The second week of June 1901 saw the formal opening of the City’s first subway- what was to become today’s Brown Line- a modest straight line connecting the old Central Depot (across from Old City Hall, now Ludlow Plaza Station)…
Tag: Downtown
The Brothel Five Levels Below the Street
The old Central Depot, which sat across across Ludlow Plaza from Old City Hall from 1896 until its demolition in 1968, was a wonderful, massive gothic structure, covered in ornament and decoration which one doesn’t find much in today’s construction.…
Friday Facts: Impes, “Leapin’ Lepean,” Debtors Prison
:: Mayor Cosgrove is expected to deliver to City Council on Monday her administration’s plan to make up the city’s now $728 million five-year deficit. :: Expected remedies: Rec Center and library cutbacks, trash collection, city vehicle usage cuts, wage…
The Santamobiles of Bradburn’s Department Store
Through the mid part of the century, the City’s Downtown was home to several large department stores, most of which were flagships of local or regional chains- Osberger’s, Whitestone’s, Bradburn’s, Foster & Asher’s, Harriman Bros. and even a branch of…
The Bars of St. Mary’s
Liquor permits in the Lawsonhurst district are a bit hard to come by. It’s one of the areas of the city whose spirits laws fall under the stricter 1913 Annexation Plan and as such, it has a fixed number of…
Go There: American Insurance Holiday Model Railroad
Go There is a feature in which our writers tell you about tourist attractions and other places of interest around the city. The annual American Insurance Co. holiday model railroad display at Central Station has delighted kids since 1952. Each…
What A Character! – Fatty Turkey
A recurring series in which we take a look back at the city’s most familiar advertising icons. From the annals of spokesfigures whose time had come and gone before they’d even arrived, there’s Fatty Turkey, the eponymous mascot of Fatty…
Halloween Briefs- Haunted Houses, Politics, Etc.
:: As always, there are a smattering of haunted houses/trails/apple orchards/still-empty Service Merchandise stores/whathaveyous around the region, most of which close up shop as Wednesday night. The Central Corridor Jaycees, however, would like everyone to know that their “Thirteenth Floor…
Friday Facts: Graffiti, Flying Ravioli, Native Alabamans
:: Adelmorst is the longest city street name with all the letters in alphabetical order. :: Authorities still do not know who has been heavily tagging numerous Downtown, Central Corridor and Northside buildings with the phrase “Rock-n-Roll” over the last…
Friday Facts: Unlucky No. 13, Powerless
:: Northside residents can expect an extra unlucky Friday the 13th today, as electrical power will be cut off for up to two hours in order to repair a transformer on the corner of Garrick Ave. and Riggins Rd. The…