1st Avenue South

1st Avenue South is a Birmingham street running from I-65 in the west to Roebuck in the east. In the downtown area it is just south of Powell Avenue and one block from the Railroad Reservation. As it proceeds eastward it is interrupted by I-20/59 near Gate City and resumes in Woodlawn separated from 1st Avenue North by Division Avenue. It is once again interrupted by I-59 at 82nd Street South in East Lake and then terminates at 87th Street South just shy of Parkway East near the Roebuck Municipal Golf Course

The downtown section of 1st Avenue South is in the early stages of large scale redevelopment. It is slated to become the main frontage for the Railroad Reservation Park between 14th and 18th Streets, and is also experiencing significant redevelopment around the location of the 1st Avenue Cut

1st Avenue Cut

The 1st Avenue Cut, looking west from the 24th Street Viaduct

The 1st Avenue Cut is a depressed railroad bed running through the center of 1st Avenue South from 20st Street South to 24th Street South.

The cut is part of plans for a linear park connecting the Railroad Reservation Park with Sloss Furnace and beyond. It is also at the center of significant recent redevelopment, including the Corporate Realty Building, Jackson Galleries, the Seaboard Yard townhomes, Golden Construction, Williams-Blackstock Architects, and other new or renovated uses along those four blocks.

The presentation of the City Center Master Plan in 2005 showed the possibility of filling the cut to create a tree-lined boulevard. Some residents, vocally represented by then-City Councilor Elias Hendricks expressed their view that the cut should be preserved for its interpretive and nostalgic value, but "cleaned up" to make it an asset to the area. The Central City neighborhood sponsored a clean-up day for the cut in June, 2005.

Moving east from the 24th Street viaduct the street is home to recent construction on the former Seaboard Air Line Railroad yard and spillover from the adjacent "Design District" around Dr Pepper Place in Lakeview. The 24th Street viaduct and Red Mountain Expressway overpass occasionally shelter small groups of homeless persons. The CSX 32nd Street Yard is still active on the south side of the street, and is usually the area where the Ringling Bros & Barnum & Bailey's Circus train is parked while in town.

Red Light District

The area around the western ends of the railyards served as Birmingham's Red Light District in the early 20th century. The best known house in the district was operated by Blanche Bernard who, banned from soliciting at the Terminal Station instead offered gentlemen a free carriage to their hotel. The catch was that even if their hotel was located just down 5th Avenue North, the carriage would always tarry around the Southside Loop to show off the attractions of the Red Light District. The houses were finally razed in the 1930s.

On the relatively isolated stretch between 35th and 41st Streets there is frequent drag racing in the late evenings. Past 41st Street, 1st Avenue peters out into a local-access street.

East end

1st Avenue South re-appears in downtown Woodlawn, with Georgia Road forking away to the south at 58th Street. The street continues underneath I-20 into East Lake and continues through 20 blocks of predominantly residential uses until it is again interrupted by I-59 a few blocks shy of its eastern end at 87th Street.

Notable locations

• 1400-1798: Railroad Reservation Park
• 1415: Former Shoe Corp. warehouse, destroyed by fire in 2006.
• 1500: Merita bakery
• 1501: Southeast Express
• 1531: B & A Warehouse
• 1600: Sysco Food Services Outlet Store
• 1799: Standard at Midtown proposed condominium building
• 1801: Laboratory Corporation of America
• 2000: The Daniel Building (Compass Bank headquarters)
• 2127: Ramwood Furniture
• 2204: Williams-Blackstock Architects (former V & W Supply Company building)
• 2212: Golden & Associates
• 2226: Pullman Flats
• 2229: Davidson Design Group
• 2312: H & W Company
• 2316: Innovative Office Solutions
• 2420: Thomas Steel Products
• 2701: Goodwyn Mills and Cawood
• 2801-3199: CSX 32nd Street Yard
• 2726: Alabama Ballet
• 2800: Seaboard Yard townhomes
• 2900: The Lamb Firm
• 2920: Cohen Carnaggio Reynolds
• 4901: Alabama Taxi Rentals
• 6400: Colonial RV Center
• 6460: Martin Animal Hospital
• 6461: Market Services of Alabama
• 7753: East Lake United Methodist Church
• 7110: East End Memorial Hospital

References

• Coman, Victoria L. (April 27, 2005) "Central City looks for help to tidy up old railroad cut." Birmingham News.
• "Williams-Blackstock first new kid on the block." (March 5, 2004) Birmingham Business Journal.
• Voyles, Jerry. "Alabama Rail History" - accessed June 26, 2006

External links

• Photographs tagged "1staves" in the Magic City Flickr Group.
• Urban Design Associates. (2005) Birmingham City Center Master Plan Update (PDF)