THE JACKSON BUILDING

Asheville, NC

From the years following the 1916 flood of the French Broad River to the end of WW2, Asheville’s economy boomed, with developer L.B. Jackson leading the charge. He decided to build a monument to celebrate the city’s growth. He hired architect Ronald Greene to design a 13- story (140-foot) Neo Gothic style skyscraper as a centerpiece for the town. Upon completion in 1924, it was tallest building in North Carolina. It was constructed on a 27 by 60 foot lot, formerly a tombstone shop, which many believed to be too small to build on. Jackson gave Green two requests: first, it had to be the tallest building in town, and second, “to go nuts at the top of the building”. Green chose to employ Gothic architectural forms to accomplish the second charge. The pointed spires he used, common to Gothic architecture, are more often found in religious buildings, but Green used them as an eye-catcher atop Jackson’s iconic advertisement. This steel-frame, brick and terra cotta structure is also appointed with dramatic stone gargoyles. The observation tower at the top had a 400x telescope and an 18 million candlepower searchlight, both intended to attract attention. The Asheville Times reported "the New Skyscraper is Totally Fireproof" in its headlines of Sunday, July 6, 1924. It was also reported that as the Asheville economy at the time failed, at least twelve people jumped from the top of the building, following which a sick observer embedded a bullseye in the sidewalk in front of the building.

This sketch was done from the comfort of the sofa in our hotel room at the newly-opened Arras Hotel, an upscale boutique property, for which our firm did the interiors. We loved the hotel, but not the street bands playing late into the night near our room.