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[[Image:Morris Avenue 2005.jpg|right|thumb|275px|Morris Avenue in June 2005]]
[[Image:Morris Avenue 2005.jpg|right|thumb|375px|Morris Avenue in June 2005]]
'''Morris Avenue''' is a narrow avenue between [[1st Avenue North]] and the [[Railroad Reservation]]. Because of its adjacency to railroad depots and services, it rapidly developed into an early commercial and warehouse district in [[Birmingham]]'s early days. The avenue is named for [[Josiah Morris]], a banker and one of the initial shareholders in the [[Elyton Land Company]] who proposed the name "Birmingham" for the new city.
'''Morris Avenue''' is a narrow, [[east-west avenue]] between [[1st Avenue North]] and the [[Railroad Reservation]]. Because of its adjacency to railroad depots and services, it rapidly developed into an early commercial and warehouse district in [[Birmingham]]'s early days. The avenue is named for [[Josiah Morris]], a banker and one of the initial shareholders in the [[Elyton Land Company]].


Sections of Morris Avenue can be found between [[Center Street]] and [[2nd Street North]] in [[Elyton]], and for a short distance west of [[41st Street North]] and between [[42nd Street North|42nd]] and [[45th Street North|45th Street]]s in [[Avondale]]. The main section, however, is downtown, between [[14th Street North|14th]] and [[25th Street North|25th Street]]s. Of that section, the area east of [[21st Street]] is the best-preserved late Victorian district in the city.
Sections of Morris Avenue can be found between [[Center Street]] and [[2nd Street North]] in [[Elyton]], and for a short distance west of [[41st Street North]] and between [[42nd Street North|42nd]] and [[45th Street North|45th Street]]s in [[Avondale]]. The main section, however, is downtown, between [[14th Street North|14th]] and [[25th Street North|25th Street]]s. Of that section, the area east of [[21st Street]] is the best-preserved late Victorian district in the city. The [[Jefferson County Historical Commission]] dedicated a historical marker with information about Josiah Morris on [[June 19]], [[1976]].


==Downtown section==
==Downtown section==
[[Image:Morris Avenue 1911.jpg|right|thumb|275px|Morris Avenue, c. 1911]]
[[Image:Morris Avenue 1911.jpg|right|thumb|325px|Morris Avenue, c. 1911]]
By the late 1880s Morris Avenue was lined with three and four-story brick warehouses from [[21st Street North|21st]] to [[25th Street North|25 Street]]s.
By the late 1880s Morris Avenue was lined with three and four-story brick warehouses from [[21st Street North|21st]] to [[25th Street North|25th Street]]s.
 
The [[Louisville & Nashville Railroad]] claimed ownership of the section of Morris Avenue between [[14th Street North|14th]] and [[18th Street North|18th]] Streets, which had been used as a produce market and later for automobile parking. In [[1969]] the railroad blocked off the area to traffic, erecting makeshift barriers and signs saying "No admittance, private property". [[Leon Aland]] of the [[New Ideal]] department store led legal efforts to keep the street open to public use.


===Entertainment district===
===Entertainment district===
{{main|Old Town Downtown}}
{{main|Old Town Uptown}}
In [[1965]] the concept of making the downtown section of Morris Avenue into a protected historic district was presented as one of the recommendations of the "[[Design for Progress]]" created by Harland Bartholemew & Associates of Atlanta along with the [[Birmingham League of Architects]].  
[[Image:Morris Avenue by Bob Moody.png|left|thumb|325px|Rendering for "Old Town Uptown" by [[Bob Moody]]]]
In the mid 1960s the quaintness of the street, "another world" from the modern city, inspired a [http://www.birminghamrewound.com/features/MorrisAve%20%2807-66%29.jpg|photo feature] in ''[[The Birmingham News]]'' which concluded with "you might be in New Orleans". At the time the avenue was much quieter than it had been in its heyday, with peeling paint and rusting door hardware to attract the photographer's eye, but it was far from empty, still housing numerous produce warehouses and food brokerages, and at least one nightclub.


The district was created in [[1972]] by the [[Jefferson County Historical Commission]] and on [[April 24]], [[1973]] the downtown section of Morris Avenue and [[1st Avenue North]], between 21st and [[24th Street North|24th Street]]s, became the first site in Birmingham to be placed on the National Register of Historic Places. Granite cobblestone pavers were re-laid and gas light fixtures replaced along the sidewalks to impart a historical feeling. The area was promoted by the city as an entertainment district.
In the late 1960s, designer [[Bob Moody]] became interested in redeveloping Morris Avenue as a historically-themed entertainment and shopping district, similar to Gaslight Square in St Louis, Missouri or the newly-opened Underground Atlanta. With his watercolor sketches and the backing of several other downtown promoters, he interested property owners in the area in the concept. A [[Gas Lite Club]] on the 2000 block offered live entertainment in the early 1960s.


Nigel Harlan, a Chicago steel executive, was lured into a robbery/murder while unwinding at the [[Sho-Boat Lounge]] on [[August 18]], [[1977]]. His body was found in [[Shelby County]] three weeks later. A Florida couple was later arrested and charged with the killing. The sensational nature of the crime imperiled the viability of the fledgling entertainment district.
Over the next few years the City of [[Birmingham]] and the [[Alabama Legislature]] contributed support to the venture. It was designated as the state's first historic district and streetscaped with cobblestones and gas lighting. By the Fall of [[1972]] the first new businesses, such as [[Diamond Jim's]], [[Oaks Street]], [[Victoria Station]], and the [[Show-Boat Lounge]] began opening, attracting both locals and tourists at lunchtime and on evenings and weekends.


==Later development==
Old Town Uptown, while popular, proved vulnerable to mismanagement and bad word-of mouth. A few businesses turned over after their initial investments were tapped out. When a visiting businessman was lured from the Show-Boat Lounge and later found dead in August [[1977]], the district's reputation took a major hit. The sensational crime has been blamed for crippling the viability of the fledgling entertainment district.
A large [[Birmingham Parking Authority Lot A|parking lot]], accentuated with lighting, benches and planting islands, was installed on the south side of the avenue in [[1988]].


