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James L. Bir House
1301 East Main Street
New Albany, IN 47150




Listing Description:
This house, along with at least four others along Main Street, was built by the prominent Bir family.  The family business, the Louis Bir Lumber & Manufacturing Co., began in 1882 and the lumber yard was located on this corner until the brick bungalows at 1301and 1305 East Main and 210 East 13th were built for Bir family members around 1920. This home, a California bungalow, was constructed in 1922. The other Bir houses are the earlier, Queen Anne style structures found at 1218 and 1401 East Main Street. The business relocated to East 13th and Dewey streets, where it remained until 1970.  The company, with their unforgettable “Lum-Bir” slogan, supplied Southern Indiana residents with building materials for almost 90 years.
 
James, a grandson of company founder Louis Bir, was vice president of the family business and a director of the American Bank.  He and his wife Ella had three children.  Mr. and Mrs. Bir resided here until their deaths in July 1978 and September 1980, respectively, ending almost sixty years of occupancy by the James L. Bir family. The home was subsequently divided into a duplex, but has since been returned to a single-family configuration.



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Additional Information:
 
Building Style: Bungalow
Year Built: 1922
 

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