Van Antwerp Building
Mobile, AL
History – The Van Antwerp Building sits on Royal Street in downtown Mobile, AL. At eleven stories tall, the Van Antwerp Building was considered a skyscraper when it was constructed in 1906 (it was even the tallest building in the state of Alabama at the time).
Lathan's Contributions:
The primary focus of Lathan’s restoration efforts was the terracotta block exterior of the building. Lathan replicated in-house roughly 300 blocks and a dozen shapes, including elements of the cornice, window seal, and window trim. The decision was made to replicate the decorative elements in-house to accelerate the timeline of the project, and the elements were replicated to be perfect replicas. There currently sits a large replica of the original decorative cornice that wraps around the sides of the building facing Dauphin Street and Royal Street, and this was also installed by Lathan.