===Loft district===
A few clubs, like [[Cobblestone]] and the [[Old Town Music Hall]] continued to draw late-night crowds into the 1980s.
 
===Later development===
{{main|Loft District}}
{{main|Loft District}}
In the 1990s the area was at the center of the first residential loft development downtown. Professional offices started moving in by the middle of the decade and the district has evolved into a tight-knit mixed use neighborhood. In [[1994]] [[On the Avenue]] moved from [[3rd Avenue North]] to the former [[Gatsby's]] location and [[Larry Levine]] opened [[Larry's Place]] in the train cars that currently house [[Zen]].
Over the next decades, the street's historic buildings were renovated, one-by-one, as professional offices and loft residences.
 
A large [[Birmingham Parking Authority Lot A|parking lot]], accentuated with lighting, benches and planting islands, was installed on the south side of the avenue in [[1988]], supporting the new businesses moving in.
 
By the 1990s the area was at the center of the first residential loft development downtown and the district has evolved into a tightly-knit mixed use neighborhood. In [[1994]] jazz club [[On the Avenue]] moved from [[4th Avenue North]] to the former [[Gatsby's]] location and [[Larry Levine]] opened [[Larry's Place]] in the train cars that most recently housed [[Zen]].


A new $4.5 million parking deck was built in the late 1990s as the city's contribution to the renovation of the [[John A. Hand Building]] for the headquarters of [[The Bank|The Bank of Birmingham]]. A wide pre-cast concrete arch bridges over Morris Avenue on the east side of 20th Street to connect the building to the parking deck. Morris is also bridged by the [[21st Street viaduct|21st]], [[22nd Street viaduct|22nd]] and [[24th Street viaduct]]s.  
A new $4.5 million parking deck was built in the late 1990s as the city's contribution to the renovation of the [[John A. Hand Building]] for the headquarters of [[The Bank|The Bank of Birmingham]]. A wide pre-cast concrete arch bridges over Morris Avenue on the east side of 20th Street to connect the building to the parking deck. Morris is also bridged by the [[21st Street viaduct|21st]], [[22nd Street viaduct|22nd]] and [[24th Street viaduct]]s.  


[[James A. Taylor]] placed a vintage red London telephone box at the northeast corner of the intersection. The relic was heavily damaged on [[April 26]], [[2006]] and subsequently hauled away.
During The Bank's tenure, owner [[Jimmy Taylor]] placed a vintage red London telephone box at the northeast corner of the intersection. The relic was heavily damaged on [[April 26]], [[2006]] and subsequently hauled away.


==Notable locations==
==Notable locations==
{{Alphabetical locations}}
{{Alphabetical locations}}
===Center Street to 2nd Street===
* 111: former location of [[William Fairley residence]] and [[Fairley Confectionary]] (1964-1970)
* 121-125: [[Broad Street Missionary Baptist Church]] (1914-)
* 127: former location of [[Robert Marcus residence]] and [[Marcus Beauty Shop]] (1964-1970)
* 224: apartment building (1970)
===1400 block===
* 1400: former location of [[Magic City Hotel]] (built 1888)
===1600 block===
* Between 16th & 17th Street, former location of [[Klausman Brewing Company]] (1889)


===1700 block===
===1700 block===
* North side
** 1722: former location of [[Alex Kontos Fruit Co.]] (1925)
* South side
* South side
** 1735: [[Birmingham Central Station]] (former location of [[Banana Warehouse]])
** 1703: former location of [[Adams Brothers Produce Co.]] (1941-1964)
** 1725: former location of [[Alex Kontos Fruit Co.]] (1941-1970)
** 1729-1731: former site of [[Meyer-Marx Co.]] wholesale wine, liquor and cigars
** 1735: [[Birmingham Intermodal Facility]] (2017-), former location of [[Birmingham Central Station]] (1996-2015), [[Banana Warehouse]]


===1800 block===
===1800 block===
* South side
* north side ([[Block 108B]]):
** 1812–1820: [[Birmingham National Garage]] (built 1928)
** 1820-1822: former site of [[Gray & Dudley Hardware]]
** 1824–1830: [[Jemison Flats]], built as [[Lincoln Life Building]] (1909)
 
* south side ([[Block 108G]]):
** 1809: [[S. J. Bennett Professional Building]]
** 1809: [[S. J. Bennett Professional Building]]
** 1819: [[Birmingham Amtrak Station]]
** 1819-1825: former location of [[Birmingham Amtrak Station]] (-2015), [[Louisville & Nashville Railroad Co.]] offices and passenger station (1964-1970)


