Avon Building
The Avon Building (also called the Exclusive Furniture Shop) is a 1- and 2-story, 220,000 square foot building on the southwest corner of 29th Street and 7th Avenue South in the Lakeview district of Birmingham's Southside.
The 1927 Tudor Revival style building was designed by Charles McCauley.
The structure was heavily damaged as a result of frozen pipes in the winter of 1983-84, forcing tenants to relocate. Operation New Birmingham assisted prospective buyer Bayer Properties in getting the building listed on the National Register of Historic Places in order to qualify for tax credits for preservation.
Bayer initially invested $115,000 in what was their first redevelopment project. After about $1 million in improvements, Straight Furrow Productions signed on as the first tenant. Six months later, Bayer accepted a proposal from Bombay Café to lease the ground level corner space. The restaurant's success helped establish Lakeview as a night-time destination in the 1990s.
In 2017 Heat Pizza Bar renovated the former Rare Martini space on the corner for its first Birmingham location.
Tenants
- 2831 7th Avenue South: Dragonfly Salon, former location of Kwik Cleaners (1985), Hala Hair & Make-Up Design
- 2833 7th Avenue South:
- 2835 7th Avenue South:
- 2837 7th Avenue South:
- 2839 7th Avenue South/700 29th Street South: Heat Pizza Bar (2017), former location of Exclusive Furniture Shop (1927-), Bombay Café (1986-), Rare Martini (-2017)
- 700B 7th Avenue South: former location of the Stock Exchange consignment shop (1984)
- 702 29th Street South:
- 704 29th Street South: former location of Silk Gardens (1984)
- 706 29th Street South:
References
- Vogtle, Pat, Pam King, Alice M. Bowsher, Tom Dolan & Ellen Mertins (February 15, 1985) "Exclusive Furniture Shop". National Register of Historic Places Inventory—Nomination Form - accessed March 6, 2017
- King, Pamela Sterne (2008) 50 Years and Counting: A History of Operation New Birmingham 1957-2007. Birmingham: Operation New Birmingham