Old City Hall (Mobile, Alabama)

United States historic place

Old City Hall

U.S. National Register of Historic Places

U.S. National Historic Landmark

The building in 2008.

Show map of Mobile, Alabama

Show map of Alabama

Show map of the United States

Location| 111 South Royal Street, Mobile, Alabama,
United States
Coordinates| 30°41′23″N 88°2′23″W﻿ / ﻿30.68972°N 88.03972°W﻿ / 30.68972; -88.03972
Built| 1855-57
Architect| Thomas S. James
William L. Denham
Frederick W. Clarke
Architectural style| Italianate
NRHP reference No.| 69000034
Significant dates
Added to NRHP| December 3, 1969[1]
Designated NHL| November 7, 1973[2]

Old City Hall, also known as the Southern Market, is a historic complex of adjoining buildings in Mobile, Alabama, that currently houses the History Museum of Mobile. The complex was built from 1855 to 1857 to serve as a city hall and as a marketplace.[3] It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1973, as a rare well-preserved example of a 19th-century multifunction civic and commercial building.[2][4]

## History

[edit]

The building was originally planned by the city in 1854 as the principal city marketplace for selling vegetables, meat, and fish. In February 1855 it was decided that the building would also house some of the municipal offices with approval on 1 June 1855 of $44,000 in municipal bonds to pay for construction. The architect for this initial building phase was Thomas Simmons James, a Mobile architect originally from Virginia. On 27 December 1855, while the new building was under construction, the existing city hall on Conti and Jackson Street burned. As a consequence, in May 1856, the city passed a resolution approving $40,000 to complete and expand the building with accommodation for the mayor, city clerk, city treasurer, and two city boards. Payment receipts indicate that the building was completed by 20 April 1857.[3]

In 1910 the building was altered by architect William L. Denham. A new council chamber was added above a new second floor bridge connecting the front and back of the central sections. The original open passageway between the two central sections was enclosed to create an entrance lobby and the stairway was reoriented to the east wall of the lobby. The complex was altered again in the mid-1930s by architect Frederick W. Clarke. Most of the work involved infilling some of the formerly open spaces with interior spaces. Also, murals by John Walker depicting scenes from local Mobile history were painted at this time.[3] The complex was damaged by Hurricane Frederic on 12 September 1979, causing the tenants at that time to vacate the building. It was later restored.[3]

## Description

[edit]

Detail of the arcade ironwork.

The complex is Italianate style in design and comprises four rectangular sections connected by three arcaded passageways. The grouping is 244 feet (74 m) wide on Royal Street, 275 feet (84 m) long on Church Street, and the back is 213 feet (65 m) wide on Water Street. The building is stucco over brick construction with wood trim and brackets.[3]

The two central sections form a U-shaped mass, fronted on Royal Street and extend to Water Street. They are two floors in elevation on Royal Street and one floor in elevation on Water Street. This central section is crowned with a central octagonal cupola. The two annex wings are also two floors in elevation, although of lesser height than the central sections. The south wing annex is 30 feet (9 m) wide by 275 feet (84 m) long and faces Church Street. The ground floor of the south wing once housed stalls and shops for the market, but has since been altered to enclose the space. The north wing annex is 30 feet (9 m) wide and is much shorter in length than the south wing. The north wall is attached to the neighboring Gulf Coast Exploreum.[3]

## Museum

[edit]

Beginning in 1997 the building was renovated to house the History Museum of Mobile. An addition was added to the back of the building in 2000 to house the museum's permanent exhibits and staff offices.[5] The museum was closed for repairs for approximately six months following flood damage from Hurricane Katrina in 2005.

The exhibits cover two large floors of the complex and chronicle 300 years of Mobile history. The museum normally has a six-month-long featured exhibit, special collections exhibits that are rotated periodically, and several permanent exhibits. The permanent exhibits include: the Old Ways New Days exhibit that explores Mobile's history from colonization to the present, and the Walls and Halls exhibit featuring furniture, antique silver, artwork, and other artifacts.[6]

## Images

[edit]

* Detail of the cupola.

* Photo taken in 1906.

* HABS photo taken in 1934.

* One of a pair of antique statuary lions at the entrance to the exhibits.

