Who would have thought that Mobile, Alabama once boasted a Millionaire’s Row.
A street of lavish mansions that could once rival the world’s most exclusive addresses. Hi everyone,
Ken here, join us as we take a quick glimpse into this fascinating enclave of wealth and excess.
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In 1699, when colonists arrived in what would become Alabama, their top priority was to build
a means of defense. They quickly set out to construct a wooden fort, and while it
protected the residents from invasions, it could not guard them against nature.
After severe flooding occurred, the fort was relocated, and in 1723 a more permanent star fort
was constructed from stone and brick in present day Mobile. By 1820, the settlement had flourished
into a small city and there was no longer a need for the fort’s protection, so it was completely
dismantled and used to layout a cobblestone street which would be named “Government Street.” This
sudden improvement in infrastructure attracted new businesses, causing the population to boom.
Government street quickly became the center of city life with churches, schools,
libraries, restaurants, and office buildings.
As the city’s population density increased, so did the value of the land along Government
Street. The city’s wealthy elite noticed this trend and rushed to secure the city’s most
valuable real estate to build their dream homes on what would be called “Millionaire’s Row.”
The first house we will see is the childhood home of Alva Vanderbilt,
whose father, Murray Forbes Smith, ran a lucrative cotton plantation.
After the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the family fled the South, choosing to live
between Europe and New York City. Alva went on to marry into the Vanderbilt family where she
lived with her husband William K Vanderbilt in their 5th avenue mansion, later going on
to own two of Newport, Rhode Island’s greatest summer cottages, the Marble House and Belcourt.
Next we will visit the Jonathan Emanuel Mansion, rising 3 stories behind a limestone façade.
The entire property was contained by a wrought iron fence boasting intricate details.
The interior of the home was no-less stunning with artisan plaster work
suspending floating arcades above antique European furnishings.
This theme of arches was carried throughout with rounded pocket doors and further integrated into
the designs of the hearths with marble mantles boasting figurative relief work.
The neighborhood quickly became homogenous with wrought iron fences lining the sidewalks,
each yard on the tree lined street containing perfectly manicured gardens.
While some homes such as the J.W Goldsby House were more modest,
others sought to out-do their neighbors.
David Burgess, who had also made his fortune in the cotton industry,
hired architect George Bigelow to design for him a mansion in the Renaissance Revival Style.
The blonde brick home featured intricate terracotta and stone work below dramatically
overhanging eaves. No architectural element was left unadorned with laurel accents, cartouches,
and lions heads worked into the design. The interior of the home was just as grand
with a floating staircase concealing and inglenook between extensive wall murals.
Of it’s many rooms, the parlor was finished out with gilded wall panels, cast plaster,
and hand stenciling to impress guests. Of all the houses we have seen so far, this is the
only one that has survived the wrecking ball, continuing to serve as a private residence.
Of all the grand Gilded Age and Victorian era estates which once populated the street,
the Tacon-Barfield Mansion proved to be the most impressive of the Queen
Annes with extensive gingerbreading decorating the
verandah and a domed tower commanding its presence on the street’s corner.
While most of the largest mansions have been demolished without photographical records,
many of the upper middle class homes have survived
such as the William Ketchum House which retains much of its original character.
As well as the Paterson-Dean House,
designed in the Mediterranean Revival Style with a brownstone balustrade and quoined port cochere.
As time went on, Mobile did not grow as quickly as other cities.
After Abolition, many of the wealthiest residents stopped making money. Their children lived with
generational wealth until the Great Depression hit and whipped out their dwindling fortunes. When
they moved out, developers were able to purchase many of their mansions for pennies on the dollar.
As the economy started to recover, the land became more valuable and those same developers
demolished the mansions to replace them with larger commercial and government buildings.
Though you will still find a handful of the truly beautiful homes of Mobile’s golden age, the city
leaves much to the imagination without having been properly documented before the Great Depression.
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