Aug. 3, 1950

Cooper Green, then-Birmingham City Commission president, led a project to replace the old City Hall built in 1901. The choice of whether to rebuild on the same Fourth Avenue North site or to move the city’s governmental offices was decided by a Nov. 7, 1944, referendum.

The new, modern 12-story City Hall was dedicated Aug. 3, 1950, at a cornerstone-laying ceremony shortly before its completion. Hill Ferguson, of the Birmingham Historical Society, laid the cornerstone time capsule, which will be opened in 2050. Cornerstones from Birmingham’s previous city halls were embedded into a sculpture that stands at the south entrance.

The building on 20^th Street North across from Linn Park was constructed for $3.85 million. It was paid for before it opened without issuing a bond or raising taxes.

Read more at BhamWiki. 

Portrait of Cooper Green from the 1947 book “Building Birmingham and Jefferson County” by Florence Hawkins Wood (BhamWiki)

Birmingham City Hall. (Alabama NewsCenter)

Birmingham City Hall. (Alabama NewsCenter)

Birmingham City Hall. (Alabama NewsCenter)

Birmingham City Hall. (Alabama NewsCenter)

For more on Alabama’s Bicentennial, visit Alabama 200.