Crestwood Boulevard

Crestwood Boulevard is the section of U. S. Highway 78 running from 5th Avenue South and 47th Street to somewhere near John Rogers Drive in Irondale. It is so-named because it traverses the Crestwood neighborhood before crossing Red Mountain just south of Red Gap. It was labeled as the Avondale-Irondale Super Highway on a 1964 road map.

East of Montevallo Road the Boulevard follows a route more or less parallel to I-20.

The section of Crestwood Boulevard between Irondale and Crestwood Festival Center was landscaped in preparation for the 1996 Olympic Games. Gradco, Inc. was paid $26,000 to install new plantings specified by landscape architect Mike Kirk to continue the style used already in Irondale.

In April 2019 the Birmingham City Council approved 20% matching funds to commission a Crestwood APPLE Study/Crestwood Boulevard Corridor Study through the Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham to determine of the Boulevard could be redesigned according to "complete street" principles, with improved access for pedestrian and bicycle traffic.

Notable locations (west to east)

Birmingham

Crestwood North (north) / Crestwood South (south)

• boulevard merges with/splits from 5th Avenue South
  • Crestwood Park
  • 5500: Crestwood Tavern, former location of Frostop Root Beer (1960s), Jesse Goin restaurant (1960s–1970), Mama Mia's Spaghettini, La Mancha's, Bachelor's Three nightclub (late 1960s), Lochamy's BBQ (late 1960s), Bob Sykes Bar-B-Q (early 1970s), El Gringo's (1970s-1980s), Crestwood Grill, Playas del Nayarit, Michoacan
  • 5502-5522: Crestwood Village shopping center (built 1957 as Crestwood Shopping Center)
  • 5524: The Filling Station restaurant (2015-), former location of Crestwood Auto

• 56th Street South intersects
  • 5600: residence
  • 5616: residence, former location of W. A. Parker (1961)
  • 5901: Alabama Waldorf School (2016–), former location of Crestwood Christian Church
  • 6001: Salvation Army Youth Services Center

• Eagle View Drive intersects, access to The Vue at Crestwood apartments (built 1977 as Mountain View Apartments)
  • 6400: Crestway Baptist Church
  • 6701-7309: Crestwood Festival Center
    • 6701: JCCEO Festival Head Start Center, former location of Campo Electronics
    • 6901: Cabinets To Go, former location of O'Charley's
    • 7001: main address for Crestwood Festival Center
    • 7303-7307: New China Buffet, former location of Barnhill's Restaurant
    • 7309: Food$mart (2001–), former location of Western Supermarket (-2001)
  • 7400: Aldi
  • 7401: former site of Gulas Supper Club and Hooters

Eastwood (north) / Crestline (south)

• Cresthill Road intersects
  • 7500: Red Mountain Motorsports, former location of BMW Motorcycles of Birmingham (2011-2015)
  • 7505-7523: Village East Shopping Center
    • 7505: Aaron's
    • 7509: Milano Men's Wear
    • 7513: Hair Show Beauty Supply
    • 7515: former location of T. J. Maxx
    • 7517: Roses Express (2015-), former location of It's Fashion Metro
    • 7521: Z Outlet
    • 7523: Citi Trends
  • 7580: Century Plaza
  • 7601: former location of Red Lobster
  • 7621: ABC Store, former location of Blockbuster
  • 7641: Goo-Goo Wash
  • 7665: former location of Lovable Pet Center (1983)

