#13- The Jackson Building

#13- The Jackson Building

   Ornate and beautiful, the Jackson building is Asheville’s most beloved skyscraper.  Completed in 1924 it was the first skyscraper in Western NC and it stands 13 stories high and is built in a Neo-Gothic style.  Real estate developer L.B. Jackson had the building built to show his faith in the strength of the 1920’s real estate market.

   When completed the building eclipsed the Independence building in Charlotte as the tallest in NC and it held that distinction till a few years later when the Jefferson Standard building in Greensboro was completed.  The Jackson building is set on a tiny 27 by 60 foot lot that many thought was too small to build on. It is steel framed and terra–cotta covered and has several stone gargoyles at the top looking down on the city. All four gargoyles guarding the four corners of the building are fully functional. The bell tower at the top was initially used as a searchlight to draw tourists to the city.  The building also shares an elevator system with its next door neighbor the Westall building.

   A number of stories abound about this building. One is that it was used as a clean air lookout for the city.  Every morning the city inspector would stand at the top and watch for excessive smoke from the coal fired fireplaces that heated the surrounding buildings. If heavy smoke persisted he would write a ticket for the furnace to be cleaned!  Another story is that the building is on the site of the tombstone business run by local author Thomas Wolfe’s father. Also you may hear that a young Walt Disney worked in that building as a draftsman. Finally, the building is also said to be haunted.  People say you can see a ghost at night in the uppermost part of the building. The face in the window supposedly belongs to a man who killed himself by jumping from there during the great depression.  Today the building is mostly inhabited by local lawyer’s offices.

   The 1920’s marked a time of strong growth for Asheville. More than 25 buildings were erected here during that time. Then the depression hit and Asheville was hit hard – the city ended up defaulting on its huge debts. Rather than declaring bankruptcy it decided to pay off the debt which took over 50 years.  Investment in new building ceased during this time and the effect was that many historic buildings were preserved from the wrecking ball enabling many treasures such as the Jackson Building to survive today.

“Architecture, of all the arts, is the one which acts most slowly, but most surely, on the soul. “ Dimnet