3rd Avenue North: Difference between revisions

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Line 94: Line 94:
** 1116: [[ABC Store]]
** 1116: [[ABC Store]]
** 1124: [[Credit Finance Inc.]]
** 1124: [[Credit Finance Inc.]]
* [[12th Street North]] intersects
* [[12th Street North]] intersects
** 1200: former location of [[Industrial Supplies Inc.]] (1964)
** 1200: former location of [[Industrial Supplies Inc.]] (1964)
Line 101: Line 102:
* former [[St Louis & San Francisco Railroad]] crossing
* former [[St Louis & San Francisco Railroad]] crossing
** 1229: [[Birmingham Urban League]]
** 1229: [[Birmingham Urban League]]
* [[13th Street North]] intersects
* [[13th Street North]] intersects
** 1300: [[Jim Burke Nissan]] service department, former location of [[Davis Oil Co.]] gas station [[Catfish King]]
** 1300: [[Jim Burke Nissan]] service department, former location of [[Davis Oil Co.]] gas station [[Catfish King]]
Line 108: Line 110:
** 1320: former location of [[Third Avenue Motors]] used cars (1964)
** 1320: former location of [[Third Avenue Motors]] used cars (1964)
** 1331: former location of [[Fair Cafe]] (1964)
** 1331: former location of [[Fair Cafe]] (1964)
* [[14th Street North]] intersection
* [[14th Street North]] intersection
** 1400: [[Edwards Chevrolet]] (1944-)
** 1400: [[Edwards Chevrolet]] (1944-)
Line 113: Line 116:
** 1425: former location of [[Baker's Ice Cream Co.]] (1964)
** 1425: former location of [[Baker's Ice Cream Co.]] (1964)
** 1429-1431: former location of [[Canon Tire Co.]] (1964)
** 1429-1431: former location of [[Canon Tire Co.]] (1964)
* [[15th Street North]] intersection
* [[15th Street North]] intersection
** 1500: former location of [[Edwards Chevrolet]] warehouse (1964), [[Nexus]] boutique and head shop
** 1500: former location of [[Edwards Chevrolet]] warehouse (1964), [[Nexus]] boutique and head shop
Line 124: Line 128:
** 1526-1528: former location of [[Modern Sign Co.]] (1964)
** 1526-1528: former location of [[Modern Sign Co.]] (1964)
** 1530: former location of [[Service Insurance Co.]] district office (1964)
** 1530: former location of [[Service Insurance Co.]] district office (1964)
* [[16th Street North]] intersection
* [[16th Street North]] intersection
** North side ([[Block 70]])
** North side ([[Block 70]])
Line 147: Line 152:
*** 1625: former location of [[Birmingham Auto Laundry Co.]] (1929),
*** 1625: former location of [[Birmingham Auto Laundry Co.]] (1929),
*** 1631: former location of [[Bryant Auto Garage]] (1929), [[Hendon & Co.]] auto parking, [[Car Park Inc.]] office, [[Park Inc.]] auto parking (1964)
*** 1631: former location of [[Bryant Auto Garage]] (1929), [[Hendon & Co.]] auto parking, [[Car Park Inc.]] office, [[Park Inc.]] auto parking (1964)
* [[17th Street North]] intersection
* [[17th Street North]] intersection
** North side ([[Block 71]])
** North side ([[Block 71]])
*** 1700-1708: [[Citizens Trust Bank]] former location of [[Panta Corporation]] parking lot (1950), [[Car Park Inc.]] parking lot (1964) former location of [[Birmingham Auditorium]] (built 1890s), [[Bijou Theatre]] (1898-1915), [[Loew's Bijou]]/[[Leow's Vaudeville]] (1917-1925), [[Pantages Theatre]] (1925-1946), and [[Birmingham Theatre]] (1946-1950)
*** 1700-1706: [[Citizens Trust Bank]], former location of [[Birmingham Auditorium]] (built 1890s), [[Bijou Theatre]] (1898-1915), [[Loew's Bijou]]/[[Leow's Vaudeville]] (1917-1925), [[Pantages Theatre]] (1925-1946), and [[Birmingham Theatre]] (1946-1950),
**** 1700:  
*** 1700-1708: former location of [[Panta Corporation]] parking lot (1950), [[Car Park Inc.]] parking lot (1964-)
*** 1710: former location of [[R. F. Cain Furniture]]
*** 1710: former location of [[R. F. Cain Furniture]]
*** 1712: former location of [[Bagley's Gas Appliance]]
*** 1712: former location of [[Bagley's Gas Appliance]]
Line 158: Line 164:
*** 1728-30: [[The Parisian]], former location of [[Calder Furniture]], [[Booker T. Washington Insurance Co. building]]
*** 1728-30: [[The Parisian]], former location of [[Calder Furniture]], [[Booker T. Washington Insurance Co. building]]
** South side ([[Block 88]])
** South side ([[Block 88]])
*** 1701: former location of lunch room
*** 1701: former location of [[State Lunch Room]] (1929)
*** 1703: former location of [[Hotpoint Electric Supplies]]
*** 1703: former location of [[Dixie Clothing Co.]] (1929), [[Hotpoint Electric Supplies]] (1931)
*** 1709: former location of [[Joyce Motorcycle Company]]
*** 1705: former location of [[National Clothing Co.]] (1929)
*** 1711: former location of [[Gluck Hat Cleaning]]
*** 1707: former location of [[Wheeler-Smith Furniture]], [[Hamilton Furniture Co.]], [[Jefferson Furniture Manufacturing Co.]] (1930s)
*** 1713: Check Holders LLC, former location of a music school
*** 1709: former location of [[Gail Joyce Motor Company]] (1918-1939)
*** 1715: [[Chesterfield Company]] / [[E-Z Finance Co.]], former location of a print shop
*** 1711: former location of [[Cable-Burton Piano Company]] (1939)
*** 1717: former location of [[First City Mortgage]]
*** 1713: [[Signature Finance]] and [[Check Holders]], former location of [[Gluck's Hat Cleaning]] (1929-1931)
*** 1715: [[Chesterfield Company]] and [[E-Z Finance Co.]], former location of a print shop
**** 1715B: former location of [[National Cash Register]]
*** 1717: former location of [[Regal Beauty Equipment]], [[First City Mortgage]]
**** 1717½ : former office of physician [[Ulysses Mason]]
**** 1717½ : former office of physician [[Ulysses Mason]]
*** 1721: [[Sonny Boy]]
*** 1721-1723: former location of [[Sokol Brothers Furniture]] (1929), [[Seals Piano Company]] (1931)
*** 1723: former location of [[Regal Beauty Equipment]]
**** 1721: [[Sonny Boy Products]]
*** 1725: former location of [[Seals Piano Company]]
*** 1725: former location of [[New York Hatters]] (1929-1931)
*** 1727: former location of hat cleaners
*** 1727: former location of [[Magic City Loan Co.]] (1929-1931)
*** 1729: former loan office
*** 1731: former location of [[Jimmie's Soda and Cigar]] (1929-1931)
*** 1731: former location of [[Jimmie's Soda and Cigar]]
 
