The City Federal Building (originally the Comer Building) is a skyscraper located on Second Avenue North in
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...
. It was built in 1913 and was designed by architect
William C. Weston. It stands 27 stories or 325 feet on the Birmingham skyline.
At the time it was completed it was the tallest building in the
Southeast
The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each sepa ...
. It was the tallest building in Alabama from 1913 to 1969, and the tallest in
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...
until 1972. Currently, it is the 5th tallest building in Birmingham. It is still the tallest
neoclassical building in the south. The penthouse suite of the building was the longtime home of
WSGN Radio, at 610 AM, once one of the most powerful and popular Top 40 radio stations in the south. It has since been converted into commercial space and high end condominiums. On December 14, 2005 the City Federal Building's famous red neon sign was re-lit for the first time since the mid-1990s, signaling the building's renewal. The building was an early precursor to the revival of Birmingham's North Side district and the resurgence of 2nd Ave North.
Cultural references
Birmingham soul band
St. Paul and The Broken Bones included a song named "City Federal Building" on their 2023 album ''Angels in Science Fiction''.
References
* Kent, Dawn (June 2, 2007) "City Federal to welcome its first residents in July." ''Birmingham News''
*
City Federal Building at Bhamwiki.com - accessed December 1, 2011
*
[{{Cite web, url=http://www.bhamwiki.com/w/WSGN-AM, title=WSGN-AM - Bhamwiki]
Buildings and structures completed in 1913
Skyscraper office buildings in Birmingham, Alabama
Neoclassical architecture in Alabama
1913 establishments in Alabama