The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-04-28
$188,OOO GOING
UP IN BUILDINGS
Contracts May Be Let for Sev-
eraI More.
A BIG ADVANCE IN PRICES
OF All Building Materials-BrfcA Very
Scarce-Inside Finishings Take a
Jump-Day's Record of Real
Estate Sales.

There are enough buildings now in course
of construction in Birmingham to require
the expenditure of $1SS,OOO for their COM
| pletion.
These are the ST. Vincent hospital, which
| will cost $4,000, the new Loveman, Joseph
& Loeb building, costing 100000, Mayberry
& Watsons new building costing $4,000,
Drennen & Company's building, costing
$4,000 and the new livery stable of Flies &
Sons costing about $4,000. A total Of these
amounts will aggregate $1SS,00O.
On account of this immense increase in
construction work all building material has
become scarce and has increased in price
over % per cent. within the last week. Plate
glass has been very expensive ever since
the war with Spain, when it sustained an
advance of over 100 per cent. Brick has in
creased 25 per cent. in less time than a
week. In fact, there is almost a brick
famine in Birmingham. None of the con-
tractors have been able to secure enough
brick to keep supplied at any price. As
fast as the brick are ready for the market
they are scooped in by the contractors as
if they were treasure. This inability of
the manufacturers to meet the demand has
naturally caused the advance in price.
Inside Finishings Take a Jump
Inside finishings took a jump of 10 per
cent. day before yesterday and later on
made another advance of 10 per cent. The
builders are also having a hard time in
securing enough labor to carry on the
work. 1t was said yesterday that men
were being brought in from every part
of the country to be employed on the
various buildings, the work on which has
already started or will commence in a few
days.
1t was feared by some that this increase
in the price of construction material would
have a depressing effect on the building
which has been contracted for. A promi-
nent architect said yesterday that he
thought the effect would be exactly oppo-
site to this theory
II am of the opinion" he said that in
stead of retarding the work it will cause
a rapid increase in construction work, as
every one who anticipates building is aware
of the advance in the price of materials and
will hasten their work before another adj
vance is encountered"
The architects are all very busy making
drawings of new dwellings and business
houses. Several of them intimated that
they knew of some more big contracts that
were going to be made, but as yet they
were prevented from giving out any infor-
nation in regard to the work.
Considerable rivalry has cropped out be-
tween the architects in the matter of draw
ing the plans for the Hillman hospital.
Each one of them has drawn plans, which
have been submitted to the board of Judges.
The board will not know who made the
drawings, but will make selection from
the lot and will take the one decided on as
the most meritorous.
The board will likely meet this week and
the architects are anxiously awaiting a de-
cison.
Real Estate Transfers
The following real estate transactions
were filed for record in the probate court
yesterday, together with number of
smaller ones.
Alabama National bank to Mollie E.
Havis, lot 20 and east half of lot 10, in
block 10, Seventh avenue between Eighth
zenith and Nineteenth streets; $4,000.
James G.. Whitney, assignee to H. H.
Mayberry, lot 75x1O0 feet, southwest corner
$4,000.
John V. Coe to Marion A May, lot IS in
block 45, Fifth avenue between Eighteenth
and Nineteenth streets; $500.
r. V. Arnold and wife to R. H. Banister,
lot in Humboldt avenue between Twenty
first and Twenty-second streets; $1,000.
West End Land and Improvement COM
pany to l.. C. Harrison, lots and in block.
g. West End; $1,000.