This unassuming structure on the banks of the Flint River in downtown Albany is significant as the only surviving bridge house in Georgia, a relic of a time when bridges were huge moneymakers for those who financed them. This example was commissioned by the Connecticut-born entrepreneur and founder of Albany, Nelson Tift, circa 1857-1858. The second floor was known as Tift’s Hall and served as a concert and performance space.
An even greater aspect of the structure’s significance is that it, and the bridge it served, were built by Horace King, who rose from slavery to become a highly successful architect and Reconstruction-era Alabama state representative. He was one of the most respected men of color in the 19th-century South.
The Bridge House was purchased by A .P. Keenan in 1916 and served a commercial use for much of the 20th century, first as the Empire Smithing Company and later as Keenan Auto Parts. Since 2008, it has been home to the Albany Welcome Center.
National Register of Historic Places
All you say is historically accurate about this building, but your story is not complete.
My Dad worked for Keenan Auto Parts, in that building, which was Keenan’s headquarters, for many, many years. I don’t know how long it was Keenan’s, or exactly how long my Dad worked in that building. I have a watch that was given to him for his retirement from Keenan’s. I used to go there when I was a boy. My Dad helped me borrow the money from Keenan’s credit union to buy one of my first cars.
Somewhere, I have an old picture of my Dad, at lunch, lying on a large table that was used for packaging parts that were going to other Keenan’s stores and customers.
Thanks for posting the Bridge House and acknowledging Horace King. He was an amazing builder and my first intro to him was crossing a covered bridge in rural GA.
I’m a huge fan of his work and life story.