5th Avenue North: Difference between revisions

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Line 259: Line 259:
** North side
** North side
*** 2300-2322: [[Bankhead Towers]] (built 1926 as the [[Bankhead Hotel]])
*** 2300-2322: [[Bankhead Towers]] (built 1926 as the [[Bankhead Hotel]])
**** 2300: former location of [[Bankhead Drug Co.]] (1941)
**** 2302: former location of [[Birmingham Broadcasting Co.]] / [[WBRC-AM]] (1941)
**** 2304: former location of [[Bankhead Barber Shop]] (1941)
*** 2324: [[Dannon Project]]
*** 2324: [[Dannon Project]]
*** 2320: former location of [[W. C. Vice Undertaking Co.]] (1926)
*** 2320: former location of [[W. C. Vice Undertaking Co.]] (1926)
** South side
** South side
*** 2301: former location of [[China Clipper Restaurant]] (1945)
*** 2301: former location of [[Snow White Laundry]] (1941), [[China Clipper Restaurant]] (1945)
*** 2303: former location of [[Dixie Vacuum Cleaner Service]] (1941)
**** 2303½: former location of [[Fifth Avenue Hotel]] (1941)
*** 2305: [[Jimmie Hale Mission#Jessie's Place|Jessie's Place]]
*** 2305: [[Jimmie Hale Mission#Jessie's Place|Jessie's Place]]
*** 2311: former site of [[Gulas Restaurant and Lounge]]
*** 2309: former location of [[Bankhead Parking Lot]] (1941)
*** 2317-2325: former location of [[Happy John Bollas]] drive-in restaurant (1928-1969)
*** 2311: former site of [[Gulas Restaurant & Lounge]]
**** 2325: former location of [[Hill's Food Stores|Hill Grocery Co.]] (1926)
*** 2319: former location of [[Happy John Bollas]] drive-in restaurant (1928-1969)
*** 2321: former location of [[American District Telegraph Co.]] plant (1941)
*** 2323: former location of [[Pentecostal Church Mission]] (1941)
*** 2325: former location of [[Hill's Food Stores|Hill Grocery Co.]] (1926), [[Myers Electric Co.]] (1941)
*** 2327: former location of [[Themis Cochran]] barber shop (1941)
*** 2329-2331: former location of [[Gregory Aralois]] restaurant (1941)


* [[24th Street North]] intersection
* [[24th Street North]] intersection
** North side:
** North side:
*** 2400-2430: [[Park Place Apartments]] (built 2004), former location of [[Central City Housing Project]] / [[Metropolitan Gardens]] (built 1940, demolished 2002)
*** 2400: former location of [[Birmingham General Hospital]] (1926)
*** 2400: former location of [[Birmingham General Hospital]] (1926)
*** 2412: former location of [[Birmingham General Hospital]] nurses' home (1926)
*** 2412: former location of [[Birmingham General Hospital]] nurses' home (1926)
** South side:
** South side:
*** 2431-2433: Former location of [[Subway Lunch Room]] (1926), [[New Subway Cafe]] (1937)
*** 2401: former location of [[Twenty-Fourth Street Garage]] (1941)
*** 2431-2433: former location of [[Subway Lunch Room]] (1926), [[New Subway Cafe]] (1937), [[Liberty Cafe]] (1941)


* [[25th Street North]] intersection
* [[25th Street North]] intersection
** North side
** North side
*** 2500-2530: [[Park Place Apartments]] (built 2004), former location of [[Central City Housing Project]] / [[Metropolitan Gardens]] (built 1940, demolished 2002)
*** 2500: former location of [[Cash Register Exchange]] (1926)
*** 2500: former location of [[Cash Register Exchange]] (1926)
*** 2502: former location of [[St Clair Hotel]] (1920-1926)
*** 2502: former location of [[St Clair Hotel]] (1920-1926)
Line 283: Line 296:
** South side
** South side
*** 2501: former location of [[Arlington Hotel]] (1926)
*** 2501: former location of [[Arlington Hotel]] (1926)
*** 2423½: former location of [[Tremont Hotel]] (1926)
*** 2523: former location of [[Tremont Barber Shop]] (1941)
*** 2525: former location of [[Cosma Bros.]]<!--or Cosmar Bros.--> restaurant (1926-1928)
**** 2523½: former location of [[Tremont Hotel]] (1926), [[Alamo Hotel]] (1941)
*** 2525: former location of [[Cosmas Bros.]] restaurant (1926-1941)
*** 2531: former location of [[Reliance Hotel]] (1910)
*** 2531: former location of [[Reliance Hotel]] (1910)