## See also

[edit]

* List of National Historic Landmarks in Alabama
* National Register of Historic Places listings in Mobile, Alabama

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. January 23, 2007.
2. ^ a b "City Hall (Mobile)". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Archived from the original on March 1, 2009. Retrieved October 21, 2007.
3. ^ a b c d e f "Southern Market & Municipal Building". Historic American Buildings Survey at the Library of Congress. Retrieved December 16, 2007.
4. ^ W. Warner Floyd (April 27, 1973). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination: City Hall or Old City Market - Old Southern Market" (pdf). National Park Service. `{{cite journal}}`: Cite journal requires `|journal=` (help) and Accompanying 5 photos, exterior and interior, from 1973. (2.81 MB)
5. ^ "About the museum". Museum of Mobile. Retrieved December 16, 2007.
6. ^ "Museum Exhibits". Museum of Mobile. Retrieved February 12, 2008.

## External links

[edit]

* Media related to Old City Hall at Wikimedia Commons
* Official website

* v
* t
* e

National Register of Historic Places in Mobile, Alabama

National Historic
Landmarks|

* Government Street Presbyterian Church
* Mobile City Hall
* USS Alabama
* USS Drum

Historic
districts|

* Africatown Historic District
* Ashland Place Historic District
* The Campground
* Church Street East Historic District
* Common Street District
* Convent and Academy of the Visitation
* De Tonti Square Historic District
* Leinkauf Historic District
* Lower Dauphin Street Historic District
* Maysville Historic District
* Midtown Historic District
* Oakleigh Garden Historic District
* Old Dauphin Way Historic District

Other
properties|

* Aimwell Baptist Church
* Wade Askew House
* Azalea Court Apartments
* Barton Academy
* Battle House Royale
* Beal–Gaillard House
* Bettie Hunter House
* Bragg–Mitchell Mansion
* Brisk & Jacobson Store
* Caldwell School
* Carlen House
* Carolina Hall
* Cavallero House
* Center–Gaillard House
* U. J. Cleveland House
* Coley Building
* Collins–Marston House
* Collins–Robinson House
* Convent of Mercy
* D'Iberville Apartments
* Dahm House
* Davis Avenue Branch, Mobile Public Library
* Davis Avenue Recreation Center
* Denby House
* Emanuel AME Church
* Emanuel Building
* George Fearn House
* Fire Station No. 5
* First National Bank
* Fort Charlotte
* Gates–Daves House
* Georgia Cottage
* Greene–Marston House
* Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Passenger Terminal
* Hawthorn House
* Martin Horst House
* International Longshoreman's Association Hall
* Joseph Jossen House
* Kirkbride House
* George Levy House
* Martin Lindsey House
* Magnolia Cemetery
* Meaher–Zoghby House
* Ernest Megginson House
* Metzger House
* Miller–O'Donnell House
* Mobile City Hospital
* Monterey Place
* James Arthur Morrison House
* Mt. Olive Missionary Baptist Church No.1
* Murphy High School
* Neville House
* Oakleigh
* Paterson House
* J. E. Paterson House
* Dave Patton House
* Pfau–Crichton Cottage
* Phillipi House
* Pincus Building
* Bishop Portier House
* Protestant Children's Home
* Roberts House
* Ross Knox House
* St. Francis Street Methodist Church
* Saint Francis Xavier Roman Catholic Church
* Saint Joseph's Roman Catholic Church
* St. Louis Street Missionary Baptist Church
* Saint Matthew's Catholic Church
* Saint Paul's Episcopal Chapel
* Saint Vincent de Paul
* Scottish Rite Temple
* Raphael Semmes House
* Sodality Chapel
* South Lafayette Street Creole Cottages
* Robert L. Spotswood House
* Spring Hill College Quadrangle
* State Street AME Zion Church
* Amelia Stewart House
* Stewartfield
* Stone Street Baptist Church
* Stone Street Cemetery
* Trinity Episcopal Church
* Tschiener House
* Turner-Todd Motor Company
* United States Court House and Custom House
* United States Marine Hospital
* Arthur VanderSys House
* Jacob VanderSys House
* Vickers and Schumacher Buildings
* Joseph M. Walker House
* Weems House

Multiple property
submissions|

* 19th Century Spring Hill Neighborhood Thematic Resource
* Historic Roman Catholic Properties in Mobile Multiple Property Submission
* Spanish Revival Residences in Mobile Multiple Property Submission

See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Mobile, Alabama and List of National Historic Landmarks in Alabama

