We Built This City: Tradesmen, Builders & Architects, 1837-1940 Who were the tradesmen, builders, and architects that built Mobile? Piecing together the lives of these individuals can only be done little by little. Their stories are told as a result of research in court records, city directories, death and cemetery records, ship logs, marriage, census and naturalization records. It is simple to find the people who stand out in the community, but it takes time to find information on those less well-known. More research needs to be done in the above records to achieve a more complete look at these individuals who were the heart of Mobile. This website contains two searchable databases that hold information on these tradesmen. There is also a searchable database on the information found in early building permits. There are links to various photographs of architects, builders, and tradesmen as well as some of the specific homes and businesses they built. Search Building Permits from 1905-1940 Search Tradesmen, Builders, and Architects: 1837-1870 Search Contractors, Builders, and Architects: 1870-1940 City of Mobile Mobile Historic Development Commission Government Plaza 2nd Floor, South Tower P.O. Box 1827 Mobile, AL 36633 Phone: 251-208-7281 Fax: 251-208-7966 Email: MHDC@cityofmobile.org Research by Rita Thompson. This website was funded by a grant from the Sybil H. Smith Charitable Trust. Photographs provided courtesy of the University of South Alabama Archives.