The Birmingham age-herald., 1919-06-15
Historic Old Buildings
 AndRise inLand Values
Old Peerless Corner and Adams Corner Have Been Cen ters of Some of the Most Stirring Events
 in Birmingham's History
By ". J. ROLES

homicides were of frequent occur renee in the Peerless. Some of the well known men who lost their lives there were Tom Hewlett, John Shugart, Sulli- van and others whose names are known to the older citizens of Birmingham.
 In later years, when murders and homicides were not of such frequent occuranc in Birmingham, the Peer less building housed one of the big gest gambling clubs in the south. Poker, roulette, dice, klondyke, faro and most of the games known to the profession" were carried on there for number of years.
 The club operated under the name of the Alabama club, incorporated, and and business organization, but which slumb cred for a time only to be re- vived as a gambling club.
 Almost from the time it was erected until saloons were banished from Bir- mingham this corner was occupied by saloon. It was one of the best fur |snished and equipped wet goods dispen- saries in the city. nearly always en- joyed a big trade, and attracted the better class of saloon patrons.
 Despite the high-class trade that patronized it this place for years was referred to as murder" corner Fol- lowing the punishment of the saloon a moving picture show operated on the ground floor for while with indif- ferent success ,and later it was oc- cupied by jewelry concern.
 But this corner has acquired some notoriety for other things than homi- cides and gambling. It fronts 25 feet on Second avenue and extends back 120 feet towards Second alley. Origi- nally sold by the land company in 1871 for $200, the purchaser at that sale, two or three years later, sold it to q MT. Kyle for $250. That was considered to be a good price in those days. so good, in fact, that the grantor in the Kyle deed felt that he had made too great a profit and hastened to give $25 of the $50 profit he had made to a charitable institution.
 MT. Klye, after time, borrowed $15,- 900 from the Peoples Savings Bank and Trust company and with this money erected the present tlhree-st building on the lot. Rental values in those days were not as high as at present and the investment did not prove a profitable one for MT. Kyle.
 In 1889 the bank took over the prop erty from MT. Kyle at a valuation of $25, ,000, dispatched an agent to Jackson vile, Fla, to confer with prospective purchaser, who, however, declined to buy.
 ADOuI tII0 lnHc tuC I6Opt6S DdHk went out of business it sold the property to R. D. Burnett for $110,0oo That was in 1910. In 1911 MT. Burnett sold 1t to R. H. Baugh for $135, ,000j and he in turn the following year, sold it to Frank Nell son, Jr.. for $165,0oo.
 After holding the property for a year or two MT. Nelson sold 1t to the present owner, MT. Toole, for $2oo,0oo, or $So00 a front foot.
 That is probably the highest price per front foot ever paid for a piece of prop erty in Birmingham. It is sunderstood that the present owner values the prop erty at s250,000, which is $10,o0o front foot /
 After purchasing the property MT. Toole spent between $1O,000 and $15,0O0 in im- provements, and with this exception the building stands today as it was when completed, about 40 years ago.
 Directly across Second avenue from the Peerless corner is another historic build ing. It, too. Is three stories high and was built about 40 years ago.
 This property, said Jack Adams of the Adams Drug company, who has oc- cupied it since the fall of 1895, has not changed ownership in over 40 years. MT. Rogers of south Alabama. stopping over here for time, contracted to buy this lot and the adjoining one, each with g feet fl ont at $500. He instructed Judge Terry to draw up the deeds and pay the pur- chase price pending his return to the city, stating that he would repay half of it on his return and they would hold the property together.
 Later they put up buildings that cost about $15,000 making their total invest menut something like $15,500 They, or their estates, still own the property which is now worth over $5O0,0O0, ac- cording to the price at which the corner across the street was sold three or four years ago.
 When Jack Adams and Arthur Moody formed partnership to engage in the retail drug business in 1885 they took a long term lease on the corner building land they have occupied 1t ever since The building on the adjoining lot. how ever. has had numerous occupants. rang ing all the way from cheap colthing stores to high class tailor shops, jewelry and other kinds of business. It has also had one or two fires.
 The writer recalls that he and Arthur Moody, back in 1896, occupying a bed room on the second floor over the drug store. slept soundly through fire that gutted the store next door and partially destroyed the building The first knowl-
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