===1900 block===
===1900 block===
[[File:Spider Martin BFSB 1962.jpg|right|thumb|375px|The Bank for Savings Building at 1919 Morris Avenue in 1962]]
* North side
** 1906: former location of [[J. G. Housmann]] (1896)
** 1908: former location of [[James A. Allen & Co.]] / [[Allen, Scott & Sherrard]] (-1885), [[Allen, Scott & Co.]] (1885-) wholesale grocers, [[Parker Products Co.]] (1941)
*** 1908B: former location of [[W. L. Brown]] bootblack (1946)
** 1910: former location of [[H. W. Perry & Co.]] (1896), [[Farmer Printing Co.]] / [[Young & Seldon]] stationers (1941) [[Woodward Billiard Supply Co.]] (1964)
** 1912: former location of [[Southern Express Co.]] (1896), [[Harry's Cafe]] (1938-1941), [[Nichol's Grill]] (1964)
** 1912½: former location of [[W. H. Nevins]] (1896), [[Queen Feature Service Inc.]] theater equipment & film service (1925-1964)
** 1914: former location of [[Kansas City, Memphis & Birmingham Railroad]] freight & passenger offices (1896)
** 1916½: former location of [[Alabama Great Southern Railroad]] general offices (1896), [[Armstrong-Smith Co.]] dental laboratory and [[Southern Testing Laboratories]] (1941-1964)
** 1918-1920: former location of [[Tennessee Coal, Iron & Railroad Co.]] general offices (1896)
*** 1918: former location of [[George E. Lum Machine & Supply Co.]], [[Otis Elevator Company]] (1925), [[Western Union]] storeroom (1941), [[Jesse's Place]] restaurant & beer bar (1964-late 1960s), [[Car Park Inc.]] (1970)
*** 1920: former location of [[Harris Transfer and Warehouse Co.]] (1908), [[S. D. Winn Cigar Co.]] (1925)
** 1922: former location of [[S. Wise & Co.]] (1896)
*** 1922½:  former location of [[Metropolitan Hotel]] (1896), [[Union Station Hotel]] (1941)
* South side
* South side
** 1901-1935: former site of [[Linn's Park]]
** 1901-1919: former site of [[Linn's Park]]
** 1929: [[Two North Twentieth]] (formerly the Bank for Savings Building. Former site of the [[L & N Station]], and prior to that, of the [[Relay House]] hotel)
*** 1901: former location of [[L & N]] freight office (1941)
*** 1903: former location of [[Southern Express Co.]] (1896)
*** 1907½: former location of [[L & N Railroad]] office (1896)
** 1909-1927: [[Two North Twentieth]] (built [[1962]] as the Bank for Savings Building)
*** 1909½: former location of [[Brown Shoe Co.]] (1896)
*** 1913: former location of [[Johnson's Barber Shop]] (1964-1970)
*** 1915: former location of [[Wayne's Beauty Salon]] (1964-1970)
*** 1917: former location of [[Union Depot]] dining rooms (1896), [[Union News Co.]] restaurant (1941), [[Zoe's Candies]] (1964), [[Roundtable Snack Bar]] (1970)
*** 1919-1927: former location of [[Relay House]] hotel (1871-1886), [[Union Station|Union Passenger Station]]/[[L & N Station]] (1887-1960)


===2000 block===
===2000 block===
* North side
* north side:
** [[2014 Morris Avenue|2014]]: [[Morris Avenue Eye Care]], originally a hardware store
** 2000: former location of [[Elyton Land Company]] building, [[Hobson Cafe]], [[P & K Cafe]], [[Borders' Hotel]]
** 2016: The [[Peanut Depot]], originally the [[Caldwell Printing Works]]
** 2002: former location of [[Exchange Hotel]] (1941)
** [[2018 Morris Avenue|2018]]: [[Arendall & Associates]] attorneys, formerly a grocery warehouse and a drive-through for [[MetroBank]]
** 2006: former location of [[Peanut Depot|Birmingham Peanut Depot]] (1907-1941)
** 2024-2026: [[Re-Print Corporation]], formerly a grocery and produce store
** 2008-2010: former location of [[Frank's Ice Cream Service]] (1941), [[First National Bank of Birmingham]] drive-in teller (1964-1970)
* South side
** 2008½: former location of [[E. L. Higdon Brokerage Co.]]
** 2001: [[John A. Hand Building]] parking deck, former site of the [[Elyton Land Company]] building
** 2012: former location of [[Ben M. Jacobs & Bros]] (1896)
** 2015: [[Lacke Building]]
*** 2012 rear: former location of [[James A. Head & Co.]] (1964)
** 2017: [[Kinetic Communications]], originally [[C. S. Simmons]] produce company, later the [[Douglass Building]], and [[Diamond Jim's]]
** [[2014 Morris Avenue|2014]]: [[Founders Station]] (built 1888 as the [[McAdory Building]]), [[Bar La Fete|Bar La Fête]] (2023–), former location of [[May & Thomas Hardware Co.]] (1896), [[Morris Avenue Eye Care]], [[Woolley Law Firm]], [[The Essential]] (–2023)
** 2019-21: formerly [[Higdon and McCrary]] produce company, later part of [[Diamond Jim's]]
** 2016: [[Alabama Peanut Co.]] (2018-), former location of the [[Caldwell Printing Works]] (1881-1887), [[Wallis Tobacco Co.]] (1896), [[Louis Darring Beverage Co.]] / [[American Oil Co.]] (1941), [[Peanut Depot]] (1940s-2016), [[Peanut Place]] (2016-2018)
** 2023-25: [[Club Zen]]. Originally the [[McLester and Van Hoose]] produce company, later [[Victoria Station]], [[Larry's Place]], and [[The Station]].
** [[2018 Morris Avenue|2018]]: [[Arendall & Associates]] attorneys, former location of [[S. Norwood]] / [[F. D. Young]] / [[C. A. Tyson]] (1896),  [[C. F. Bell & Company]] wholesale produce, the [[Wimberly & Thomas Hardware Co.]], [[T. M. Booth & Son]] jobbers (1925), [[Thomas O. Melton]] wholesale products (1941), [[Mazer's]] office & store equipment (1964-1970), and a drive-through for [[MetroBank]]
** 2020-2022: former location of [[Giacopazzi & Co.]] (1896)
*** 2020: former location of [[Louis Papageorge]] (1907), [[Alabama Produce Co.]] wholesale (1941)
*** 2022: former location of [[W. H. Jones & Co.]] (1896), [[Derzis & Pappageorge Fruit Company]] (1925)
** 2024-2026: former location of a grocery and produce store, [[Re-Print Corporation]]
*** 2024: [[Heidi Elnora Atelier]] (2016–), former location of [[L. A. Townley]] (1896), [[Dixie Coffee Co.]] wholesale (1940-1941),
*** 2026: former location of [[Shaver & Co.]] (1896), [[Honeycreeper Chocolate]] / [[Basic]] clothing (2018-2021)
** 2028-2030: former location of [[Collins & Co.]] wholesale grocers (1896), [[Star Provision Co.]] meat packers (1940-1941)
*** 2030: former location of [[F. F. Norton & Son]] wholesale produce (1925)
** 2032: former location [[Birmingham Department of Streets & Sanitation]] warehouse (1964)
** 2036: former location of [[Star Provision Company]] with offices of Dr [[Byron Dosier]] upstairs
 
