2127 1st Avenue North

2127 1st Avenue North is a two-story, 9,400 square-foot brick commercial building located at 2125-2127 1st Avenue North in downtown Birmingham. A parking lot is located to the rear of the building, facing Morris Avenue. The date of construction is uncertain, but has been given as 1924 in real estate listings.

In 1904 the building at that address housed the Baltimore Cigar Manufacturing Co. and the Leslie Printing & Publishing Co., along with the offices of the Alabama Christian Advocate and Southern and Alabama Baptist newspapers. The J. M. Haran Plumbing Co. moved into the building a year later.

By 1929 the west half of the ground floor housed the Cooper Dry Goods Co. , while the Star Hosiery & Underwear Co. occupied the eastern portion.

In 1964 Alabama Restaurant Supply was doing business from the entire ground floor.

The building was marketed for sale for $847,000 by J. H. Berry & Gilbert Inc. from 2008 to 2016. In early 2017 it was purchased from Tutwiler Properties and Twentieth Street Realty Co. for $687,500 by Hallett Johnson IV through his Gulf & Pacific Properties LLC.

Johnson, head of global business development for Usablenet Inc., a New York-based internet technology firm, moved his group into the building, along with his Aegis Foundry, Gulf & Atlantic Properties and Gulf & Pacific Properties LLCs. He also leased space to So Perfect Studio. The Amari & Gray law firm also leases office space in the building.

In 2019 another LLC registered by Johnson purchased the property for $2.5 million with financing from M1 Bank of Clayton, Missouri.

References

• Godwin, Brent (February 8, 2017) "Building sales continue First Avenue momentum." Birmingham Business Journal
• Godwin, Brent (February 24, 2017) "Two tech firms moving to downtown Birmingham building." Birmingham Business Journal
• Van der Bijl, Hanno (November 19, 2019) "Downtown Birmingham office property sells for $2.5M." Birmingham Business Journal