The Majesty of Mobile

An important part of Mobile history lies in the foundations of its realty. Each of the city's 1800s structures has a story to tell and all are included in this collection of more than sixty profiles. Enhancing each building's character are additions, renovations, and residents' personalities. The addition of Lewis Carroll's (the author of Alice in Wonderland) iron gates to a cotton broker's 1859 mixed-style brick townhouse or the eastern side-parlors constructed on the 1868 Revival-style cottage after it was sold to a schooner captain are only a few of the transformations that give Mobile's older homes such specific personalities.

Descriptions of these architectural treasures are grouped by geographic districts and are accompanied by color photographs. The Bishop Portier House with its Box Grand Piano and spiral stairway is listed under the Church Street East Historic District and is open to the public. The Greek Revival-style raised cottage known as Stewartfield lies in the Spring Hill Neighborhood with a history that dates back to 1850. Close-ups of decorative details, such as the stone gargoyles and dragons of Sacred Heart Chapel, and a Queen Anne-style bow porch from Monterey Place, provide a more intimate view of some chosen locations.