The Thomas Jefferson Hotel was planned and developed by the Union Realty Company, headed by Henry Cobb. The company was organized in November 1925 in the office of architect
David O. Whilldin, who prepared the design for the $1.5 million project. The
Foster-Creighton Company of
Nashville, Tennessee was selected as contractor and work began on the site in May 1926. Progress was halted in April 1927 when one of the projects financiers, the Adair Realty and Trust Company of
Atlanta, Georgia failed. A new holding company was formed and work resumed in July 1928. Costs reached $2.5 million before it opened on September 7, 1929. The hotel's opening week featured nightly banquets and dances featuring an orchestra from New York. It was originally called The Thomas Jefferson Hotel, then the Cabana Hotel, the Leer Tower, and finally the Thomas Jefferson Tower. These efforts would ultimately prove unsuccessful.
Thomas Jefferson Tower In August 2013, the building and its annex were acquired by TJTower LLC, a group of investors from
Little Rock, Arkansas and
New Orleans including former professional basketball player
Brian Beshara. The former hotel was one of the first projects in Alabama to utilize new state and federal tax credits designed to spur redevelopment of historic structures. Pre-construction plans called for mixed-use conversion into 100 apartments, ground floor restaurant and retail space, and event/entertainment space in the former dining room and ballroom. It is one of multiple revitalization projects occurring in downtown Birmingham, along with the renovation of the long-closed Lyric Theater and the nearby Pizitz Building. Construction began on February 12, 2015. As of May 2015, the "Leer Tower" signage as well as the ground floor siding had been removed. On August 6, 2016, the top portion of the rooftop mooring mast was replaced, and the structure returned to its original appearance. The structure features LED lighting that can be remotely changed in color and intensity to mark specific occasions, much like is done at the
Empire State Building in New York. It reopened in 2017. It became one of America's Prime attractions from Alabama. == References ==