The Coley Building was a historic two-story commercial building in Mobile,

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

, United States. It began as a one-story Federal style masonry structure in 1836. It was the last 19th century building to survive on its city block. The block, situated between the streets of St. Francis, Royal, Water, and St. Michael, was a center for many of Mobile's

broker A broker is a person or entity that arranges transactions between a buyer and a seller. This may be done for a commission when the deal is executed. A broker who also acts as a seller or as a buyer becomes a principal party to the deal. Neither ...

age firms prior to the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. The building was seized by the

Confederate A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...

government during the war from a suspected Union collaborator. It was enlarged and remodeled in the 1870s, with the addition of a second floor and the application of a Beaux-Arts-influenced

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...

facade. The building was placed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

on October 22, 1982. It was demolished in 2003 to make way for a parking deck to serve the

RSA Battle House Tower The RSA Battle House Tower is located in Mobile, Alabama and is Alabama's tallest building. The building is owned by the Retirement Systems of Alabama (RSA). It is the tallest on the Gulf Coast of the United States outside Houston, although no ...

, located across the street. The cast iron architectural details were saved by

Retirement Systems of Alabama Retirement Systems of Alabama is the administrator of the pension fund for employees of the state of Alabama. It is headquartered in the state capital Montgomery, Alabama. David G. Bronner is the chief executive officer. Under Bronner's leade ...

(RSA) and later restored by Robinson Iron of

Alexander City, Alabama Alexander City, known to locals as "Alex City", is the largest city in Tallapoosa County, Alabama, Tallapoosa County, Alabama, United States, with a population of 14,843 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It has been the largest ...

. The front facade of the building was then rebuilt and grafted onto the modern parking garage in 2006.

References

{{NRHP in Mobile, Alabama National Register of Historic Places in Mobile, Alabama Buildings and structures in Mobile, Alabama Federal architecture in Alabama Beaux-Arts architecture in Alabama Commercial buildings completed in 1836 Commercial buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Alabama Buildings and structures demolished in 2003 Demolished buildings and structures in Alabama