Mike Rogers and Tom Townsend presented separate projects this week to revitalize multiple properties on the 400 block of Dauphin Street, which has remained underdeveloped for over a decade.
The corner of Dauphin and Franklin streets in downtown Mobile, Ala., as pictured on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026.For more than a decade, a section of the 400 block of Dauphin Street has sat in the shadows of Mobile’s booming entertainment district, a quiet gap in the city’s most vibrant corridor.
While crowds flowed freely with to‑go drinks on either side, this stretch remained frozen outside the boundaries of the entertainment district.scars of a 2023 fire that nearly consumed the block . The last remaining furniture store downtown closed its doors last year, leaving the block without an anchor. “It’s long been a dark spot along Dauphin Street, the entertainment district,” developer Mike Rogers told the City Council on Tuesday. “Our goal is to restore it to its former glory.” This week, two separate actions pushed that vision into public view. First came a request to vacate an alley along Franklin Street to support redevelopment efforts. Rogers also sought a waiver of roughly $12,400 in city fees tied to vacating it. The alley sits beside a historic home at 6 Franklin Street, built in the 1840s. Rogers, through his firm Lemoyne Properties LLC, plans to transform the former Hoffman Furniture Store at 413 Dauphin Street into a boutique hotel. On Wednesday, another major property owner stepped forward. Tom Townsend appeared before the Architectural Review Board seeking approval for a redevelopment plan for 401, 407 and 409 Dauphin Street. The two fire‑damaged buildings at 407 and 409 are being considered for a mixed‑use project with residential units and office space. The property at 401 Dauphin, which was once utilized as an art gallery during Art Walk, could become an events center.“It’s very time consuming, but I would say that within five years, this whole block will be completely renovated,” said Townsend, who is pursuing his projects with partner Buzz Jordan. The revitalization work by Rogers also includes restoring a pre‑Civil War structure described by architectural historian Cartledge Blackwell as one of Mobile’s “best‑preserved” buildings,Mobile's Chighizola House at 6 Franklin St. in downtown Mobile, Ala., is included in a renovation plan by developer Mike Rogers. The home dates to the 1840s, and is considered among the "best-preserved" building in Mobile, according to historian Cartledge Blackwell in an article written in 2024 for Mobile Bay Magazine.Rogers is already deep into a $2.5 million renovation of the historic Chighizola house, named for Jacques Chighizola, who acquired the property in 1824 and developed the surrounding lots over the next three decades. Rogers told the council he hopes the home will operate as a bed‑and‑breakfast‑style residence. “We’re in the process of developing a business plan, so it’s used as a residence,” he said. “Our plan is for people to come there, stay there and enjoy the house.” Rogers reiterated that the Hoffman Furniture building could also become a boutique hotel, though the economics will ultimately determine the final use. “It will all be driven by economics,” he said. “These projects are extremely expensive.” Townsend said he would not commit to a firm timeline for his projects, noting that architectural plans alone took about two years to complete. But if both developers move forward, the transformation could be dramatic for a block that has long interrupted the energy of Dauphin Street, the heart of downtown Mobile’s nightlife. Dauphin Street’s entertainment district, created in 2013, has always been split in two. The 400 block and its neighboring segments were carved out as a special exception due to concerns about noise and alcohol near residences. The decision even helped prompt, arguing that the exclusion “slowed the renovation of vacant buildings, hindered the movement of people from one end of Dauphin Street to the other, and had a negative impact on businesses.”“We feel this is one of the more significant, underdeveloped blocks in the city,” he said. John Sharp is a veteran reporter for AL.com covering the Alabama Gulf Coast, state politics, and key statewide issues. With 25 years in journalism, his work spans business, criminal justice, and cultural...
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