Railway Company line which linked Birmingham with Atlanta in the early 1880s. The town was laid out by E. M. Tutwiler, a construction engineer for the railroad who purchased 156 acres of farmland along the new rail line. The depot

Bragg-Mitchell House, Mobile Alabama

Bragg-Mitchell House, Mobile Alabama

The Bragg House was the home of Judge John Bragg and subsequently his brother General Braxton Bragg, and is one of the finest Greek Revival mansions in Mobile and was designed and constructed by one of the city's outstanding architects, Thomas Simmons James. The house was built in 1847 by William H. Pratt who has acquired the land within the year. A small house was already on the property and had served as the country home of Louis Judson from 1827 to 1837. Pratt hired Thomas Simmons James of Mobile to design the house. James, who also worked in Natchez, Jackson, and New Orleans was one of Mobile's outstanding architects. He is credited with having designed the City Hall, and the

Rawls Hotel Building, Enterprise Alabama

Rawls Hotel Building, Enterprise Alabama

The Rawls Hotel is one of the most elaborate buildings in Coffee County. Constructed by Japenth Rawls about 1903 and remodeled and enlarged by his nephew, Jesse P. Rawls, in 1923, it is located across from the train station and has served as a landmark and central meeting place for the citizens of Enterprise. The Rawls family was important in the early growth and prosperity of the city. The elder Rawls was involved in the development of the turpentine industry in Coffee County, while his nephew built and financed the first electric system in Enterprise and operated one of the largest and oldest mills in the city. It was, however, the railroad, whose station the hotel served, that gave the town

Bellingrath Gardens and Home, Theodore Alabama

Bellingrath Gardens and Home, Theodore Alabama

Bellingrath Gardens is an excellent example of a large estate garden planned in the late 1920's and is one of the finest of the Southern estate gardens of any period. It is widely accepted as having the most spectacular spring display of any garden in the southeast and is noted for the wide variety of azaleas. Planned as the private country garden of Walter D. Bellingrath, who made a fortune in bottling Coca-cola during the first decades of the 20^th century, it reflects the ideas of the Gardenesque Movement of the late 19^th century with the characteristic vignettes of Italian and French formal gardens within an overall romantic English garden. The Gardens are the major landscape work of George B. Rogers,

Pea River Power Company Hydroelectric Facility, Elba Alabama

Pea River Power Company Hydroelectric Facility, Elba Alabama

The Elba Hydroelectric Dam facility is one of the earliest private ventures (1911-1914) in Alabama of the use of waterpower to produce electrical power and transmit it by high voltage lines to more than one destination. This facility is representative of the type developed by large privately-owned power companies that soon replaced small uneconomical and unreliable municipally-owned steam and hydroelectric plants. The facility was constructed to supply power to Troy, Alabama, which is thirty miles from the site. The facility provided surplus power that opened the way for improved municipal services, lower power rates for customers and an increase in new industries such as cotton gins, with all-electric machinery, a fertilizer plant, and woodworking mills. Along with two other hydroelectric facilities,

Bishop Manor Estate, St. Elmo Alabama

Bishop Manor Estate, St. Elmo Alabama

Bishop Manor is the only known extant example in Mobile County of the extravagant estates built in the South by wealthy Northern families of the early 1900s. Another wealthy family from Chicago, the Daweses after whom Dawes, Alabama is named, built similar estates in Mobile and Baldwin Counties but these have long since been subdivided or demolished. Bishop Manor has not only survived, but has essentially survived intact. The main house is particularly noteworthy as a well proportioned, beautifully crafted house that draws a great deal stylistically from Mediterranean architecture. Exceptional materials were used throughout the house including basswood paneling, moldings and curved staircase, cherrywood stairway railing, vari-colored marble fireplace surround and hearths, marble floors and glazed ceramic tile walls in

Book Title Abandoned America: Then & Now: A Fun & Fascinating Look Revisiting America's Abandoned Places of the Past

Abandoned America: Then & Now: A Fun & Fascinating Look Revisiting America's Abandoned Places of the Past

Book Title Abandoned: Hauntingly Beautiful Deserted Theme Parks

Abandoned: Hauntingly Beautiful Deserted Theme Parks

Book Title Abandoned Palaces (Abandoned Places)

Abandoned Palaces (Abandoned Places)

Book Title Abandoned Train Stations (Abandoned Places)

Abandoned Train Stations (Abandoned Places)

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