This facade is what remains of the front office of the Bibb Manufacturing Company’s 750,000 square foot Columbus Mill, begun in 1900 and expanded upward toward 1st Avenue until 1920. It was the centerpiece of the company’s Bibb City. A massive fire in 2008 destroyed all of the facility except for this small section. The large clock in the pediment is its most distinguishing feature. At its peak in the 1940s, the Columbus Mill employed over 2,500 people and was the largest cotton mill in the United States. Bibb City was a self-contained municipality, with housing, retail, schools, and other public facilities.
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