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3 ways to enjoy the quaint Leinkauf Historic District
Well, hello there and welcome back to the fifth installment of us at The Bama Buzz exploring Mobile’s picturesque historic districts. Last time, we covered Old Dauphin Way. This week, we’re going to take a look at the Leinkauf Historic District.
What makes a historic district?
In the City of Mobile, we have registered 7 different districts on the National Register of Historic Places and a few more locally recognized and maintained as historic districts even if not on a registry. Here’s a list of the historic districts in Mobile:
- Church Street East
- Lower Dauphin (LoDa)
- Oakleigh Garden District
- Old Dauphin Way
- Leinkauf
- Ashland Place
- De Tonti Square
- Midtown Mobile
- Africatown and the African American Heritage Trail
The easiest way to tell if a building is historic, especially in Mobile, is to look for a certain plaque issued by the Mobile Historic Development Commission. They look a bit like this:
Leinkauf Historic District
The Leinkauf District, much like Old Dauphin Way, is largely a residential area. Its proximity to Old Dauphin Way and Oakleigh Garden historic districts put the Leinkauf historic district within a short jaunt to downtown while maintaining that historic Mobile feel.
It was founded in 1896 by Hungarian immigrant and prominent community member Williams Henry Leinkauf and added to the National Register of Historic Places in June 1987. Over the years, the landscape of the neighborhood has been shaped by the periods of history its survived through, making it a fun place to see all kinds of Deep Southern architecture.
One of the important historic places in Leinkauf is the W.H. Leinkauf Elementary School, a historically-housed elementary school. It started off as a four-classroom facility and since has blossomed to be Alabama’s oldest public school in continuous use. It started off as a four-room small schoolhouse, but has been historically renovated and upgraded to take up almost 2 city blocks. Today, there are almost 700 Pre-K through 5th grade students at Leinkauf Elementary School.
What to do in Leinkauf
As a mostly residential area, the Leinkauf area isn’t catered to tourism like some downtown districts may be. That doesn’t mean you can’t have a great time, though! This is a great neighborhood to look for a vacation rental. You can be immersed in quiet historic neighborhood life, all while within walking distance of all the fun museums, restaurants, and night-life Mobile has to offer. Of course, though, there are still a few cool places to check out in Leinkauf, let’s take a look.
The Spiffy Fox Pizza & Pub
Looking for a new take on pizza? Try out The Spiffy Fox Pizza and Pub! Their specialty is mixing Irish/Gaelic flavors into the regular ‘ole pizza we all know and love. They’re also open for a late breakfast or brunch, making it a great spot to stop by before you head off to any downtown adventure. We highly recommend you try the Fish and Chips or check out the Friday morning biscuit drive-thru. Plus, Friday evenings there’s live music on the patio.
- Address: 1455 Monroe Street, Mobile, AL, 36604
- Hours: Mon, Wed, Thurs: 10:30 am — 2:00 pm for Lunch, 4:00 pm — 9:00 pm for Dinner | Closed Tuesdays | Friday: 7:00 am — 10:30 am for Drive-thru Biscuits, 9:00 am — 10:00 pm for Dine-In foods | Saturday: 11:30 am — 10:00 pm | Sunday: 10:00 am — 2:00 pm for Brunch, 4:00 pm — 9:00 pm for Dinner.
- Contact: 251-509-1311 | Website | Facebook
Stokley Garden Express
Now, if you’ve ever walked through a Mobile Historic District, you’ll know the gardens are to die for! Maybe the secret is Stokley Garden Express, a family-owned plant shop with two locations–this one, and one over in Semmes. Regardless of which location you choose, there will be a huge selection of houseplants, ground cover, foliage, succulents, seeds, pottery and more. It’s a real one-stop-shop for all things horticulture in the Leinkauf Historic District.
- Address: 1451 Government Street, Mobile, AL, 36604
- Hours: Mon – Sat: 8:00 am — 5:00 pm | Closed Sunday
- Contact: 251-461-6438 | Website | Facebook
That concludes this week’s installment of Exploring Mobile’s Unique Historic Districts. Be sure to check out Leinkauf for some awesome scenery and tune in next week when we’ll cover Ashland Place Historic District.
Which Mobile Historic District is your favorite? Be sure to tag us @TheBamaBuzz and let us know! Don’t forget to follow for more like stories like this one.
