Photo Record
Images
Metadata
Object ID |
34_72_098-099 |
Object Name |
Photograph, Digital |
Description |
Photograph and Historic Sites Survey Update Form dated 2014 of 400 Fairhope Avenue in Fairhope, Alabama. This building, sometimes referred to as the McKean Building back in the day, was built in 1938 (Fairhope Courier 9/15/1938) - not the 1931-1933 date given in other documents. The McKean Building sits on the central downtown corner of Fairhope. The original building (on what was known in early days as the Brown Block) was built by C. K. Brown in 1905. The commercial building was rented to W. A. Baldwin and to Frank Creswell. In 1912, Dewey Wheeler bought the building from Mrs. C. K. Brown, operated Wheeler's Mercantile until selling the dry goods/grocery business to Felix Beiser and Ralph Young in the early 1920s. Beiser and Young changed the name the Corner Cash Store in the early 1930s, and closed the business around 1934-1935. See image #5 for a photo of this building (BSS.645-646). Local business partners T. H. Bowen (Tom Bowen) and Capt E. J. Roberts bought the improvements in 1935 and tore down the building. During the summer of 1935, the vacant lot was used for Town Band concerts. Bowen and Roberts only kept their interests in the lease for a short time. H. G. McKean acquired the lease in 1936 from Bowen and Roberts and had the new building put up in 1938 using Clay City bricks. McKean relocated McKean's Hardware store to the new two-story building in December 1938 and added a 50 foot addition on Section Street for rental retail space in 1939. McKean was in business until about 1971. Since then, the building has been renovated, divided into smaller retail spaces and still graces the southeast corner of Fairhope Avenue and Section Street. Image #4 shows McKean's - no date, but probably in the 1950s. (FSTC-0507) This building is located in the Downtown Fairhope Historic District. See 34_71_001-127 for all buildings in this District or search "Downtown Fairhope HIstoric District.". From the Fairhope Public Library Collection and the Fairhope Single Tax Corporation Archives. |
Search Terms |
Historic Buildings Buildings Businesses Clay City Tile Downtown Downtown Fairhope Historic District Fairhope Public Library Collection 400 Fairhope Avenue |
People |
McKean, H. G. Beiser, Felix W. Young, Ralph Roberts, Edward J., Capt. Bowen, Thomas H. Wheeler, Dewey Brown, Charles K. (1833-1909) |
Date |
1938 |
Collection |
Fairhope Single Tax Corporation |