Here’s a look down Dallas Avenue — or two, seperated by a century!

This photo was taken in the first decade of the 20th century, perhaps as late as the 1910s. The building on the left is presently known as the Federal Building, and houses (among other things) the offices of Representative Terri Sewell. It was completed in 1909 and intended for use as the post office. Opposite it is the county courthouse with its original design, which was later lost in 1952 when the center tower (not pictured) was struck by lightening and collapsed into the building.

I didn’t take this photo in order to do a comparison, but when looking for photos for this series the opportunity lept out. As you can see, the courthouse annex, built in the late 1970s, displaced the Castle Inn and the Bel-Marie, both beautiful buildings whose replacement is…unspiring, to say the least. The loss of the Bel-Marie is especially infuriating because it was in excellent shape and was one of the many legacies of Albert G. Parrish that has been destroyed in the name of progress. The Bel-Marie was named after Parrish’ two daughters, Belzoara and Marie.