* [[18th Street North]] intersection
* [[18th Street North]] intersection
** North side ([[Block 72]])
** North side ([[Block 72]])
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*** 1819: former [[Loveman's Annex]], now part of [[McWane Science Center]]
*** 1819: former [[Loveman's Annex]], now part of [[McWane Science Center]]
*** 1821-1831: [[McWane Science Center]] (previously [[Loveman's]])
*** 1821-1831: [[McWane Science Center]] (previously [[Loveman's]])
* [[19th Street North]] intersection
* [[19th Street North]] intersection


Revision as of 23:45, 3 March 2015

3rd Avenue North, looking east from 18th Street in October 1972
3rd Avenue North, looking northeast from 21st Street, c. 1911

Third Avenue North is an east-west street running through downtown Birmingham. The westernmost section by that name ends at Center Street, although the road continues further west as 3rd Avenue West. The easternmost section ends at 88th Street, just west of Roebuck Municipal Golf Course.

Third Avenue is continuous from Center Street to Carraway Boulevard (formerly 26th Street North). At that point, it is interrupted by the 2nd Avenue North off-ramp of the Elton B. Stephens Expressway and railroad tracks. The road is one way eastbound from 9th to 26th Street North. There is a short segment of 3rd on the west side of 28th Street North. The next segment curves from 29th Street northward to line up with 31st Street North across Messer Airport Highway.

The avenue does not appear again eastward until Forest Hills Cemetery next to the I-20/I-59 interchange. At this point, Richard Arrington, Jr. Boulevard North (formerly 10th Avenue North), becomes 3rd Avenue. Third then continues northeast with some gaps, notably at Trotwood Park, I-59, and East Lake Park, to 88th Street.

The two-way portion of 3rd Avenue from Center Street to 9th Avenue is five lanes wide. The one-way portion is four lanes from 9th to 14th Street North and three lanes from 14th to between 24th and 25th Street. At this point, the left lane becomes an on-ramp for the Elton B. Stephens Expressway. Throughout the 1970s and most of the 1980s, this on-ramp was the northernmost point to get on the expressway as it did not connect to I-20/I-59 at that time. Third Avenue continues as two lanes under the expressway to Carraway Boulevard. The rest of the road segments east of here are two lanes as well.

History

The initial commercial expansion on 3rd Avenue took place on the south side of the street during the 1880s between 20th and 21st Streets. Third Avenue was also where the first two county courthouses in Birmingham were built (at 21st Street). The courthouse attracted other development to the intersection where it was located, such as the Title Guaranty Building.

Three stores on the north side of the 1800 block (Block 72), modernized in 1961, were damaged in a major fire on the evening of December 17, 1970.

The first section of 3rd Avenue North to be converted from two-way to one-way (eastbound) traffic was from 14th Street North to Red Mountain Expressway. The one-way section was expanded westward to 9th Street North in 1973 by the Alabama Department of Transportation's TOPICS (Traffic Operations Program to Increase Capacity and Safety) program.

Notable locations

For an alphabetical list of locations, see the 3rd Avenue North category.

Smithfield neighborhood

Fountain Heights

Central City

References

  • White, Marjorie Longenecker, ed. (1980) Downtown Birmingham: Architectural and Historical Walking Tour Guide, second edition. Birmingham: Birmingham Historical Society.
  • R.L. Polk & Co. (1919) "R.L. Polk & Co.'s Birmingham City Directory"

External links

3rd Avenue North on Google Maps

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