* south side:
[[File:1923 Gilmore-Lee ad.png|right|thumb|225px|1923 ad for the [[Gilmore-Lee Produce Co.]].]]
** 2001-2011: [[John A. Hand Building]] parking deck, former location of [[Armour Packing Co.]] (1896), [[Viaduct Parking Lot]] (built 1966)
*** 2009: former location of [[U.S. Rubber Co.]] (1941)
*** 2011: former location of [[Gilmore-Lee Produce Co.]] (1923)
** 2013: former location of [[D. R. Copeland & Co.]] (1896), [[Derzis & Pappageorge Fruit Company]] (1920s–1930s)
** 2015: former location of [[C. J. McCary & Co.]] real estate (1887), [[H. M. Dozier]] grocer, produce & commission merchant (1902)
*** 2015½: former location of [[J. J. Judge]] dancing hall (1896)
** 2017-2021: [[Douglass Building]] (built c. 1904)  [[Douglass Produce Co.]] (1904-1970), [[Diamond Jim's]] (1974-late 1970s), [[Saturday's]] lounge, [[Kinetic Communications]] (1995-2013), and the [[Hogan Law Office]]
*** 2017-2019: former location of [[B. B. Hudson Co.]] (1896)
**** 2017: former location of  [[C. S. Simmons]] produce company (1887)
*** 2019-2021: former location of [[Higdon & McCary]] produce company (1887), [[J. H. McCary Co.]] produce (1896), [[Aunt Polly's Kitchen]], and part of [[Diamond Jim's]] (1974-late 1970s)
** 2021-2023: former location of [[Marshall, Jordan & Keith, Inc.]] wholesale fruit & produce (1925)
*** 2021: [[Lacké Building]] (built c. 1904), former location of [[Royster & Brunaugh]] (1887), [[Ridout's Brown-Service]] funeral parlor, [[James A. Head & Co.]] warehouse (1964-1970)
** 2023-2025: [[Kinetic Communications]] former location of [[McLester & Van Hoose]] produce company (1885-1887), later [[Evansville Packing Company]], [[Birmingham Roofing Co.]], [[Victoria Station]] (1975-1980s), [[Maxwell's on Morris]] (November 1987-), [[Larry's Place]] (1994), [[The Station]] (1997-2002, 2004-2008), and [[Zen]] (2008-2010)
*** 2023: former location of [[F. F. Norton]] (1896), [[McCain Brokerage Co.]] (1941), [[Birmingham Department of Streets & Sanitation]] warehouse (1970)
*** 2025: former location of [[May & Thomas Hardware Co.]] (1896), [[Cornelius & Company]] merchandise brokers (1925), [[Birmingham Roofing Co.]] (1941)
** 2025-2027: former location of [[Williams & Marks]] (1896)
*** 2027: former location of [[W. L. Murdock]] (1896), [[Hulsey Brokerage Co.]] / [[Hardin Brokerage Co.]] / [[Morton Salt Co.]] (1941)
** 2029-2031: former location of [[McLester & Van Hoose]] (1896)
*** 2029: former location of [[Wholesale Distributing Co.]] merchandise brokers (1941)
*** 2031: former location of [[Lee Produce Co.]] wholesale fruit & produce (1941)


===2100 block===
===2100 block===
* North side
* north side:
** 2120: formerly [[Crazy Horse]]
** 2100-2106: [[Collins Building]], former location of "scattered lumber & building materials" (1891), [[Collins Produce Co.]] (1923)
** 2124-6: [[Hendon & Huckestein Architects]], originally a printing and grocery business, later the [[Town Hall (bar)|Town Hall]] and [[Fire House (cabaret)|Fire House]] bar and cabaret.
*** 2100: [[The Well Salon]] ([[Josh Bodiford]] 2023–), former location of [[C. M. McMahen]] wholesale grocer, [[Birmingham Packing Co.]] beef & pork packers (1925), [[First National Bank of Birmingham]] warehouse (1970)
* South side
*** 2102: former location of [[Kington & Co.]] packers (1929-1937)
** 2123: formerly [[W. M. Cosby Wholesale Flour and Feed]] warehouse
*** 2104: former location of [[Western Union]] telegraph office / [[Harrison Produce Co.]] (1929-1937)
** [[2125 Morris Avenue|2125]]: [[Najjar Denaburg, P.C.]], attorneys, Originally the [[Slaton, McGlathery and Bruwell]] warehouse, later warehouses used by several companies <!-- [[O. M. Davis Wholesale Grocery Company]], [[Western Grain]], [[Yielding's Brothers]], [[Hunter's Furniture]]-->, redeveloped as [[Oaks Street]]
** 2110-2112: former location of [[Huston Biscuit Co.]] (1896)
*** 2110: former location of [[Morris Avenue Machine Co.]] (1891), [[Standard Fish Co.]] (1925-1941)
*** 2112: [[Illustrious Tresses]] ([[Whitney Chanel]] 2023–), former location of [[Repsy]]
** 2112-2116: former location of [[J. W. Tinklepaugh]] (1896), [[Simonetti Bros. Produce Co.]] wholesale groceries (1941)
*** 2114: former location of [[Celery-Cola|J. C. Mayfield Manufacturing Company]] (1899-1901), [[Celery-Cola|Celery-Cola Company]] (1905-1910), [[J. O. Taylor]] wholesale produce (1914), [[Copeland Produce Co.]] (1929-1937), [[US Army Reserve Corps]] (1964-1970)
*** 2116: former location of [[Jersey Cream Bottling Co.]] (1909), [[George Lanza & Son]] produce (1929-1937)
** 2118: former location of [[Birmingham Tobacco & Produce Co.]] (1929-1937)
** 2120-2122: former location of [[The Gas-Lite]] (1960), [[Spiro's Gaslight Club]] (1964), [[Bob Cain's Club]] (1964-), [[Crazy Horse|The Crazy Horse]] (late 1960s-1973), [[The Gaslite]] (1973–), [[Dillinger's]] (1978), [[The Cobblestone]] (late 1970s)
*** 2120: former location of [[Tasty Lunch Cafe]] / [[H. Simmons]] fruits (1929-1937), [[Chris Cafe]] (1941),
*** 2122: former location of [[D. H. Markstein & Co.]] soft drinks (1908-1909), [[Blackmon Produce Co.]] (1925-1937), [[Alabama Home Furniture Co.]] warehouse (1964)
** 2124-2126: [[Engel Building]], former location of [[Alabama Showcase Works]] (1929-1937), [[United Food Inc.]] warehouse (1970), [[Town Hall (bar)|Town Hall]] bar, [[Fire House (cabaret)|Fire House]] cabaret bar, [[Old Town Music Hall]] (1980s), [[Hendon & Huckestein Architects]]
**** 2124: former location of [[Commercial Printing Co.]] (1908–1914), [[Independent Produce Co.]] (1941)
** 2128-2130: former location of [[Sam Spina Importing Co.]] (1929-1937), [[Jack Hurley Produce Co.]] wholesale (1941)
*** 2128: former location of [[Dixie Produce Co.]] (1925)
*** 2130: former location of [[United Foods Inc.]] wholesale grocer (1964)
 