Eastwood

• Oporto-Madrid Boulevard intersects
  • Century Park East
  • Eastwood Village (former site of Eastwood Mall)
  • 7701: Baja California Cantina (Jaime Hernandez 2022–), former location of Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Olive Garden restaurant
  • former location of BTNB Eastwood branch
  • 7712: TitleMax, former location of Butters restaurant (1980s)
  • 7724: Ezell's Express, former location of Wendy's
  • 7740: Murphy USA gas station
  • 7748: International House of Pancakes
  • 7757: Arby's
  • 7757: Burger-King, former location of Shoney's Big Boy
  • 7801: Eastwood Shell gas station
  • 7817-7893 Eastwood Shopping Plaza shopping center
    • 7817: Cellular Express
    • 7825A: Eastwood Print and Copy
    • 7825C: Acceptance Auto Insurance
    • 7825D: Advance America
    • 7845: Kids Market & Mom, former location of Eastwood K-Mart
    • 7849: Monarch Direct grocery store
    • 7865: former location of Lovable Pet Center (1981)
    • 7883: Sammy's Old Fashion Hot Dogs
    • 7893: former location of Pizza Perfect (1992), McMillan's Big & Tall (-2016)
  • 7855: former location of La Cocina (1985)
  • 7893: Southeastern Cellular & Paging
  • 7901-7905: Birmingham VA Mental Health Clinic (2021-)
    • 7901: former location of Starlite Drive-In (built 1951), Garden Inn (demolished 2020)
    • 7905: former location of Motel Birmingham, Delux Inn & Suites
  • 7909: KFC
  • 7911: former location of Howard Johnson's restaurant
  • 7929: former site of Dobbs House Luau, China Garden (1988)
  • 7941: former location of Holiday Inn (built 1962), Calico's restaurant, USA Economy Lodge (closed 2021)
  • 7949: former location of Margaret's Dance Showcase (1966)
  • 7950: Villa Fiesta, former location of El Palacio (1981)
  • 7952: Habitat for Humanity Outlet
  • 7956: Shrimp Basket (2015-)
  • 7958: former location of Superpetz
  • 7960: Royal Paints / Art Sign Co., former location of Layton Environmental Engineering (1993)
  • 7964: Family Auto Sales

• Montclair Road and 16th Street South (Irondale) intersect

Irondale

• • 1616-1630: 5 Points East shopping center (built c. 1960s)
  • 1701: Stan's Car Sales, former location of Jiffy-Lube
  • 1703: Hamburger Heaven
  • 1709-1729: Crestwood Plaza shopping center
    • 1709: O'Reilly Auto Parts
    • 1717: Check 'N Go, former location of Stray Cats furniture
    • 1721: Dollar General
    • 1729: Iron Beach Gym, former location of Unfinished Furniture, Dress Code Warehouse
  • 1721: former location of Po Folks restaurant
  • 1724: Jack's restaurant
  • 1730: AAMCO Transmissions
  • 1801: former location of PNC Bank (closed 2022)
  • 1804: Chevron station / Sneaky Pete's
  • 1810: Krystal hamburgers
  • 1811: La-Z-Boy Furniture Galleries
  • 1813: America's Best Value Inn & El Cancun Mexican Restaurant
  • 1815: Village Spirits
  • 1816: Kangaroo Express
  • 1819: Eat at Panoptic (Raquel Ervin May 1, 2021–), former location of Robert Denny physician (1969), exterminator, Green Acres Cafe
  • 1845: former location of Regions Bank (–2020)
  • 1847: former location of Kayser's Furniture
  • 1848: Taco Mariachi, former location of American Family Care
  • 1900: Veenschoten & Co.
  • 1905: Sherwin-Williams Paint Store
  • 1911: former location of Haverty's Furniture
  • 1950: Southern Pharmaceutical Services
  • 2500: former location of David Winchester dentist (1993)
  • 2506: Golden Rule Bar-B-Q
  • 2510: former location of the Siesta Motel (closed January 2018)
  • 2522: Harris Automotive
  • 2615-2631: Underwood Plaza shopping center (built 1955)
    • 2615: Stacy's Style Studio (2014-)
    • 2617: Antique Outlet (2017-)
    • 2619: Art's Barber Shop (1968-)
    • 2621: Plaza Carpet (2017-), former location of Devyani Dance Center (2008)
    • 2627: former location of Heavy Metal, personal trainers
    • 2631: Plaza Antiques (2015-), former location of L & M Mower (2008)
  • 2709: Smokey's Pit Stop / Sunoco gas station (January 2012–) / Panoptic Food Truck (July 2020–), former location of Q P 233 gas station
  • 2721: Alabama Spay & Neuter Clinic
  • 2730: Irondale Post Office
  • 2749: Iron City Stone & Supply
  • 2750: IBML, former location of Champion Lincoln Mercury Merkur (1987)
  • 2800: Peak Season corporate headquarters
  • 2880: Wells Fargo Bank
  • 2890: Borden Dairy
  • 3300: Citgo & Gas-A-Cheap
  • 4678: Eastwood Animal Clinic
  • 4797: Shell gas station
• Old Leeds Road intersects, I-20 access

References

• Hulen, Tara (March 13, 1996) "Eastwood to spruce up for Olympics." The Birmingham News
• Chambers, Jesse (April 5, 2018) "Two city councilors eye stretch of Highway 78 as 'complete street'." Iron City Ink