Contact developers or individuals you may know who are interested in historic redevelopment. You may know someone who might be able to purchase the property to hold it ( and save it ) until a developer could be found. Or you may contact the mayor and council members and let them know you support them in taking necessary measures to save this historic property. In the 1960's, Daniel Pratt's home was demolished. This time it could be the Pratt Gin Company complex in historic downtown Prattville. These are not just any old mill buildings in disrepair. They are nationally recognized and regarded as some of the most historically significant industrial buildings in the country, not only because of their past, but also for the impact Daniel Pratt had on bringing industry to the Southeast
We recently learned that these historic buildings may be sold to a Texas salvage company in early 2012! The salvage company wants the handmade bricks, the heart pine timbers and flooring. The current owners are working with a few private parties as well as the City of Prattville to develop a plan to save these important buildings. The demolition of these historic buildings would be a tremendous loss, not only to the city of Prattville, but the entire Southeast. Daniel Pratt came to Alabama in 1833 to build and sell cotton gins. In reality, he became one of the most influential persons in southern history, changing the economic landscape from a purely agriculture economy to an industrial one. This man was ahead of his time in his vision for the South to be self-reliant and financially independent. Because of his multiple industries in Prattville, in the 1850's Prattville was noted as the most industrialized town of its size by the Debows Review, a national business journal, and that was comparing it to the industrial northeast! Pratt is also known for being the lead developer of the coal and iron industries in the Birmingham area. His son-in-law, Henry Fairchild DeBardelaben continued Pratt's vision in the Birmingham area, following Pratt's death. You might say that Pratt was Alabama's first economic developer as he recruited industries for the state including railroads and banking. Whether you truly understand and appreciate the importance of these buildings and their past, or you merely see the potential that the buildings hold as a re-purposed downtown development, we need your help in preserving them until a plan is in place to redevelop them. For additional information call:
Ann C Boutwell
334-365-9521
[email protected]