* south side:
** 2101-2103: former location of [[Simmons, Durham & Co.]] (1896), [[Collins & Co.]] wholesale grocers (1908), [[Independence Produce Co.]] (1929-1937), [[Viaduct Parking Lot]] (built 1966)
*** 2101: former location of [[Independent Produce Co.]] (1925)
** 2105-2111: [[Row5]] townhouses (built 2017), former location of [[Swift & Co.]] packers (1929-1937), [[Faulkner Packing Co.]] (1941)
*** 2105-2107: former location of [[McMillan-Lee Co.]] (1896)
*** 2109-2111: former location of [[O. E. Kenimer Grocery Co.]] (1908)
**** 2111: former location of [[Tyler Grocery Co.]]
** 2113-2119: former location of [[Dispatch Printing Co.|Dispatch Stationery Co.]] (1896), [[Dispatch Printing Co.]] (1899-1941)
*** 2113-2115: former location of [[Southern Grain & Feed Co.]] (1891), [[W. M. Cosby]] (1896), [[E. C. Adams & Co.]] (1939), [[Davis Brokerage Co.]] (1941)
**** 2113: former location of [[Alabama Brokers & Commerce]] (1929-1937)
**** 2115: former location of [[Hamilton & Clark]] (1887), [[Edwin Paper Co.]] (1929-1937)
*** 2117-2119: former location of [[A. J. Allred & Co.]] merchandise brokers (1941)
**** 2117: former location of [[J. D. Moore & Son]] / [[Mills Steel]] (1929-1937)
**** 2119: former location of [[B. M. Brasfield]] wholesale groceries (1929-1937)
** 2121-2129: former location of [[Slaton, McGlathery & Burwell]] (1887-1888)
*** 2121: former location of [[McKinney & Co.]] (1887), [[H. M. Beck]] / [[Herring & Abernathy]] (1896), [[Heard & Co.]] wholesale groceries (1901), [[J. Boggan & Son]] (1929-1937), [[John D. Monroe & Son]] / [[Oliver Steele]] / [[Smith Brokerage Co.]] (1941), [[Hunter Furniture Co.]] warehouse (1970)
*** 2123-2127: former location of grain & wagon storage (1891)
**** 2123-2125: former location of [[V. B. & W. G. Davis Brokerage Co.]] (1929-1937)
***** 2123: former location of [[W. M. Cosby]] mercantile warehouse, [[Walter Mackin]] flour broker (1941), [[O. M. Davis Grocery]] wholesale (1970)
**** [[2125 Morris Avenue|2125]]: [[Najjar Denaburg, P.C.]], attorneys. Originally the [[Slaton, McGlathery & Burwell]] warehouse, [[Western Grain]] warehouse, [[Ira A. Watson & Co.]] warehouse, redeveloped as [[Oaks Street]], later [[Charlie's]]
*** 2127: former location of warehouse broker (1891), [[Hemphill, Welsh & Co.]] (1896), [[Yielding Bros.]] wholesale groceries (1929-1937)
** 2129-2131: former location of wagons, carriages & stores (1891), [[Bass, Ellis & Co.]] (1896), [[Evansville Packing Co.]] (1930s-1941), [[Independent Fish Co.]] (1964)