Line 292: Line 306:


* [[27th Street North]] intersection
* [[27th Street North]] intersection
** 2729: former location of [[Clear Springs Baptist Church]] (1941)
* [[28th Street North]] intersection
* [[28th Street North]] intersection
* [[28th Street North]] intersection
** 2828: [[S. & S. Tire]], former location of [[Leonard Jemison]] restaurant (1941)
** 2828: [[S. & S. Tire]]
* [[29th Street North]] intersection (south only)
* [[29th Street North]] intersection (south only)
** 2901: [[Floors Inc.]]
** 2901: [[Floors Inc.]]
** 2924: [[Johnny Spradlin Auto Parts]]
** 2924: [[Johnny Spradlin Auto Parts]]
* [[30th Street North]] intersection (north only)
* [[30th Street North]] intersection (north only)
** 3000: [[Saab Tire & Automotive]], former location of [[Acme Oil Co.]] (1926)
** 3000: [[Saab Tire & Automotive]], former location of [[Acme Oil Co.]] (1926), [[Southport Petroleum Co.]] filling station (1941)
** 3001: former location of [[A. & A. Auto Parts]] wreckers (1941)
* [[31st Street North]] intersection
* [[31st Street North]] intersection
** street continues as [[Messer Airport Highway]]
** street continues as [[Messer Airport Highway]]

Revision as of 22:49, 12 February 2018

5th Avenue North is an east-west downtown street in Birmingham's northside. It ends at a drainage headwall for Valley Creek at 7th Street North to the west and becomes Messer Airport Highway to the east as it crosses below the Elton B. Stephens Expressway and the Norfolk Southern Railroad.

The eastern end of 5th Avenue North downtown was once the principal entranceway into Birmingham by rail, as it was the site of the Birmingham Terminal Station. Many of Birmingham's early hotels were constructed along 5th Avenue heading west toward 20th street from the station.

The intersection of 5th Avenue North with 24th Street North is close to the geographical center of Birmingham. A large storm culvert extends from downtown to I-65 below 5th Avenue North.

There is a short, block-long strip of 5th Avenue North adjacent to Forest Hill Cemetery in Woodlawn and another dead-end section between Trotwood Park and I-59. A longer section of 5th Avenue North is located in East Lake between 73rd and 90th Streets. An unconnected short dead-end section can also be accessed by 91st Street North near Zion Memorial Gardens.

History

In 1945 electric lighting was installed on 5th Avenue North between Center Street and 19th street under the city's contract with the Birmingham Electric Company.

In October 1958 5th Avenue North was converted into a four-lane thoroughfare by eliminating on-street parking from Bush Boulevard in the west to 41st Street in Avondale. The move was expected to increase the street's traffic-carrying capacity by 30 percent and was part of a traffic plan by which 1st and 5th Avenues would serve as cross-town thoroughfares while 2nd, 3rd and 4th would serve for bus traffic and as connectors to the downtown business district. The installation of new coordinated traffic signals and the removal of obsolete streetcar wires was part of the conversion.

5th Avenue North was converted from two-way to one-way (eastbound) traffic was from 9th Street North to Red Mountain Expressway in 1973 by the Alabama Department of Transportation's TOPICS (Traffic Operations Program to Increase Capacity and Safety) program.

Notable locations

Fountain Heights neighborhood

Central City neighborhood

Jane Speed's Book Store at 1907 5th Avenue North, 1937-1940

.

Woodlawn neighborhood

North East Lake neighborhood

References

  • "Fun facts, historical tidbits and tips to find your way around Birmingham from traffic engineer John Garrett." (January 2, 2007) Birmingham News
  • "Fifth Avenue Becomes Through-Street" (October __, 1958) Birmingham News
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