Central City in Birmingham in Jefferson County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

The Birmingham Public Library
⎯⎯⎯
The Linn - Henley Research Library

Side A The Birmingham Public Library Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Carr, June 25, 2009

1. Side A The Birmingham Public Library Marker

Inscription. Birmingham’s first library was organized in 1886 and in 1891 became a subscription library for the general public. In 1908 the Birmingham Public Library Association established a free public library, and the City created an independent Library Board in 1913. For decades the library was housed in various locations including the old City Hall where it was destroyed by fire in 1925. Libraries throughout the U. S. sent books and local citizens contributed for a new building. It opened April 11, 1927, was peacefully desegregated in 1963, served as the main library until 1984, and was renovated and reopened in 1985 as the Linn - Henley Research Library.

Reverse:
This four-story Neo-Classical structure designed by architects Miller, Martin & Lewis, was built of Indiana limestone in 1927. A model facility when completed, the library served as a cornerstone of Birmingham’s cultural and educational development. The building was renovated in 1984 by architects Kidd, Plosser, & Sprague and renamed the Linn - Henley Research Library. Special collections housed here include extensive southern history resources, maps, and the city’s first municipal archives. Significant interior features include murals and decorative ceilings painted and installed in the 1920s by nationally known artist Ezra Winter.

Erected

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2001 by Alabama Historical Association.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Education • Notable Buildings. In addition, it is included in the Alabama Historical Association series list. A significant historical date for this entry is April 11, 1803.

Location. 33° 31.23′ N, 86° 48.522′ W. Marker is in Birmingham, Alabama, in Jefferson County. It is in Central City. It can be reached from Park Place. Marker is located in Linn Park next to The Linn - Henley Research Library entrance. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2100 Park Place, Birmingham AL 35203, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Linn-Henley Research Library (a few steps from this marker); The Importance of Being Educated (a few steps from this marker); Public Library Desegregated (within shouting distance of this marker); Separate But Unequal Education (within shouting distance of this marker); The Right to Vote (within shouting distance of this marker); Jefferson County Courthouses (within shouting distance of this marker); The Tutwiler Hotel / The Tutwiler-Ridgely Rebirth (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Little Lady Can Read (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Birmingham.

Also see . . .

Side B The Linn - Henley Research Library Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Carr, June 25, 2009

2. Side B The Linn - Henley Research Library Marker

The Artist and Murals Of The Central Library by The Birmingham Public Library. (Submitted on January 20, 2010, by Timothy Carr of Birmingham, Alabama.)