Around Ensley- Part 3 and the last

 

Pacific Steel Boiler

Much of what I describe is from memory from my childhood or younger years. With many of these I was unable to find any information about it's past life unless I was to do very deep research. Since I blog as a hobby, my memories will have to do.

Goldstein & Cohen was also a department store located next to Cotton's. It is now used as an event venue. 

Ensley SOHO describes itself as an event center. I attended a birthday party here about four years ago and was pleased with my visit. It has a loft, rustic feel to it. For the life of me I can't remember what it was originally.

Formerly the Bank of Ensley in 1900. In 1906 the founders, Ramsay, McCormack and Chadwick merged with First National Bank of Ensley located in the Ten Story Building.

" In 1917 the bank constructed a new monumental Beaux-Arts style building, clad in Georgia marble, at 19th Street and Avenue E in downtown Ensley."(copied from B'ham Wiki)

The Ramsay-McCormack building, a 144-foot-tall office tower completed in 1929 and located on the corner of Avenue E and 19th Street Ensley is named after investment partners Erskine Ramsay and Carr McCormack of the Ramsay-McCormack Development Co. It was also known as The Ten Story Building

The building housed the Bank of Ensley on the ground floor, as well as the developer’s offices and local offices for U.S. Steel for several years. Despite a renovation in 1970, the closure of U.S. Steel’s Ensley Works left much of the tower vacant and the building’s doors were closed in 1979. ( copied from The Birmingham Times)

*In 2019 there were plans to renovate the building. In April of 2020 reevaluation was made and the building was to be demolished in August of 2020 and replaced with four story 30,000 sq. ft. building. Presently, the COVID-19 Pandemic is still in effect and so no demolition has taken place.

Iron and Steel Workers Credit Union

"The Credit Union was established by nineteen workers at U.S. Steel's Ensley Works in July 1936, and initially was operated out of a cigar box. In 1946 the growing institution moved into the vacant Bank of Alabama Building at 1724 Avenue E Ensley." (copied from B'ham Wiki)

The mural with the guitar is on the back of the building once known as Ensley Grill. It was a cafeteria style restaurant with home cooked  delicious food. In 1986 the manager of Ensley Grill was killed during a robbery. Business was never the same after that. Nathan Madison's death hit many hard.

The El Bart mural I happened to see in an alley painted onto a dumpster.

Ensley Alive

After walking around a few places "up in Ensley" on a very hot day, my daycation was over. Returning to a car with AC and having the forethought to bring water, I was satisfied to head back home with old and new memories.

That's It***