* v
* t
* e

U.S. National Register of Historic Places in Alabama

Lists
by county|

* Autauga
* Baldwin
* Barbour
* Bibb
* Blount
* Bullock
* Butler
* Calhoun
* Chambers
* Cherokee
* Chilton
* Choctaw
* Clarke
* Clay
* Cleburne
* Coffee
* Colbert
* Conecuh
* Coosa
* Covington
* Crenshaw
* Cullman
* Dale
* Dallas
* DeKalb
* Elmore
* Escambia
* Etowah
* Fayette
* Franklin
* Geneva
* Greene
* Hale
* Henry
* Houston
* Jackson
* Jefferson
* Lamar
* Lauderdale
* Lawrence
* Lee
* Limestone
* Lowndes
* Macon
* Madison
* Marengo
* Marion
* Marshall
* Mobile
* Monroe
* Montgomery
* Morgan
* Perry
* Pickens
* Pike
* Randolph
* Russell
* St. Clair
* Shelby
* Sumter
* Talladega
* Tallapoosa
* Tuscaloosa
* Walker
* Washington
* Wilcox
* Winston

Lists by city|

* Birmingham
* Mobile

Other lists|

* Bridges
* Multiple Property Submissions
* National Historic Landmarks

* Keeper of the Register
* History of the National Register of Historic Places
* Property types
* Historic district
* Contributing property

* v
* t
* e

City of Mobile

History|

* Timeline
* Formation
* Battle of Fort Charlotte
* Civil War era
* Battle of Mobile Bay
* Battle of Spanish Fort
* Clotilda
* Magazine explosion

Geography|

* Africatown
* Airport Boulevard
* Blakeley Island
* Brookley Air Force Base
* Dog River
* Fowl River
* Government Street
* Mobile Bay
* Mobile River
* Mobile–Tensaw River Delta
* Old Shell Road
* Pinto Island
* Spanish River
* Spring Hill
* Toulminville

Politics|

* Mayor (list)

Economy|

* Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley
* Port of Mobile
* Mobile Downtown Airport
* Mobile Regional Airport
* Austal USA
* BAE Systems Southeast Shipyards
* Continental Motors, Inc.
* Signal International
* Volkert, Inc.
* VT Mobile Aerospace Engineering

Culture|

* Azalea Trail Maids
* Bayfest
* Mardi Gras in Mobile
* Mobile Arts Council
* Mobile Civic Center
* Mobile Opera
* Mobile Symphony Orchestra
* Mystic society
* People from Mobile
* Saenger Theatre

Architecture|

* Tallest buildings in Mobile
* RSA Battle House Tower
* RSA–BankTrust Building
* Renaissance Riverview Plaza Hotel
* Mobile Government Plaza
* Regions Bank Building
* Wachovia Building
* Providence Hospital
* Van Antwerp Building
* The Battle House Hotel

Historic sites|

* NRHP (list)
* Ahavas Chesed Cemetery
* Alabama Drydock and Shipbuilding Company
* Boyington Oak
* Duffie Oak
* Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception
* Catholic Cemetery
* Church Street Graveyard
* Fort Charlotte
* Magnolia Cemetery
* Sha'arai Shomayim Cemetery

Green spaces|

* Bellingrath Gardens and Home
* Bienville Square
* Cathedral Square
* Langan Park
* Mobile Botanical Gardens
* Mardi Gras Park

Education|

| K–12|

* Mobile County PSS
* Davidson High
* LeFlore Magnet High
* Murphy High
* B. C. Rain High
* Williamson High
* Baker High
* Alabama School of Mathematics and Science
* Faith Academy
* McGill–Toolen Catholic High
* St. Paul's Episcopal School
* UMS-Wright Preparatory School

|

Tertiary|

* Bishop State Community College
* Spring Hill College
* University of Mobile
* University of South Alabama

Museums|

* Battleship Memorial Park
* USS Alabama
* USS Drum
* Fort Conde
* Mobile Carnival Museum
* Mobile Museum of Art
* Museum of Mobile
* National African American Archives and Museum
* Oakleigh Historic Complex
* Richards DAR House

Media|

* Lagniappe
* Mod Mobilian
* Press-Register
* WALA 10
* WFNA 55
* WKRG 5
* WPMI 15

* Category

Portals:

* Alabama
* Architecture
* Museums
* National Register of Historic Places

*[No.]: number
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template