===2200 block===
===2200 block===
* North side
* north side ([[Block 107B]]):
** 2208: [[Matthew's Bar & Grill]]
** 2200: former location of produce / [[Turner's Trunk Factory]] (1891), [[D. R. Copeland & Co.]] (1896), [[American Salad Dressing Co.]] (1941)
* South side
** 2202: former location of [[Robertson Grocery Co.]] wholesale grocers, [[Cash Produce Co.]] wholesale (1941)
** 2201: [[Adams Design Associates]], architects
** 2204: former location of [[Central Paper Co.]] wholesale (1941), [[Hood-McPherson Furniture Co.]] warehouse (1970)
** 2213: [[Nimrod Long & Associates]], landscape architects
** 2206: former location of [[Independent Fish Co.]] wholesale (1941)
** 2229: former location of [[Freada's Five O'Clock Club]]
** 2208: former location of [[Matthew's Bar & Grill]] (2007-2016) and [[1776 A.D.]] restaurant and bar (1976)
** 2212: former location of [[J. B. Bryson]] / [[Harry Park]] real estate (1970)
** 2214: former location of [[ABC Store No. 11]] rear (1941), [[Myers Grocery Co.]] wholesale grocers (1964-1970)
** 2216: former location of [[R. Leaf & Co.]] wholesale grocer (1941)
** 2218: former branch location of [[Alabama Packing Company]] "Pansy" brand beef & pork packers (1925-1941)
** 2220-2222: former location of [[Amaro & Bennett Furniture Co.]] warehouse (1964-1970)
*** 2220: former location of [[Phillips-Hendon Co.]] work clothes (1908), [[Buzzanca Grocery Co.]] (1941)
** 2224: former location of [[Angelo Bell]] restaurant (1928)
** 2226-2230: former location of [[Wilson & Co.]] wholesale meats (1941), [[Gatsby's]] (1970s-1980s), [[Great Gatsby's]], [[1776 (nightclub)|1776]], [[On The Avenue]] (1994-)
*** 2226: former location of [[Birmingham Saw Works]] (1891-1908)
*** 2228-2230:
* south side:
** 2201-2207: former location of [[Sam Spina Importing Co.]] (1941-1959)
*** 2201-2203: former location of [[A. N. Edwards Grist Mill]] (1891), [[Moore & Hutton]] (1896),
**** 2201:  [[Adams Design Associates]], architects, former location of [[Chas. A. Jones Flour & Grain Co.]] (1923),  [[United Food Inc.]] wholesale grocery (1970)
***** 2201½: former location of [[S. C. Johnston & Co.]] brokers (1925)
*** 2203-2205: former location of coal yard (1891)
**** 2205: [[Barrister Hall]] (built early 1980s), [[American Thermal Systems]] (2022–), former site of [[Goodlander Milling Co.]]
*** 2205-2207: former location of [[Johnson & Yancey]] (1896)
**** 2207: former location of [[H. W. Eggler]] bottle dealer (1909)
** 2209-2211: former location of builders materials (1891), [[H. H. Huffstutler]] wholesale grocer and [[J. O. Taylor Grocery Company]], [[Davis Produce & Grocery Co.]] (1941), [[Williams Seafood & Poultry]] (1970)
*** 2209: [[Zarzaur & Schwartz]] law firm, former location of [[Falls, Barkhau & Co.]] (1887), [[The Daingerfield-Walter Co.]] (1896)
*** 2211: former location of [[Mayberry & Watson Co.]] warehouse (1896)
** 2213-2215: [[Wilson Building]], former location of [[Wiggs & Bacon]] mining equipment (1887), flour & feed (1891), [[Birmingham Grain Co.]] (1896), [[Taylor-Wheeler Grocery Co.]] (1931), [[Wilson-Brown Co.]] wholesale grocer (1941), [[Wilson & Sons]] wholesale grocer (1964), [[Wilson & Sons]] wholesale grocery (1970), [[Nimrod Long & Associates]] landscape architects / [[Renneker Tichansky Architects]] / [[Renneker & Co.]] / [[James H. Haggard]] / [[Hatcher Schuster Interiors]] / [[Alabama Policy Institute]]
*** 2215: former location of [[Hamilton & Clark]] brokers and commission agents (1887)
** 2217-2219: former location of [[Molay Bros.]] wholesale grocery (1941)
*** 2217: former location of [[LeMore & Blanchin]] lumber (1887), [[J. F. Baldwin]] building materials (1891-1925), [[Wilmar Supply Co.]] warehouse (1970)
*** 2219: former location of flour & feed (1891), [[May & Thomas Hardware Co.]] warehouse (1896)
** 2221-2223: former location of flour & feed (1891), [[W. S. Brown]] warehouse (1896)
*** 2221: former location of [[Lee Brown Brokerage Co.]] (1941)
*** 2223: former location of [[Cash Produce Co.]] wholesale grocer (1964)
** 2225-2231: former location of scrap iron yards (1891), [[Pankey Brokerage Co.]] wholesale grocer (1925-1941)
*** 2225: former location of [[Birmingham Grain & Milling Co.]] (1893-), [[George F. Wheelock Co.]] warehouse (1970)
*** 2227-2231: former location of [[Ivy Leaf Coal Yard]] (1896)
**** 2229: former location of [[Locasio Salvage Co.]] warehouse (1964), [[Saint George Thrift Store]] / [[House of Portraits]] photography studio / [[Security Safety Systems]] (1970), [[Freada's Five O'Clock Club]], [[Show-Boat Lounge]] (-1982)


