The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-03-28
WOODWARD SHOWS FAITH IN THE CITY
 BY HIS ACTIONS Has Bought Original Brown Marx, and Now Owns
 Entire Building
HOPES TO GET NEW H)TEL
 UNDER WAY VERY SOON
w. H. Woodward Now Owns Wood ward, First National and Brown Marx BuiIdings-Latter
 Retains Old Name.

6lrmlngham has the coal and the iron and the transportation facilities, and noth- ing can keep it back
 This truism was uttered by w. H. Woodward yesterday when that gentle man was talking about Birmingham, it's past, present and future. MT. Woodward has been, as all men will agree one of Birmingham's foremost factors in up- building ever since he first came to the district 37 years ago. He says he has always had abiding faith in the future of Birmingham, and he has proved his faith by his works. He was one of two brothers who built the Woodward fur naces in 1881, and as the pioneer in erecting steel frame office buildings in Birmingham MT. Woodward is known far and wide. In 1902 he reared the first steel frame structure here, and it was the first in Alabama-the Woodward building. He found it a profitable investment, and in 1904 he erected the First National Bank building.
 
 MT. Woodward, with characteristic pluck, decided to erect a great annex to the BrownMarx/ building. No time was lost is breaking ground and the work of con- structon was pushed from the start The annex is now practically completed, and tenents are already beginning to move in. The arrangement made between MT. Woodward and the owners of the original Brown-Marx building provided for pro- rating the expense of operating the con solidated structure, but day or two ago MT. Woodward bought the Brown Mark interest, and thus became sole own CT of the splendid pile. MT. Woodward says that he will retain the Brown Marx name.
 The new part was constructed as a con- tinuation of the original building, which | gives the consolidated skyscraper the ap- pearance of having been erected all at the same time.
 The Brown-Marx fronts 150 feet on First avenue and it's greatest depth is 14O feet. | The original part had a front of only 56 feet, and it ian back 100 to the drug store property. It is the new part, therefore
 
 building is r stories high, including | finished basement, and has about 800 rooms. It is the largest building south | of Chicago and west of Pittsburg, and is 1 up-to-date in all it's appointments Brown Bros. & Co.,, rental agents, report that something like 75 per cent of the office space has already been leased and 1t is expected that within a few weeks all the rooms will be taken. The Postal Tele- graph company has its business office on the ground floor, and it's operating quar- ters on the top floor. Among other prom inent new tenents will be the Tennessee company, which has leased the space of three entire floors.
 "When I first saw Birmingham" said MT. Woodward, "the town was in it's n- fancy. It had been started only about a year, but just as soon as l satisfied my self about the rich raw material in these hills-coal, iron and limestone in practi- cally inexhaustible supply-I came to the conclusion that here was to be vast manufacturing center and that Birming ham was destined to be a magnificent city. The climate, too, as well as min Cidi WSdltH, le III oui ldNoI. w ell, l have never changed my mind about Bir- mingham The fact is that the longer l live the stronger grows my faith in Bir- minghams future.
 This city has made great strides, but its most rapid development is just ahead of us. have seen hard times here, but my faith in Birmingham's outcome was never once shaken. The temporary depression right now is nothing to the depression in years past. Prosperity will soon return, and when the country starts on its new era of thrift Birmingham is sure to lead off.
 This is indeed solid city, but those of us who may be living to see it five years hence will behold marvellous i'm provements and a teemng population.
 When asked about his s1,0O0,00O hotel for starting work on the hotel during the feason were very favorable. "The Fifth avenue site has been acquired" he re- marked, ''and only certain details remain to be worked out One thing that has held the much-talked-of and much-needed hotel back has been radical and unwise legislation. Had it not been for radical legislation the hotel would have been com pleted and occupied before now. In fact, I had everything ready to go ahead two years ago, but called off this enterprise