| City/Town: • Bessemer |
| Location Class: • Residential |
| Built: • 1906 | Abandoned: |
| Historic Designation: |
| Status: • Abandoned |
| Photojournalist: • David Bulit |
Table of Contents
The Sweet Family
Sweet Home, also called the Sweet House, is the former home of Henry Wilson Sweet Sr., Bessemer’s first undertaker and a furniture dealer. He was born on September 19, 1866, the son of Civil War veteran Captain Leander “Lee” Sweet and Sarah Ann Massey Rivers Sweet. At some point, the family changed their surname from Sweat to Sweet. Henry’s brother, James Edward Sweet, served as postmaster and a merchant in Bessemer. He married Mattie Breen Sweet, and the two settled in the Jefferson County town, where they became prominent residents.
Their son, Henry Wilson Sweet Jr., significantly contributed to Alabama’s economic, political, and civic life, particularly Jefferson County and Bessemer. As Jefferson County Commissioner, he played a crucial role in bringing the University of Alabama Medical Center to Birmingham by signing the deed conveying land and the Hillman-Jefferson Hospital Complex to U.A.B.
In addition, Sweet served as the Director of the Alabama and Georgia State Docks and even ran for Governor in 1954. He achieved notable success as Alabama Docks Director, leading to Mobile’s highest-ever U.S. ports ranking. Additionally, he held positions such as Treasurer of the Bessemer Division of Jefferson County, President of the American Association of Ports Authorities, and International Director of Lions Clubs.
The Sweet Home
Henry W. Sweet had this home built for his family in 1906 for $10,000. The contractor was J. C. Scudder, and designed by architect William E. Benns Sr. When it was built, the three-story, 5,072-square-foot mansion was the most impressive in the city… or at least it came close.
According to legend, Sweet and another wealthy resident, banker Jefferson Clay, were in a race to build the tallest house in the shortest amount of time. While the Sweet Home was completed first, Clay’s turret was a bit taller. Clay’s house was located at 1915 Clarendon Avenue, also designed by Benns, but has since burned down. Benns is also responsible for designing Arlington High School, Bessemer’s first high school.
The Sweet Home is a Queen Ann Neoclassical structure with two imposing porticoes and an octagonal corner turret. Situated on a corner lot, the building comprises two stories and features two street facades, one facing Arlington and the other facing 19th Street. The matching entries on both fronts exhibit stained glass transoms and sidelights.
Detailed architectural elements include double-teardrop weatherboard siding on a brick wall foundation, a lofty hipped roof with cross-gabled two-story porticoes with galleries, and pedimented stuccoed gables with plain entablatures supported by massive Corinthian columns. The lower porch roof envelops both street facades and is upheld by smaller columns of a similar Corinthian style. The corner turret is shingled on a third story that rises above the eave line and is adorned with a finial.
Today, the Sweet Home is listed as a landmark of the Alabama Historical Association, and the marker was erected in 2006. Around this time, the house began its use as an event venue named “The Sweet House.” The venue’s website opened with, “Built in 1906, The Sweet House welcomes you with over one hundred years of warmth, family and southern charm. Whether you need a wedding venue, an all-day business conference, a bridal or baby tea, or a luxurious site for an intimate occasion, choose The Sweet House. We can accommodate up to 350 guests in the home and even more with our outdoor facilities.”
By 2017, it was no longer an event venue but the primary filming location for a direct-to-TV movie called Truth or Dare (2017). The Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles later occupied the home as a field office. Today, the Sweet Home is vacant. Its windows and doors are boarded up.
Photo Gallery