===2300 block===
===2300 block===
* South side
[[File:Buckeye Feed & Grain Co.jpg|right|thumb|350px|Buckeye Feed & Grain Co. at 2315-2331 Morris Avenue. Photo by O. V. Hunt]]
** 2301: [[Liberty House]], [[Morris Avenue Legal Center]]
* north side:
** 2300-2310: [[Liberty House]], former location of [[G. L. Anderson]] (1896)
*** 2300: former location of blacksmith shop (1891)
*** 2304: former location of [[Caroline W's]]
** 2324: former location of blacksmith shop (1891)
** 2330: former location of carpenter's shop (1891)
* south side ([[Block 107H]]):
** 2301-2315: former location of [[Swansea Coal & Mining Co.]] (1896)
*** 2301-2303: former location of [[Standard Provision Co.]] wholesale meats (1939–1939), [[Alabama Mercantile Co.]] warehouse (1964)
**** 2301: [[Morris Avenue Legal Center]] / [[Adam Porter]] attorney,
*** 2305-2307: former location of [[Associated Grocers of Alabama]] wholesale (1939–1949), [[American Transfer Co.]] storage (1957)
*** 2309-2311: former location of warehouse and mattress factory (1891), [[City Wholesale Grocery Co.]] (1939–1949), [[Atlas Chemical & Janitor Supplies]] (1957), [[Tip Top Freight & Warehouse Co.]] (1957–1964), [[Standard Sales]] warehouse (1970)
**** 2309: [[Bham Now]] (January 2021-)
*** 2313-2315: former location of [[Burchwell Supply Co.]] warehouse (1957), [[Alabama Candy Co.]]
**** 2313: former location of [[P. P. Baker & Sons]] flour and mill feed (1925), [[Hoggs Brokerage Co.]] merchandise (1939), [[General Chemical Division]] (1949)
** 2315-2331: former location of [[Buckeye Feed & Grain Co.]] wholesale (1941–1949), [[Lindsey Office Furnishings]] storage (–2018)
*** 2315–2327: former location of [[Buckeye Feed & Grain Co.]] (1938–1941)
**** 2315: former location of [[H. J. Heinz & Co.]] food products (1923–1929), [[Cecil Brokerage Co.]] / [[Benjamin McCann]] manufacturer's agent / [[Birmingham Commission Co.]] wholesale grain (1932), vacant (1934–1935)
**** 2317–2327: former location of [[Buckeye Feed & Grain Co.]] (1957)
***** 2317-2319: former location of [[Birmingham Brokerage Co.]] (1896)
****** 2317: former location of [[Sandner & Co.]] bakers' supplies (1932–1935), [[J. & M. Service]] auto repair (1970)
****** 2319: former location of [[Buckeye Feed & Grain Co.]] (1929–1929), [[Buckeye Cotton Oil Co.]] (1929), [[Cole Spice Co.]] sausage seasoning (1932), [[Ernest Smith]] & [[Cecil Camp]] flour brokers (1934)
**** 2321-2331: former location of [[J. M. Neill & Son]] (1896)
***** 2321–2327: former location of [[Buckeye Feed & Grain Co.]] (1934)
***** 2325–2327 (formerly 2321–2323): [[Morris House]] (built 1922), [[Morris House Lofts]]
***** 2329–2335 (formerly 2325–2331): [[Old Buckeye Building]], [[Buckeye Feed & Grain Co.]] (1957)
****** 2327: former location of [[C. S. Cavender]] cattle dealer (1925), [[Standard Sales Co.]] wholesale notions (1970)
****** 2331: former location of [[Alabama Wagon Works]] blacksmiths (1925), [[Richard Hubbard]] restaurant (1925–1932), [[Mae Kiernan]] restaurant (1934–1935), [[Gray's Cafe]] ([[Emmett Gray]] 1938), [[Standard Sales Co.]] wholesale notions (1970)
****** 2335: [[Hunt Modern]] gallery ([[Lauren Hunt]] 2023–)
 
===2400 block===
* north side:
** 2400: former location of [[Magic City Hardwood Works]] / [[Webb & Long Planing Mill]] (1891)
** [[2409 1st Avenue North|2410]]: former site of 1-story commercial building (collapsed 2023), former location of [[Birmingham Wholesale Grocery]] (1926)
** 2430: [[Carrigan's Public House]] (2013-)
* south side:
** 2401: former location of [[M. C. Reynolds]] lumber yard (1891)
** 2405-2411: former location of [[Vulcan Furniture Manufacturing Corp.]] (1964-1970)
*** 2409: former location of [[Alabama Mill & Elevator Co.]] grain (1941)
** 2411-2417: [[Lindsey Office Furnishings]] warehouse
** 2417-2419: former location of [[Birmingham Compress & Warehouse Co.]] (1891), [[Overton-Kennedy Flour & Grain Co.]] (1941)
** 2423-2425: former location of [[Aero Battery Co.]] (1941)
*** 2425: former location of [[Jacob Weller]] (1896), [[Berman Bros. Cooperage Co.]] (1925)
 
===2500 block===
* former location of marble works (in right of way)
* former location of [[Adams & Snyder]]
 
===Avondale===
* 3900: former location of [[Birmingham Box & Veneer Co.]] (1908)
* 4229: former location of [[Vulcan Roofing & Sheet Metal Co.]] (1964-1970)
* 4301: former location of [[Economy Lumber Co.]] (1925)
* 4321: former location of [[CERCO Inc.]] contractors' rentals (1964-1970)
* 4401: former location of [[E. E. Forbes & Sons]] warehouse (1941), [[Meadow Steel Products]] (1964-1970)
* 4415: former location of [[M & B Hangers|M & B Metal Products Co.]] (1964), [[Birmingham Ornamental Iron Works]] (1970)


==Unknown location==
==Unknown location==
* [[Eclectic Theater]] (formerly [[Frontier Lounge]], [[The Cavern]], [[Dr Jekyll's]], and [[The Cavern|The Cavern (Mark II)]])
* [[Eclectic Theater]], later [[Dr Jekyll's]] (formerly [[Frontier Lounge]], [[The Cavern]], and [[The Cavern|The Cavern (Mark II)]])
* [[Gas Lite Club]]


