The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-12-28
Unprecedented Activities
 Characterize Building Year
Programs Estimated To Have Involved Over
 $2S,0OO,O00

An "official" construction prog program of $28,000,000 will be Bir at the city hall furnish the former Dodge corporation supplies the lat and represents over 75 per cent The Dodge aggregate is believed near CT to the true activity than the city sum. At the building office only a minimum rough estimate is filed, which sometimes runs as much as 90 per cent under the completed cost. The Dodge figures are obtained from the individual contractors.
 The cause of the banner building pro gram was that the city had been much underbuilt. No office structure of any magnitude had been erected for almost a decade and conditions in the residen- tial field, high rents and few vacan- cies, proved the same situation existed there also.
 Ice Broken. There was no obvious reason for this circumstance except perhaps a psycho- logical one. All of the building promot- CTS were waiting for someone to make the initial move, and when this did come it started the greatest building era the district has yet known.
 To the Southern Railroad company goes the honor of breaking the ice Tn the building inactivity. Early last Jan nary they announced that they would soon commence work on 1O-story of flee building, and although this program was not carried out until six months later, it did have the effect of causing other builders to more seriously consider their projects.
 Second Of Series.
 In March came the second of the se- ries of downtown buildings. There had long been a shortage of hotel space which had become more in evidence as the city grew as a convention center No one, however, had seen fit to take advantage of the condition until Dink' Ter, operator of the Tutwiler and other southern hotels, was interested by a group of Birmingham capitalists in Q new structure at Fifth and Twenty first, to be known as the Piedmont. Shortly after the announcement o1 the Redmont came the Jefferson Coun' ty Building and Loan association build ing. The organization had sold its old home and planned 10-story structure at Third alley and Twenty-first street
 Miller Interested. Some time before the publication oi these buildings, G. l.. Miller and com pany, Atlanta bond house, had been attracted to Birmingham by it's need oi both large housing and office units Agents for the Miller company spent considerable time in survey of the situation and determined that invest ments in Birmingham property could bt made with greater possibilities than ir any other city in the south. Theii first act was the taking over of the AItamont. a million-dollar apartment or Highland avenue, which had just beer started. Later they launched the Clar idge Manor, another huge apartment structure on Hanover circle. Their next move was ln business req estate. After an amount of negotlatlo1 they accepted a plan to finance the DIT mingham Athletic club in a new homt at Third and Twenty-third. The clui sold their old property on Iwentletf street for price near Sl35,00O. lew weeks after this proposal they an nounced the Martin office building History structure at Fourth avenue an' Twenty-fourth street, catering only t' the medical profession.
 Bankers Building
  felt that building activity would agail undergo a lull, the Bankers Mortgage Bond company announced new build ing for Third avenue and Twenty-firS street, to be erected by the compan. and Richard W. Massey, owner of tn site. This was another 10-story affair Next in line was the Alabama Powe company building of 12 stories. whic officials announced would be built a Sixth avenue and Eighteenth street The project of new headquarters for tn company had been figured on for nun Der of years.
 Two months ago a syndicate of prop erty owners made public plans for til eighth building of size for the bushes zone in the Pioneer building. The sit of the building was selected at Avenu c and Twentieth street.
 New Hotel.
 Last of the programs to be announce was new hotel at Second avenue an