Coby Hall is an
antebellum
Antebellum, Latin for "before war", may refer to:
United States history
* Antebellum South, the pre-American Civil War period in the Southern United States
** Antebellum Georgia
** Antebellum South Carolina
** Antebellum Virginia
* Antebellum ar ...
Georgian Revival former residence in
Florence, Alabama
Florence is a city in, and the county seat of, Lauderdale County, Alabama, United States, in the state's northwestern corner. It is situated along the Tennessee River and is home to the University of North Alabama, the oldest college in the st ...
, that now serves as a learning and cultural center for the
University of North Alabama.
History
19th century
The house was built by John Simpson on the site of his earlier home in 1843. Simpson was sent to Florence by James Jackson, builder of the Forks of Cypress, another prominent antebellum structure in the
Shoals
In oceanography, geomorphology, and geoscience, a shoal is a natural submerged ridge, bank, or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material and rises from the bed of a body of water to near the surface. It o ...
area, to buy land and to operate a mercantile business.
["History Coby Hall," Office of Continuing Studies, University of North Alabama.](_blank)
The Simpson House—Irvine Place, as originally named, was later purchased by George W. Foster for his daughter, Virginia, and her husband, James Bennington Irvine. Foster was the builder of
Courtview, the present day UNA Rogers Hall.
["UNA Public and Tourist Attractions," Office of University Relations, University of North Alabama]
20th century
The residence later was inherited by the Irvine’s great granddaughter, Mrs. Madding King.
Following World War II, the Kings restored the home, incorporating many architectural features still present today. In the early 1980s then-owner Ellis Coats allowed Project Courtview, the group responsible for the Rogers Hall restoration project, to use the mansion for Florence’s first Decorator’s Showcase, as part of the restoration’s fundraising effort.
21st century
After serving briefly as a corporate headquarters, the mansion was purchased by David Brubaker, and given to the University of North Alabama in memory of his young wife, Coby Stockard Brubaker, who had died of cancer. The newly refurbished structure was dedicated as Coby Hall in 2005.
Coby Hall currently serves as the headquarters of UNA’s Admissions and Recruiting. The former residence also is the site for the annual Festival of Trees and is also a popular site for weddings, dinners, teas, receptions, and other campus-related social events.
See also
*
Antebellum architecture
Antebellum architecture (meaning "prewar", from the Latin '' ante'', "before", and '' bellum'', "war") is the neoclassical architectural style characteristic of the 19th-century Southern United States, especially the Deep South, from after the b ...
References
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University of North Alabama campus
Houses in Florence, Alabama
Antebellum architecture
Georgian Revival architecture in Alabama