==References==
==References==
* Nix, Charles (March 1970) "[http://www.birminghamrewound.com/features/MorrisAve(3-70).jpg L&N, city square off to do battle for historic Morris Ave.]" {{BN}} - via [[Birmingham Rewound]]
* "[http://www.birminghamrewound.com/features/MorrisAve%20%2805-73%29.jpg Historic register listing boosts Morris Avenue showplace plan]." (May 16, 1973) {{BN}} - via [[Birmingham Rewound]
* {{Century Plus-1976}}
* "Morris Avenue to be dedicated as historic place June 19." (May 1976) {{BN}} - via [[Birmingham Rewound]]
* {{White-1977}}
* {{White-1977}}
* Kennedy, Harold (September 2, 1977) "'Mystery man' suspect hunted in Harlan case." ''Birmingham News''
* Kennedy, Harold (September 2, 1977) "'Mystery man' suspect hunted in Harlan case." {{BN}}
* Archibald, John (September 28, 1997) "Morris Avenue reborn: The one-time entertainment district is again teeming with activity, now as offices and residential lofts." ''Birmingham News''.
* Nesbitt, Jim (July 29, 1978) "[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/119749417/morris-avenuewill-it-make-it/ Morris Avenue–will it make it?]" {{BPH}}, p. C1
* Barber, Dean (December 12, 1993) "Night life will return." ''Birmingham News''
* "[https://www.newspapers.com/clip/119749581/morris-avenue-part-of-national-trend/ Morris Avenue part of national trend]" (July 29, 1978) {{BPH}}, p. C1
* Barber, Dean (December 12, 1993) "Night life will return." {{BN}}
* Archibald, John (September 28, 1997) "Morris Avenue reborn: The one-time entertainment district is again teeming with activity, now as offices and residential lofts." {{BN}}
* Geiss, Chuck (February 24, 2005) "[http://www.bwcitypaper.com/Articles-i-2005-02-24-116570.112112-Naked-Birmingham.html Naked Birmingham]". ''Black & White''


==External links==
==External links==
Line 90: Line 310:


[[Category:Morris Avenue|*]]
[[Category:Morris Avenue|*]]
[[Category:Entertainment districts]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Birmingham]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places]]

Latest revision as of 14:08, 14 January 2024

Morris Avenue in June 2005

Morris Avenue is a narrow, east-west avenue between 1st Avenue North and the Railroad Reservation. Because of its adjacency to railroad depots and services, it rapidly developed into an early commercial and warehouse district in Birmingham's early days. The avenue is named for Josiah Morris, a banker and one of the initial shareholders in the Elyton Land Company.

Sections of Morris Avenue can be found between Center Street and 2nd Street North in Elyton, and for a short distance west of 41st Street North and between 42nd and 45th Streets in Avondale. The main section, however, is downtown, between 14th and 25th Streets. Of that section, the area east of 21st Street is the best-preserved late Victorian district in the city. The Jefferson County Historical Commission dedicated a historical marker with information about Josiah Morris on June 19, 1976.

Downtown section

Morris Avenue, c. 1911

By the late 1880s Morris Avenue was lined with three and four-story brick warehouses from 21st to 25th Streets.

The Louisville & Nashville Railroad claimed ownership of the section of Morris Avenue between 14th and 18th Streets, which had been used as a produce market and later for automobile parking. In 1969 the railroad blocked off the area to traffic, erecting makeshift barriers and signs saying "No admittance, private property". Leon Aland of the New Ideal department store led legal efforts to keep the street open to public use.

Entertainment district

Main article: Old Town Uptown
Rendering for "Old Town Uptown" by Bob Moody

In the mid 1960s the quaintness of the street, "another world" from the modern city, inspired a feature in The Birmingham News which concluded with "you might be in New Orleans". At the time the avenue was much quieter than it had been in its heyday, with peeling paint and rusting door hardware to attract the photographer's eye, but it was far from empty, still housing numerous produce warehouses and food brokerages, and at least one nightclub.

In the late 1960s, designer Bob Moody became interested in redeveloping Morris Avenue as a historically-themed entertainment and shopping district, similar to Gaslight Square in St Louis, Missouri or the newly-opened Underground Atlanta. With his watercolor sketches and the backing of several other downtown promoters, he interested property owners in the area in the concept. A Gas Lite Club on the 2000 block offered live entertainment in the early 1960s.

Over the next few years the City of Birmingham and the Alabama Legislature contributed support to the venture. It was designated as the state's first historic district and streetscaped with cobblestones and gas lighting. By the Fall of 1972 the first new businesses, such as Diamond Jim's, Oaks Street, Victoria Station, and the Show-Boat Lounge began opening, attracting both locals and tourists at lunchtime and on evenings and weekends.

Old Town Uptown, while popular, proved vulnerable to mismanagement and bad word-of mouth. A few businesses turned over after their initial investments were tapped out. When a visiting businessman was lured from the Show-Boat Lounge and later found dead in August 1977, the district's reputation took a major hit. The sensational crime has been blamed for crippling the viability of the fledgling entertainment district.

A few clubs, like Cobblestone and the Old Town Music Hall continued to draw late-night crowds into the 1980s.

Later development

Main article: Loft District

Over the next decades, the street's historic buildings were renovated, one-by-one, as professional offices and loft residences.

A large parking lot, accentuated with lighting, benches and planting islands, was installed on the south side of the avenue in 1988, supporting the new businesses moving in.

By the 1990s the area was at the center of the first residential loft development downtown and the district has evolved into a tightly-knit mixed use neighborhood. In 1994 jazz club On the Avenue moved from 4th Avenue North to the former Gatsby's location and Larry Levine opened Larry's Place in the train cars that most recently housed Zen.

A new $4.5 million parking deck was built in the late 1990s as the city's contribution to the renovation of the John A. Hand Building for the headquarters of The Bank of Birmingham. A wide pre-cast concrete arch bridges over Morris Avenue on the east side of 20th Street to connect the building to the parking deck. Morris is also bridged by the 21st, 22nd and 24th Street viaducts.

During The Bank's tenure, owner Jimmy Taylor placed a vintage red London telephone box at the northeast corner of the intersection. The relic was heavily damaged on April 26, 2006 and subsequently hauled away.

Notable locations

For an alphabetical list of locations, see the Morris Avenue category.

Center Street to 2nd Street

1400 block

1600 block

1700 block

1800 block

1900 block

The Bank for Savings Building at 1919 Morris Avenue in 1962

2000 block

  • south side:
1923 ad for the Gilmore-Lee Produce Co..

2100 block

2200 block

2300 block

Buckeye Feed & Grain Co. at 2315-2331 Morris Avenue. Photo by O. V. Hunt

2400 block

2500 block

  • former location of marble works (in right of way)
  • former location of Adams & Snyder

Avondale

Unknown location

References

External links

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